The Dreadfuls — A. Rae Dunlap

A Victorian-era Nancy Drew meets The Woman in the Window as true crime and historical fiction collide in this atmospheric thriller featuring real-life figures and a rebellious, uniquely inventive young reform school inmate determined to solve the serial killer case dominating the headlines in London, and soon, in the world: the Jack the Ripper murders.

London, 1888. Committed to the Whitechapel Hall Reform School for “incurable delinquency” Adelaide “Dell” Morton is a precocious, defiant misfit. She's also a voracious reader of true crime and detective fiction, including the sordid, sensationally popular Penny dreadful stories. In an unlikely stroke of luck, she's found a kindred spirit in her poised, perfectionist roommate, Pippa. Their obsession is only further fueled by the Jack the Ripper murders blazing a trail of terror throughout London's seediest streets . . . right outside Whitechapel Hall's front door.

Desperate for adventure, they embark on their own investigation -- and discover an ally in Noah, son of the local butcher. But Noah's motives are not mere fascination: His father is the prime suspect. Noah is desperate to clear his name, and Dell and Pippa are only too eager to help.

Their budding spywork soon yields shocking results: they witness straightlaced Whitechapel teacher Miss Kaye escaping the school the night of the latest crime. Could Jack the Ripper be a she? Delving into Miss Kaye's background, Dell is both horrified and thrilled to find that within Miss Kaye's past lies a chapter dark enough to rival any Penny dreadful . . .

Dell's fixation with Miss Kaye reaches dangerous heights while a series of suspicious events leave Miss Kaye in sole command of Whitechapel Hall. Trapped in their teacher's ever-tightening web of control, the three devious detectives devise a risky plan to track her. But what ensues may only propel them ever deeper into secrets, lies, ruthless acts, and betrayals that go back decades -- and a confrontation that will irrevocably change the fates of all involved . . . if they survive.