In yet another Jack the Ripper story,  the author of What Alice Knew, Paula Marantz Cohen has brought in an intriguing set of detectives, the James family. Author Henry James (The Portrait of a Lady), his philosopher brother William (Pragmatism and Other Writings) and the titular sister Alice (The Diary Of Alice James) are investigating the murders. By bringing in the family dynamics and their social scene (including Oscar Wilde), the story becomes about more than just Jack the Ripper. So, how is it?

William James is brought in by Inspector Abberline to help out with the investigation due to his writings and philosophy teachings. While visiting his brother and sister, they decide to jointly investigate the murders. If you have read any Ripper books, then most of the usual suspects are here, including Walter Sickert, who plays a prominent part in the investigation. There are also some new characters introduced including the Abrams family of book dealers. Clues are found and tracked. Mistakes are made and in the end the right person is found. As a mystery it’s decent, as Ripperology, it’s lightweight and adds nothing to known theories.

But the main reason to read the book is to see the James family. All three are interesting, learned and focused on the case even when they can’t stand each other. The interaction between the three are the best part of the book. Alice, in particular, is wonderful in her role as the brains and driving force behind the family investigation. Alice is stuck in her bed due to her maladies (although there are hints that her problems are not truly physical) and can due little but use her brain on the evidence, but does have a key scene in her room with a potential Ripper suspect.

Cohen has created an interesting family mystery based around Jack the Ripper. And every time I read a Ripper story, I’m drawn back to the epilogue of Alan Moore’s From Hell, and find it difficult to take seriously. The mystery and Ripper parts aren’t interesting enough to handle the story on their own, but the family dynamics make the book well worth reading. Recommended.