There is a shallow back story that never fully takes form, and she’s hardly an acting character at all. There isn’t more to him than this flat characterisation.Ībigail herself isn’t much better – like many detective sidekicks she is simply a foil, a stand-in for the reader so we can enjoy the work of the detective in her place. He struts around like the Doctor, and deduces like Holmes. He is simply a mash-up of the personality of these two pop-culture heroes, and he never breaks from the mould into becoming a character of his own. Jackaby as a character is described as “Sherlock Holmes meets Doctor Who”, which is exactly who he is. Ritter knows his source material, but that is also his greatest weakness. There are countless allusions to the grandfathers of the genre, including to Poe (there is both a character named Allan, as well as one named Dupin). It’s clear that Mr Ritter is an absolute fan of old detectives. She finds employment by the eccentric Jackaby, a young man who solves paranormal mysteries. That’s how she ends up on a different continent, penniless, looking for a job. A paranormal Sherlock Holmes? Count me in!Ībigail Rook doesn’t want to live a life of pretty dresses, but one of adventure and excitement. It has a beautiful cover, a great blurb, and honestly just sounded so good. Jackaby was one of my most anticipated 2014 releases. Published September 16th 2014 by Algonquin Young Readers
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