A January Book of the Month Pick
"Miraculous and thrilling...A few pages in and I was determined to
read every word Jess Kidd has ever written." --Diane Setterfield, #1
New York Times bestselling author of Once Upon a River
"An impossible wonder: a book for everyone, and yet somehow a book
just for you...A sumptuous tour of Victorian London, resurrected here
with a vigor and vibrancy to rival The Crimson Petal and the
White...Utterly magical."--A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling
author of The Woman in the Window
"A perfect mix of hilarity, the macabre, and a touch of romance,
Things in Jars is ridiculously entertaining, all as it sneaks up and
makes you feel things...Simply: Jess Kidd is so good it isn't fair."
--Erika Swyler, bestselling author of The Book of Speculation and
Light from Other Stars
In the dark underbelly of Victorian London, a formidable female sleuth
is pulled into the macabre world of fanatical anatomists and crooked
surgeons while investigating the kidnapping of an extraordinary child in
this gothic mystery--perfect for fans of The Essex Serpent and The
Book of Speculation.
Bridie Devine--female detective extraordinaire--is confronted with the
most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret
daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose
reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of
collectors trading curiosities in this age of discovery.
Winding her way through the labyrinthine, sooty streets of Victorian
London, Bridie won't rest until she finds the young girl, even if it
means unearthing a past that she'd rather keep buried. Luckily, her
search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a
seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an
avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where
spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems.
Blending darkness and light, history and folklore, Things in Jars is a
spellbinding Gothic mystery that collapses the boundary between fact and
fairy tale to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human in
inhumane times.
