Things in Jars
A Novel
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4.0 • 80 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
In this “miraculous and thrilling” (Diane Setterfield, #1 New York Times bestselling author) mystery for fans of The Essex Serpent and The Book of Speculation, Victorian London comes to life as an intrepid female sleuth wades through a murky world of collectors and criminals to recover a remarkable child.
Bridie Devine—flame-haired, pipe-smoking detective extraordinaire—is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors in this age of discovery.
Winding her way through the sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing secrets about her past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot-tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where nothing is quite what it seems.
Blending darkness and light, Things in Jars is a stunning, “richly woven tapestry of fantasy, folklore, and history” (Booklist, starred review) that explores what it means to be human in inhumane times.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1863 London, this lurid but languid gothic mystery from Kidd (Mr. Flood's Last Resort) finds eccentric female detective Bridie Devine investigating the disappearance of six-year-old Christabel Berwick, who appears to have been taken in the night by her nurse. Bridie can't fathom why the child's widowed father, notorious maritime oddities collector Sir Edmund Berwick, would refuse to involve the police; then she discovers that Christabel's very existence is a secret, as are her sharp teeth, piercing voice, and propensity for eating snails. Bridie vows to locate the child and bring her home provided she can determine whether Christabel is truly Berwick's daughter, or merely part of his collection. Assisting Bridie is the ghost of boxer Ruby Doyle, who recently began haunting Bridie, but refuses to explain why. Vividly sketched, larger-than-life characters and powerful senses of time and place compensate for the glacial pace and the underdeveloped plot. Penny-dreadful fans will delight in this stylish tale, but readers seeking a satisfying puzzle should look elsewhere.
Customer Reviews
Excellent characters
Excellent character and world building and very poetically written. It has the feeling of being first in a series.
Great read
Things in Jars is a mystery set in the Victorian era but it’s not you typical mystery book, and that’s what’s so great about it. Jess Kidd’s books share a common theme which is usually the main character being able to see ghosts but I especially enjoyed the one in this book. If you enjoy mysteries with a supernatural and sci-fi feel and a good laugh or two along the way, read this book.
Fantasy fun in Victorian England
Bridie Devine dabbles in forensics. Of course this is Victorian London and women do not dabble in the medical nor the detective realms. Yet Bridie is an imposing woman who has been raised both on the streets of Ireland and a fine estate in England. She is fearless and fearsome when she sets her mind to solving a puzzle.
Called to a graveyard to determine the cause of death of a skeleton found in a wall, Bridie’s interested is piqued when she sees the skeleton holding a swaddled baby with teeth like a pike fish. When a baronet calls Bridie to solve the mystery of his missing child, but refuses to call the police, Bridie is suspicious. What she finds at the baronet’s estate is not the child, but another mystery to solve. The Winter Mermaid is a creature in a jar. A mysterious creature that has been deemed fictitious, but perhaps not. She has seen this creature in a jar before. Long ago in her childhood. But how did it get into the baronet’s hands?
Jess Kidd has written a wonderful novel both fantasy and fiction. The setting is perfect for this mystery of an abduction and a creature in a jar. Bridie is a heroine/detective to be loved. Add in her housemaid Cora, a seven foot tall woman and the various other curious characters, and you have a story that keeps your attention. The story hops between the present and Bridie’s childhood, but it’s not hard to keep the two straight. Often when you time jump, you lose the thread of the novel, not in this case.
Loved the premise of this book. The fantasy elements are just enough to keep you guessing. Kidd has done a lovely job of writing some fun.
4 stars
This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 18 Jan 2020 .