Helpful Score: 2
The blurb for this book promises "Doctor Who meets Sherlock". This is a very tall order to fill, so I was a little nervous to start this one, but I am excited to say that it delivered on both fronts. Jackaby has the antisocial, blunt approach to interpersonal relationships we've all grown to love watching Sherlock Holmes television shows, but retains the quirkiness and over-the-top crazy explanations that Doctor Who is known for. The result is an instantly lovable character that I absolutely could not get enough of.
Abigail Rook, Jackaby's companion, is another lovely surprise. Her pluck and acumen for assisting Jackaby in his cases reminds me of both Doctor Who companions (think Clara Oswald) and Watson (think Lucy Liu's Joan Watson on the American show "Elementary"). My favorite scenes with Abigail in this book were those where she shocks the locals with her impropriety and forwardness, and those where Jackaby is trying to explain something to her. They both beautifully showcase Abigail as a character.
The mystery Jackaby and Abigail tackle in this first installment is fast-paced and interesting. The most impressive aspect of this story for me was the effortless way Ritter is able to weave together the best parts of both Sherlock and Doctor Who to create a story that is whimsical, dangerous, interesting, and fun all at once. The secondary characters they encounter along their way are all rather well-developed and memorable. The fact that almost everyone had some supernatural aspect to them reminded me more of Doctor Who than Sherlock.
I know many people have commented on the predictability of the culprit, stating the foreshadowing was so heavy that the element of surprise was lost, but I can honestly say that I had no idea who was behind it all or what was really going on until the big reveal at the end.
I was so excited to start this book, and having finished it I am dying to get my hands on the next book in the series. I will cross my fingers and hope that this is not a trilogy, because I know I will want more than three books worth of Jackaby adventures. If you like Doctor Who or Sherlock, or if you just enjoy mysteries with magical elements and quirky characters, you should go pick up Jackaby right now.
Abigail Rook, Jackaby's companion, is another lovely surprise. Her pluck and acumen for assisting Jackaby in his cases reminds me of both Doctor Who companions (think Clara Oswald) and Watson (think Lucy Liu's Joan Watson on the American show "Elementary"). My favorite scenes with Abigail in this book were those where she shocks the locals with her impropriety and forwardness, and those where Jackaby is trying to explain something to her. They both beautifully showcase Abigail as a character.
The mystery Jackaby and Abigail tackle in this first installment is fast-paced and interesting. The most impressive aspect of this story for me was the effortless way Ritter is able to weave together the best parts of both Sherlock and Doctor Who to create a story that is whimsical, dangerous, interesting, and fun all at once. The secondary characters they encounter along their way are all rather well-developed and memorable. The fact that almost everyone had some supernatural aspect to them reminded me more of Doctor Who than Sherlock.
I know many people have commented on the predictability of the culprit, stating the foreshadowing was so heavy that the element of surprise was lost, but I can honestly say that I had no idea who was behind it all or what was really going on until the big reveal at the end.
I was so excited to start this book, and having finished it I am dying to get my hands on the next book in the series. I will cross my fingers and hope that this is not a trilogy, because I know I will want more than three books worth of Jackaby adventures. If you like Doctor Who or Sherlock, or if you just enjoy mysteries with magical elements and quirky characters, you should go pick up Jackaby right now.
Helpful Score: 1
It's easy to compare this to Sherlock and Jackaby/Abigail to Sherlock/John... there are some similarities in character but for me, Jackaby was a magical/fun adventure with interesting characters all around.
Abigail is thrown into the strange of Jackaby purely by chance. She doesn't know fully what she's getting into but she's keen for adventure.
Jackaby, Abigail, Marlowe and the others all play well off each other... the side characters such as Hatun, Jenny, Mr. Henderson, Charlie, Etc. each have a place/role in the story, though you may not know exactly what at the time.
Trying to keep up with Jackaby was fruitless, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. (Side note: I wonder Sherlock would've thought of this fellow?)
What was going on with Charlie, my antennae picked up in one particular scene... the one time I got the same answer as Jackaby haha, even though I got there slower.
Jackaby as a 'seer' was interesting, and his house is labyrinth of unusual and sometimes dangerous things... Can I live there'? :) The third floor was probably my favorite... and a certain... frog ;-)
The villain I did not expect to be who it was, Abigail and I put it together at the same time. Well done twist in my opinion.
