by John L. French (2026)
(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)
This book was a free Advanced Reader Copy from Library Thing. I'm encouraged (but not required) to leave reviews in exchange for the free books.
I've fallen a little behind with my reviews (both here and on Library Thing). I read this a few weeks ago.
I left the following review on the Library Thing website, along with a five-star rating:
The Red Jack Society takes place in an alternate Victorian England that is steampunk but light on steampunk elements. It takes place around the time that Scotyard Yard put an end to Jack the Ripper. Detective Adrian Hope and his canine companion Grace O'Malley, with some help from friends in high places, have to find if the Yard was wrong or if there's one or more copycats running about London.
It was a great police procedural and a fun read. And I loved Gracie -- who doesn't love dogs?
This is the first Hope and Gracie story that I've read, and it stands on its own. I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not reading anything prior to this book.
This is billed as a "Hope and Gracie mystery" as if it's a series. I haven't read one of these before. The Library Thing page doesn't mention a number in a series. A little investigation reveals that there was a story in A Cry of Hounds, which I haven't read but probably own. That was a steampunk anthology, which explains the steampunk elements in this book.
This also explains why Queen Victoria already knows who they are. Well, actually, it doesn't -- it just means that I need to read the earlier story.
I'm not a big horror reader, but this was fine by me. It wasn't all blood and guts. I seem to enjoy police procedurals, so maybe I'll read more of those, and I guess being "noir" helps. As for steampunk, the story does take place in a steampumk universe, but none of that seemed vital to this particularly story. That said, there were some things that "speculative" things that might play a significant role in future stories.
I see that there's another story in "A Curiosity of Cats" but I don't know if it comes before or after this novel. I guess I'll find out.
If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my new book series that starts with, 7 Flashes of Science Fiction, seven glimpses into possible futures for our world and the worlds around us.
Also, check out my other short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical fivesome of flash fiction and short stories. (Amazon only shows the first three books in the image. Go figure.)
