The Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Whitechapel Full Moon Society follows Caroline Foster as she travels to London in search of her brother, Charlie. Caroline grew up in a wealthy family, but unfortunately that family unit has crumbled to nothing.
After the recent death of her father, Caroline has been left alone and the family estate sold off. Caroline’s deepest connection in the world now is with Charlie, who she’s only spent sporadic time with over the course of her life.
Following clues from his correspondence, Caroline ends up at the Whitechapel Full Moon Society, a dilapidated building currently serving as a gentleman’s boarding house.
After an appeal to the landlady, Caroline, under slightly false pretenses, is hired on as the Full Moon’s maid in exchange for room and board. She’s hoping locating Charlie after this will be easy, but we all know, nothing is ever easy.
There are very strict rules at the Full Moon, at least for Caroline. She’s not to ask the residents personal questions, or to enter the iron-barred room on the second-floor, and oh yeah, she must remain locked in her bedroom from sundown to sunup on full moon nights.
Even though to most of us, these rules may be suspicious as heck, it doesn’t phase Caroline in the slightest. When she finds no signs of Charlie though, and when she finds out that the previous maid was brutally murdered, she starts to suspect the Full Moon may be more than your average boarding house.
This novel is set in Victorian London during the time of the Jack the Ripper slayings, and those historical crimes, as well as the corresponding fear that permeated the city, play a large role in this story.
I loved the inclusion of that, and how the author wove in those historical elements, it made the story feel that much more realistic. The atmosphere was oozing off the page, and as an atmosphere girlie, that was something I truly appreciated. I could picture everything perfectly.
I was actually surprised how immersed I became in this novel. This is far from my typical read, but I was swept up into it. She’s a slow burn, it’s true, but just such an enjoyable read nevertheless.
DeLozier’s writing is very pleasing and engaging. It’s straight-forward and accessible for Readers who don’t read a lot of historical fiction, like myself. I was drawn to this because of the cover and the inclusion of the Jack the Ripper slayings, but ended up really impressed by the full package.
Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’d definitely be interested in pick up DeLozier’s future works!
