Customer Reviews

Jack Knife

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

It took me 10 or 15 pages to get into this book, but once I did I was sucked along right to the finish. My employer is probably happy I finished it, since my productivity has gone back up. I was impressed by the detailed representation of Victorian England, and felt the characterization was good--it didn't take long to start caring what happened to these people. The plot did an admirable job of keeping me guessing where things were going--the heroes and villains were both strong and kept throwing monkey wrenches into each others' plans. Can't wait for the sequel!

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

In the sci-fi, historical murder mystery, it is June 2007 and a time traveler named Jonathan Avery violates the safety initiatives of the Project he works for and makes an unauthorized quantum leap killing a fellow worker in the process. Avery finds himself with amnesia in the summer of 1884 London. With the help of a local woman and some powerful scientific devices he carried with him, he begins making a new life for himself and soon rises in the social ranks to become a powerful figure. Meanwhile, back in June 2007 a woman scientist named Sara Grant and military Special Operation agent named David Elliot are given the task of traveling back to capture Avery or kill him. Avery's jump threatens the fabric of the space-time continuum. Sara and David are more the best team that could have been sent after Avery, but 19th Century London is a challenge for even them. Not only are all the social norms they are used to practically nonexistent, but Jack the Ripper is loose and at the height of his killing spree. David and Sara find an ally in a police inspector named Jonas Robb who has been given the task of solving one of the murders in his district. Through Jonas, Sara and David learn about a powerful man named Jay Osborne who has purchased most of the papers, is rousing up the common folk, and causing trouble with the elites. Even stranger is that there doesn't seem to be any historical evidence about Osborne. The company of three struggles to unravel Osborne's plans, capture Avery, and prevent any more Ripper murders from happening all before the future that Sara and David know of ceases to exist.

I have had an interest in the Jack Ripper murders since I was a kid. The stories used to fascinate me. So, I was drawn to JACK KNIFE after just reading the cover. Virginia has done a great job of tying together the Ripper murders and connecting them to the plot of her story. The details of the events, as well as the historical accuracy of the setting, are described quite well.

I have seen JACK KNIFE marketed in some stores in the sci-fi section. This is a mistake because JACK KNIFE includes very little science fiction. The time travel scenario is basically just a device that allows the story to take place and provide a bit more incentive for the characters to perform their required task. First and foremost, JACK KNIFE is a murder mystery that is full of suspense and well-developed characters. If that isn't enough to interest someone, there's also a bit of natural romance thrown in for good measure.

I highly enjoyed reading JACK KNIFE. I completed the book in about three days and am looking forward to other works that author Virginia Baker might write in the future.

Basic premise: three people from the present use a time portal to end up in 1888 London, Whitechapel district. The antagonist, Jonathon Avery, actually ends up there four years earlier and his mental unbalance leads him into setting up a monopoly on the newspapers with grander desires. Our heroes, Sara followed by special ops agent David arrive on the scene. But there's something not quite right going on in Whitechapel when they arrive. Jack the Ripper is at large and Sir Jay Osborne is quite the popular figure. Add in Inspector Jonas Robb for the tour guide and interactions with the Ripper cast of characters and you're off.

As a novel about time travel, it's not bad. The heroes are careful who they interact with until the end. Sara and David have differing theories on how history can be changed, one is the Chaos Theory where the slightest variation is going to effect everything and the second is a domino theory where only serious events are going to manipulate the unfolding of time. It's a subject matter that is really only debated on the surface level as many writers will do. The manner in which the author "breaks" between scenes and people was truly quite annoying at first but you will bypass this and even accept the reasons for it.

As a novel on Jack the Ripper, I enjoyed it but it could have been better. It's not hard to figure out where the author is going in terms of who Jack is. There are certain aspects of the JtR story I enjoyed much more than the time travel. One being the Osborne Charity Hospital, who's attending doctors are Michael Ostrog, George Chapman, Neil Cream, and Francis Tumblety. Those who know Ripper studies, know the significance of those names. The author includes the canonical 5 victims and the speculative other victims. Throw in a coverup of a much larger scale of murders throughout the London districts and the story becomes more intriguing. The downfall of the JtR story is there is very little "flavor text" so you really have no idea how bad Whitechapel was in 1888. You don't really get the feel and immersion into what the setting is like unless you have previous knowledge of it.

Better still for this book is the look at just how the newspapers are/were the central hub of information and how easy it can be to manipulate the public based on what is reported versus what isn't. This too me was the better story of the whole novel. The use of the media to manipulate the public, the police, and even the government into a submissive or embarassing position. There's also a pollution of the economy going on with counterfeit money which in turn will potential destabilize the government without the gold standard to back it up, and of course the "evil plot" thickens as a savior is setting up the redemption for the poverty of the political state.

Overall, as a story on the whole, 'Jack Knife' is a bit of a "What if...?" storyline with social and political commentaries mixed in. It's enjoyable but there may be just one too many subplots going on. The story takes off in the last 100 pages and the ending is satisfying although I expected a different turn out to make it a "happier ending" for the characters and some sappy readers. I'm glad it didn't work that way. So again, as a Jack the Ripper novel, it's decent enough; as a time travel novel, there's a lot of plot holes. As a story in general I appreciated it and will recommend it for the Ripperologist in you and as an overall good social commentary on how easily people at large can be manipulated.

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!

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!!

In a black ops experiment, a time travel machine was built by brilliant scientist Jonathan Avery. However he was not chosen to be the first person to travel through time; his co-worker Sara Grant was. Avery made an unauthorized trip back in time while Sara and special ops officer David Elliot follow to bring him home before he changes anything.

When the duo arrives in 1887, the Ripper slayings are headline news in the papers owned by Sir Jay Osborne, who is Avery though he does not know it. In his years living in the nineteenth century Avery bought up the newspapers, polarized the social classes, and counterfeited bills to buy up gold by illegal means. Although David and Sara have no idea what he plans to achieve, they know it must be horrendous. They work with "native' Scotland Yard Inspector Jonas Robb in an effort to prevent Avery's scheme from happening and perhaps help him with his Ripper case.

Using the Wells' science fiction device of time travel, Virginia Baker creates a strong historical police procedural that is unique and entertaining. One of the most fascinating elements of this tense tale is the identity of the Ripper, which will stun readers. Great characterizations, a strong story line that merges two inquiries and a foggy Victorian atmosphere conjure up a memorable thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Loved this book! Great new author - Virginia Baker really does her homework! Her attention to detail for the time period and time travel is very well done. She doesn't get us bogged down in 'chaos theory' (as many time travel works do!) and her characters are actually interesting. While the villain is detestable & sick, you can feel pity for his warped mind. Also, the author doesn't find the need to fill up the space with sex. When I want a steamy sex novel there are plenty of resources; this doesn't mean I want it in everything I read. This author doesn't seem to need it for a crutch. Thanks!

I've looked for more from this author, but haven't been able to find anything. I sincerely hope her editor is encouraging her and that this isn't her only effort.