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A review by jeanpatterson2
Ripper by Isabel Allende
4.0
Isabel Allende is not known for the psychological thriller/detective genre and this book is a departure for her. Many of her loyal fans have hated it, perhaps feeling a bit betrayed. I personally enjoyed the book, which felt at times a little tongue-in-cheek, a little irreverent with some quirky characters, with references to Swedish detective novels and other little digs at popular culture at the time the book was written.
The usual elements of an Allende novel are there, the interesting, well developed characters, lush and beautiful writing. The novel takes place in and around San Francisco. Ripper refers to an online game being played by teenager Amanda Martin, her grandfather, and a group of misfits teens from around the world. Amanda's father is the Deputy Chief of Homicides for San Francisco PD. Because of Amanda's relationship with the SFPD, she is able to gain access to information about homicides and the Ripper gamers use their talents and smarts to figure out a series of murders are connected and are the work of a serial killer. The story takes a few twists and turns as the serial killer is eventually revealed and apprehended. I won't go into any details to avoid spoiling the story.
The usual elements of an Allende novel are there, the interesting, well developed characters, lush and beautiful writing. The novel takes place in and around San Francisco. Ripper refers to an online game being played by teenager Amanda Martin, her grandfather, and a group of misfits teens from around the world. Amanda's father is the Deputy Chief of Homicides for San Francisco PD. Because of Amanda's relationship with the SFPD, she is able to gain access to information about homicides and the Ripper gamers use their talents and smarts to figure out a series of murders are connected and are the work of a serial killer. The story takes a few twists and turns as the serial killer is eventually revealed and apprehended. I won't go into any details to avoid spoiling the story.