Stalking Jack the Ripper

Kerri Maniscalco’s debut Gothic mystery novel Stalking Jack the Ripper is the first in her popular murder mystery series for young adults. Inspired by the true events of 1888, the novel traces a 17-year-old protagonist’s search for a notorious serial killer in London’s East End. As a work of historical fiction, the novel takes some liberties with factual material. The text also includes historic images and photos to add to its sense of authenticity. Stalking Jack the Ripper is a New York Times bestseller and now has three sequels. This guide uses the 2016 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers edition.

Content Warning: This guide refers to violence against women and gore, which are depicted in the novel.

Plot Summary

The novel is divided into 30 chapters, which are narrated in the first-person past tense by the protagonist, Audrey Wadsworth. Audrey is a 17-year-old girl from an aristocratic family in London. Her father is the esteemed Lord Edmund Wadsworth, and her brother is the roguish but kind Nathaniel Wadsworth. Above all, Audrey loves forensic science, in particular, spending time in her Uncle Jonathan Wadsworth’s basement laboratory, where she assists him in performing autopsies on cadavers.