Jack Knife

by Virginia Baker

Book Overview

Whitechapel, London, 1888. For Inspector Jonas Robb, each night brings new terror. But this night is different. It's brought two strangers-David and Sara-who have arrived in London seemingly with no... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515142522
• ISBN13: 9780515142525
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Jove Books
• Length: 343 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic First Book

Sci-fi meets historic fiction. I found the dialogue engrossing and the depth of her accuracy was astounding.

wonderful first novel

Jack Knife is a wonderful first novel by a very promising writer. This one combines science fiction with crime fiction with mystery, and works on all levels. A scientist and a special forces soldier are sent back to Victorian London from future America to capture and/or eliminate a (literal) mad scientist who had escaped through the portal back into time. While in London, they meet a noble born (younger son) detective, who is investigating a serial killer called Jack the Ripper. To their shock, the cases seem to converge... I really enjoyed this book for many reasons - it was great science fiction (with nice debates about the moral obligations of the time travellers), and a great mystery story. It even has a very touching love romance. And a lot of action and a lot of suspense. And all of it works!

Jack Knife is a Killer book!!

I must say when I started this book, I wasn't used to the authors' style and the first 30-40 Pages left you confused as to who was who and what was going on. This quickly gave way to a fascinating scenario and a great storyline. The author truly gave you the feel of victorian London and an angle of Jack the Ripper that nobody could have come up with!! The character development was superb and by the End, You wish there was much more!! Hopefully the author will expand the time travel premise with more stories incorporating some of the same characters. A great read and first effort!! Kudos!!

Implausibly plausible

Jack Knife is a tale of Victorian England, Jack the Ripper, and three unfortunate time-travellers. If you can get past the time-travel itself, and the too-high-tech gadgets the folks from 2007 are carrying back into the past, you'll love the book. Virginia really did her homework on this one, and banged out a fantastic first novel. Jack Knife has all the elements of a great horror tale, along with some of the upbeat optimism of science fiction. Add to that the convincing depiction of how nasty Whitechapel was a hundred and twenty years ago (and apparently STILL IS) and you're in for a great ride. I couldn't put it down.

Superb and Intriguing

Baker's retelling of the Jack the Ripper tale is a tight, gripping read. A roller coaster from the beginning, switching back and forth between charactors, showing every action, every emotion. Her charactors are real people, with real emotion. Her language is exquisite, with little touches that really grab you. She manages to make the women stand out as real people, not just faceless victims of an insane killer. It's hard to believe this is her first novel, considering the eloquent and beautiful language, the strict plot adherance, and the delightful characterizations. Sara and Robb are real people, and you can almost taste David's frustration with Sara. And then there's Jack. Oh yes. Few villins ever come that tasteful and delicious. Hannibal would like Jack. They'd get along just fine. Jack Knife isn't the sort of book you read when you've got to get up in the morning. Because once you start, you can't stop. Great read.