Ripper

Title: Ripper

Author: Isabel Allende

Publisher: Harper

Forth Estate London
Paperback Edition 2015

478 pages

This is the first crime novel written down by my favourite author, Isabel Allende. According to Allende, this is her first murder mystery and that it was a lot of fun to write. Set in San Francisco, this is the combination of detective story and romantic saga.

Let's meet the Jackson women, Indiana and Amanda. They are mother and daughter who are having a total different characters yet still very close to each other. Indiana --the mother is a beautiful holistic healer, a free spirited bohemian. She's been having a long divorced from Amanda's father. Whilst Amanda is a brilliant and introvert girl who is fascinated by the dark side of human nature, like her father, Deputy Chief of Homicide. Amanda is addicted to crime novels and Ripper-- the online mystery game she plays with her beloved grandfather and friends around the world. 

When strange murders occur across the city, Amanda did her own investigation, before the police do, discovering that the deaths might be connected. She and her friends in Ripper are trying to hunt down the mysterious serial killer. But the case becomes all too personal when her mother, Indiana, suddenly vanishes. Amanda must find out whether it is linked to the serial killer. 

As usual Allende fascinates me with her depth and variety of details for the characters in the book. I still prefer her writing the magical realist novels featuring strong women characters yet this crime story is enjoyable as well.

Find more about Isabel Allende's works here.