Bookish Item | Book Beginnings on Friday: Jackaby – William Ritter

It’s been a month since our last Book Beginnings on Friday and I thought I would give it another go! This meme was created by Rose City Reader. The idea is to post the first sentence or so of the book you’re currently reading. After that you talk about your initial thoughts about the sentence, book or anything to do with that. I don’t know how often we will do this, but it seems like fun from time to time. Today’s book is Jackaby by William Ritter.

Bookish Item | Book Beginnings on Friday: Jackaby – William Ritter


“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.
Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.


Jackaby (Jackaby, #1) by William Ritter
Published by Algonquin Young Readers on 16/09/2014
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 299

” It was late January, and New England wore a fresh coat of snow as I stepped along the gangplank to the shore. The city of New Fiddleham glistened in the fading dusk, lamplight playing across the icy buildings that lined the waterfront, turning their brickwork to twinkling diamonds in the dark. In the inky black of the Atlantic, the reflected glow of gaslights danced and bobbed. I made my way forward, carrying everything that traveled with me in a single suitcase. The solid ground beneath my feet felt odd after so many weeks at sea, and looming buildings rose up around me on all sides. I would come to know this city well, but in the cold winter of 1892, every glowing window and dark alley was strange, full of untold dangers and enticing mysteries.”

I decided to give a bit more than one or two sentences. Not much in really given away on this first page, so I thought it was better to give some more information. A few friends of mine have been talking about this series recently and got me curious.

This first page definitely makes me want to read more. I would love to visit the New England described here. I definitely expect a whirlwind of mysteries and twists I don’t see coming. I think this story will take me back in time and feel like I’m there. Jackaby is definitely on the top of my list to read in 2020!

Have you read this series? If you have, let me know in the comments! I would love to hear more opinions about this book and series!

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