I got the 'feel' of the town in this... it felt like I was plopped right in New Fiddleham. Gritty, dark, ordinary, supernatural... all fit together :).
The writing in this book = <3 ! Don't know how else to put it, the pages fly by without you realizing it.
Loved the humor in this book, some of these quotes I would love to frame:
""And so you shall," Jackaby called over his shoulder. "Expertly, I imagine, and to the letter of the instruction. However, I don't recall Marlowe giving any specific directions about time, nor about the route we take, so let's have a quick chat with someone odd, first, shall we? I do love odd. Ah, here we are!""
!!!!
"I hate when you spend the night," grumbled the clerk.
"I only barely got finished cataloguing this stuff. Always takes me forever just to find all the damn pockets.""
~~~~~
""Don't feel bad," I offered. "I met him face-to-face, and I missed it too."
"Yes, but no one expected you to be clever, Miss Rook."
"Thanks for that," I said.
"We got him in the end, at least. That's something. "
""Jenny! Have you seen that saucepan? The one from that set your grandmother left you? "
~~~~~
"You mean the one you riddled with buckshot dents last month?" came the spirit's muffled reply. "Or the one you melted last summer with that alchemy nonsense? "
"The first one! ""
~~~~
In closing with this from the book:
"The man had no portraits or photographs, but he had slowly surrounded himself with mementos of a fantastic past. Each little item, by the sheer nature of its being, told a story. Looking around was a little like being back on the dig, or like deciphering an ancient text, and I wondered what stories they would tell me if I only knew how to read them."
I agree, I can't wait to find out what's next in store for these two :) Maybe Mr. Ritter will write about some of Jackaby's past cases as well? *hint hint*
Abigail is thrown into the strange of Jackaby purely by chance. She doesn't know fully what she's getting into but she's keen for adventure.
Jackaby, Abigail, Marlowe and the others all play well off each other... the side characters such as Hatun, Jenny, Mr. Henderson, Charlie, Etc. each have a place/role in the story, though you may not know exactly what at the time.
Trying to keep up with Jackaby was fruitless, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. (Side note: I wonder Sherlock would've thought of this fellow?)
What was going on with Charlie, my antennae picked up in one particular scene... the one time I got the same answer as Jackaby haha, even though I got there slower.
Jackaby as a 'seer' was interesting, and his house is labyrinth of unusual and sometimes dangerous things... Can I live there'? :) The third floor was probably my favorite... and a certain... frog ;-)
The villain I did not expect to be who it was, Abigail and I put it together at the same time. Well done twist in my opinion.
I got the 'feel' of the town in this... it felt like I was plopped right in New Fiddleham. Gritty, dark, ordinary, supernatural... all fit together :).
The writing in this book = <3 ! Don't know how else to put it, the pages fly by without you realizing it.
Loved the humor in this book, some of these quotes I would love to frame:
""And so you shall," Jackaby called over his shoulder. "Expertly, I imagine, and to the letter of the instruction. However, I don't recall Marlowe giving any specific directions about time, nor about the route we take, so let's have a quick chat with someone odd, first, shall we? I do love odd. Ah, here we are!""
!!!!
"I hate when you spend the night," grumbled the clerk.
"I only barely got finished cataloguing this stuff. Always takes me forever just to find all the damn pockets.""
~~~~~
""Don't feel bad," I offered. "I met him face-to-face, and I missed it too."
"Yes, but no one expected you to be clever, Miss Rook."
"Thanks for that," I said.
"We got him in the end, at least. That's something. "
""Jenny! Have you seen that saucepan? The one from that set your grandmother left you? "
~~~~~
"You mean the one you riddled with buckshot dents last month?" came the spirit's muffled reply. "Or the one you melted last summer with that alchemy nonsense? "
"The first one! ""
~~~~
In closing with this from the book:
"The man had no portraits or photographs, but he had slowly surrounded himself with mementos of a fantastic past. Each little item, by the sheer nature of its being, told a story. Looking around was a little like being back on the dig, or like deciphering an ancient text, and I wondered what stories they would tell me if I only knew how to read them."
I agree, I can't wait to find out what's next in store for these two :) Maybe Mr. Ritter will write about some of Jackaby's past cases as well? *hint hint*
