Having seen the new Netflix version of the book, I was intrigued to read this and so I did. I still haven’t seen the whole series but the clips I have seen really interested me so I was excited to start read this!

This was a brilliant read if not a bit grim to say the least! The nature of the crimes and the fact they are directed at children are heartbreaking to read about it’s the psychology around the crimes and the growing awareness of the mind of a killer that I found to be the most fascinating. The discussion the three main characters have about this case, about their awareness of finger printing, mind games, mental health etc are utterly enthralling and although I read a lot with a hanky over my mouth as the stench and gore was very strong at times, I found that I couldn’t take my eyes of this and wanted to be with John, Sarah and Laslo right until they solved this.

The characters are all very very well developed and as their past stories come to light, the entire book takes on a cinematic quality and historical intrigue as they come to life from the page. I loved the narration of John and felt him to be a brilliant way to see all of this through the eyes of someone who was a police reporter at the time and not at the centre of the police force. Or course I read the book with Luke Evans who played him in mind (as I did the other characters) and I think the casting particularly inspired.

The banter, hostility and friendship between the three made me feel part of the team – but the fact Sarah must fight harder for her rightful position in the investigation just because she’s a woman made me realise how little somethings have changed Luckily the setting has, as although New York in the 1800s is evoked with the five senses in all its gritty, gory glory, you would not want to walk down any of these streets for real!

New York of course now is noting like this, but many of the lcoations, in fact most of them, are real – the nature and number of the brothels was an eye -opener as the most notorious of these was real. Interestingly, the Netflix drama was filmed in Budapest, but you can still very much walk in the footsteps of the characters in the big apple today.

Ghoulishly gory but a fascinating and highly immersive read.