IF LOOKS COULD KILL - Julie Berry

 It is 1888 and the world is on edge with reports of the brutal murders in the Whitechapel area of London and the still-at-large killer who's given the name Jack the Ripper. And for the man known as 'Jack' it isn't safe to spend too much time in London. He's already been pulled in for questioning by the police - along with a large handful of other men. Clearly the police are casting a wide net, hoping something will come of it, but it does motivate Jack to move on.

New York, the Bowery. Tabitha is a Salvation Army girl. She preaches to anyone who listen about the Gospels, and talks a lot of The Ripper. Her roommate, Pearl, has also been a Salvation Army girl, but becomes a Medusa and leaves religion behind.

Tabitha is convinced that Jack the Ripper is in New York, and she's not the only one. Investigators who have suspected the man have followed him to New York and let it slip so that all of New York believe The Ripper is living among them.

What will happen when two truly evil entities - Jack the Ripper and Medusa - encounter one another?

I am a sucker for any book with Jack the Ripper in it and including a creature like Medusa and I'm ready for a rip-roaring, dark adventure.

Author Julie Berry chooses to tell this story primarily through two viewpoints - Jack the Ripper's and ... not Pearl/Medusa, but Tabitha's. It's an interesting choice and it mostly works but it is curious. Pearl's point of view doesn't come in until we're half way (or more) through the book. The result is a lot ... a LOT ... of set-up and very little action.

Jack's story is interesting. I appreciate Berry's choosing a person as the killer and going with it, but as we meet him AFTER his killings - I can understand not wanting to detail the brutality of his killings, especially in a book targeted to a YA audience - it means we're getting a psychological look at him, and not an active look. He spends a lot of time thinking and planning and running, making him a bit flat.

I liked Pearl as Medusa, but I didn't much care about her beforehand. I found her boring. 

But what works well is the empowerment of women. It's the late 1800's, not exactly prime women's liberation, but Tabitha and Pearl are strong women and putting themselves out there. Pearl as Medusa gets to act on her anger toward some men and is ready to take on The Ripper if he's really, truly in New York.

While I enjoyed the book for its historical perspective and inclusion of  Greek mythology, I would struggle to flat-out recommend it. It's slow and disjointed. One really needs to commit to the read in order for it to all come together. Only the last quarter of the book (or less) makes for an exciting, enticing read.

Looking for a good book? If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry has a great concept, blending modern history with Greek mythology, but spends a lot of time setting up the characters and story.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

If Looks Could Kill

author: Julie Berry

publisher:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9781534470811

hardcover, 448 pages 

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