niamhstorme's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Kidnapping
alitrevisan105's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alexabookish's review against another edition
4.0
okay, so while i did enjoy this, it wasn’t exactly what i expected. basically the first half of this book (like the first 200 pages) reads like a romantic drama. there’s very little of the mystery, or investigating that we get in the previous books. it’s all romance and drama and angst between audrey rose and thomas, and their relationship. now i LOVE audrey rose and thomas so much, but i didn’t really need 200 pages of them going back and forth declaring their love for each other with very little plot besides that. it’s not that it was bad, it was just not what i was expecting. this book seemed to lack the strong mystery plot of the previous books that i loved so much. i missed audrey rose and thomas investigating, and performing autopsies, and inspecting crime scenes, and all their banter while throwing around theories of the crimes. so while i definitely still love the series and the characters to death, this book did let me down a tiny bit.
linneamb_02's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
minniewhite's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
bookedbyruqs's review against another edition
4.0
Capturing The Devil was a rollercoaster. Full of twists and turns, this book is an epic conclusion to a series that has fully encased itself in my heart.
This book was emotional and so hard to finish because I don’t want to say goodbye to these characters.
Overall, I really loved reading this series. Capturing the devil is a satisfying ending to Audrey Rose and Thomas's adventures, the adventure as a whole is worth it. This book was so creepy. The atmosphere and everything held this eerie air around it. This series is dark and funny at the same time, and I completely understand now why I heard so much about it in the last few years, and why everyone is in love with Thomas and Audrey Rose.
Plot:
A new murder. A copycat killer. Oooh and a wedding!
Thomas and Audrey Rose are determined to find the new notorious murderer in New York. Old wounds reopen and the killer long thought dead is now back. They must now solve the case while making sure they get married without some very specific people *murderous glare* ruining it. YES, THAT'S IT.
This book has some twists. I know, you’re probably thinking: “Of course it does! Every book in this series has some sort of twist at the end!” . Because this book actually managed to blindside me with some of its twists.
- Writing & Setting-
If you’ve read the first three Stalking Jack the Ripper books (which I really hope you have because this isn’t a series you can just pick and choose which ones you want to read), then you already have an idea of how Kerri Maniscalco writes, and the atmospheric settings she depicts. Her writing has only gotten better in each book. There are so many powerful lines and impactful quotes from this book. The setting itself is also really well done. With each book, Kerri Maniscalco manages to create a completely new setting but still maintains that overall creepy and unsettling tone. Capturing the Devil may have one of the scariest places in this series, which is saying something.
Characters
The characters, who MAKE this series, along with the murder mysteries and atmosphere.
Audrey Rose
Audrey Rose has fixed all of her mistakes from Escaping from Houdini and she is so fearless in this book. She risked her life multiple times, and she is so smart. She was great in this book. She was all the things I love. Brave, funny, sassy, loving and kind. She would do anything for the ones she loves. She is also very determined. She rarely whines. She will make you wish you never crossed her.
This book was emotional and so hard to finish because I don’t want to say goodbye to these characters.
Overall, I really loved reading this series. Capturing the devil is a satisfying ending to Audrey Rose and Thomas's adventures, the adventure as a whole is worth it. This book was so creepy. The atmosphere and everything held this eerie air around it. This series is dark and funny at the same time, and I completely understand now why I heard so much about it in the last few years, and why everyone is in love with Thomas and Audrey Rose.
Plot:
A new murder. A copycat killer. Oooh and a wedding!
Thomas and Audrey Rose are determined to find the new notorious murderer in New York. Old wounds reopen and the killer long thought dead is now back. They must now solve the case while making sure they get married without some very specific people *murderous glare* ruining it. YES, THAT'S IT.
This book has some twists. I know, you’re probably thinking: “Of course it does! Every book in this series has some sort of twist at the end!” . Because this book actually managed to blindside me with some of its twists.
- Writing & Setting-
If you’ve read the first three Stalking Jack the Ripper books (which I really hope you have because this isn’t a series you can just pick and choose which ones you want to read), then you already have an idea of how Kerri Maniscalco writes, and the atmospheric settings she depicts. Her writing has only gotten better in each book. There are so many powerful lines and impactful quotes from this book. The setting itself is also really well done. With each book, Kerri Maniscalco manages to create a completely new setting but still maintains that overall creepy and unsettling tone. Capturing the Devil may have one of the scariest places in this series, which is saying something.
Characters
The characters, who MAKE this series, along with the murder mysteries and atmosphere.
Audrey Rose
Audrey Rose has fixed all of her mistakes from Escaping from Houdini and she is so fearless in this book. She risked her life multiple times, and she is so smart. She was great in this book. She was all the things I love. Brave, funny, sassy, loving and kind. She would do anything for the ones she loves. She is also very determined. She rarely whines. She will make you wish you never crossed her.
brooke_19's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
laurenjodi's review against another edition
3.0
Capturing the Devil
3.5 Stars
Kerri Maniscalco's much-anticipated conclusion to the Stalking Jack the Ripper series is a mixed bag with the 1st 50% plodding along with an abundance of angst and woe surrounding Thomas and Audrey's romance and little to no sign of an actual mystery. Thankfully, the book improves in the 2nd half as the intrepid investigating duo finally pull themselves together long enough to capture the devil.
Maniscalco's take on the infamous Jack the Ripper and H. H. Holmes serial killers is intriguing although it does require a great deal of twisting of facts and logic to accept that they might have been one and the same. To begin with, the timeline is completely out of sync as the Ripper killed in London in 1888 and H. H. Holmes in Chicago in 1892-4. Maniscalco had to change the dates to fit her narrative. Second, the modus operandi of the killers was completely different - the Ripper strangled and mutilated prostitutes in public places while Holmes asphyxiated women he knew, stripped their flesh and sold their skeletons. Maniscalco's explanation of the differences is unconvincing.
Despite these issues, the book is well written overall and fans of Audrey Rose and Thomas will appreciate the closure to their story.
3.5 Stars
Kerri Maniscalco's much-anticipated conclusion to the Stalking Jack the Ripper series is a mixed bag with the 1st 50% plodding along with an abundance of angst and woe surrounding Thomas and Audrey's romance and little to no sign of an actual mystery. Thankfully, the book improves in the 2nd half as the intrepid investigating duo finally pull themselves together long enough to capture the devil.
Maniscalco's take on the infamous Jack the Ripper and H. H. Holmes serial killers is intriguing although it does require a great deal of twisting of facts and logic to accept that they might have been one and the same. To begin with, the timeline is completely out of sync as the Ripper killed in London in 1888 and H. H. Holmes in Chicago in 1892-4. Maniscalco had to change the dates to fit her narrative. Second, the modus operandi of the killers was completely different - the Ripper strangled and mutilated prostitutes in public places while Holmes asphyxiated women he knew, stripped their flesh and sold their skeletons. Maniscalco's explanation of the differences is unconvincing.
Despite these issues, the book is well written overall and fans of Audrey Rose and Thomas will appreciate the closure to their story.