Yvette Fielding, The Ripper of Whitechapel (The Ghost Hunter Chronicles #2), Andersen Press, November 2022, 256 pp., RRP $18.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781839132148
This is the second instalment in The Ghost Hunter Chronicles. I haven’t read the first book, The House in the Woods, but that did not impact at all on my enjoyment of this volume.
I would have loved this series when I was a kid. There is a demand for kids’ books that are scary – in an appropriate way! Stephen King is way too mature for this age bracket (ages 11+) and many of the other books on the market aren’t scary enough. The Ripper of Whitechapel has a number of moments that are really frightening – and the readers who are attracted to this book will be thrilled by those moments.
Eve, Clovis and Tom live on the same housing estate (it’s set in the UK) and have grown up together. They’re now thirteen and still best friends. Eve lives with her eccentric uncle Rufus (where would we be without an eccentric uncle?) who includes the friends in his investigations of the paranormal. Because they successfully helped the authorities solve a previous investigation, they are invited to join a special branch of the police: the Society of Paranormal Investigations as trainee ghost hunters.
I love books where the young characters are treated by adults with respect. Eve, Clovis and Tom have proven their worth in the past, so Detective Inspector Rutherford has no hesitation in making them part of the team, under the guidance of Uncle Rufus.
A local school is being haunted by the ghosts of two young children, and it soon becomes apparent that they were the victims of the infamous Jack the Ripper. They cannot move on to their next ‘home’ because the malevolent ghost of Jack the Ripper has trapped them here on earth. To release the ghost children, the friends, together with Uncle Rufus, must send Jack on to his final resting place – and he is very reluctant to oblige!
I think Fielding has created a fabulous series for young readers who are looking for books that have characters with whom they can relate. She has given her characters backstories that have depth and she’s not afraid to include difficult issues. For example, Tom’s soldier dad has returned from Afghanistan a changed man, obviously suffering from PTSD. But Fielding doesn’t let this get in the way of her brilliantly paced narrative.
This was unputdownable! Highly recommended for readers aged 11+.
Reviewed by Gaby Meares
