“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion–and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary–including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police–with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane–deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre. (Cover and synopsis from Goodreads.)

It took me a long time to read Jackaby.  Granted, I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and it was not a fun first trimester, so I wasn’t reading much of anything.  But for several reasons, Jackaby took me FOREVER to read.  Overall I enjoyed it, but I had some issues as well.  So I just wanted to write a mini review where I share what I liked and what I didn’t like about the book.

What I Liked:

• I LOVE both of the TV shows referenced in the synopsis (Doctor Who and Sherlock), so I did enjoy that this book was like a mashup of the two. However, I did have my issues with that fact as well (see below).
• I like how, when Abigail had tried to disguise herself as a boy, no one was buying it.  Too often in fiction women disguise themselves as men and no one notices obvious things.
• I liked learning more about mythical creatures, like the banshee. I, like some of the characters in the book, thought it was like a siren, but it’s not.
• I thought it was funny that Chapter 13 was omitted.
• There were some nice twists, even though I did know who the main bad guy was from very early on.
• I think the story started getting good in the middle, and kept getting better.