Kicky’s Post It Note Reviews, Jackaby Edition

The Teen recently read 8 books in 3 weeks, none of them of course were the ones she needed to read for school. I had the honor of going to ALA in Orlando for a quick trip this year, and came home with several ARCs, many of which she has already read. She also read the entire Jackaby series, because we got an ARC of book 3 and she had to read books 1 and 2 before she could read book 3. Today we’re going to talk about the Jackaby series by William Rittner. In the next few days we’ll have another post with some of the other titles she read.

We begin with the Jackaby series. The Teen read all three books in three days and LOVED THEM. Jackaby is a type of Sherlock Holmes(ish) series with a lead investigator who can see the paranormal realm, a talent very few people share. He is joined by Abigail Rook (who is technically the main character) who does not have his sight, but has a sharp mind and an eye for detail. Each book is a new and interesting mystery.

The Teen’s Overall Thoughts on the Series

It reminded me a lot of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who – which I love – and it was really fun to read. It’s kind of historical, like an alternate historical fiction because of the elements of the supernatural. Because it’s kind of historical, a lot of people had stereotypical views of women but Abigail proved them wrong! It was very dramatic and suspenseful and I couldn’t stop reading but I didn’t want it to end.

JACKABY (Jackaby #1) Book Description

“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. (Algonquin, September 2014)

Jackaby Post It Review:

“Intriguing, fun and amazing!”

BEASTLY BONES (Jackaby #2) Book Description

“I’ve found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I’ve known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality.”

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer R. F. Jackaby are called upon to investigate the supernatural.

First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.(Algonquin, September 2015)

Beastly Bones Post It Review:

“Fun, well written and amazing”

GHOSTLY ECHOES (Jackaby #3) Book Description

Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the investigative services of her fellow residents to solve a decade-old murder—her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, Detective R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny’s fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny’s case isn’t so cold after all, and her killer may be far more dangerous than they suspected.

Fantasy and folklore mix with mad science as Abigail’s race to unravel the mystery leads her across the cold cobblestones of nineteenth-century New England, down to the mythical underworld, and deep into her colleagues’ grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced. (Algonquin August 23, 2016)

Ghostly Echoes Post It Review:

“Loved reading this so much!”

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