Keeper is a murder mystery of the late 19th century. In Whitechapel in 1888, someone is copying Jack the Ripper and an imprisoned serial killer. The story has action and twists and turns. It moves at a good pace and unfolds smoothly with enough gusto to hold your interest until the end. Overall, it's a solid mystery with clever engaging characters. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my entry into this series and this author and I am now in need of ALL OF HER OTHER WORK.

It takes an incredible amount of skill to keep this many moving pieces coherent, and Gustawsson does it with gusto.

I’m just going to say it: Johana Gustawsson is a genius.

After reading Block 46, I was eager to see what she came up with next, and The Keeper does not disappoint. It is a complexly-plotted, exciting, edge-of-your-seat thriller that will leave your mouth hanging open. But be warned: the crimes described in the book are pretty unpleasant, so if you don’t like gory-ness, you may want to skip this one.

It’s hard to describe what the plot is about without giving spoilers, but I’m going to try: Ten years after the arrest and conviction of a serial killer who murdered six women and author Alexis Castells’ policeman boyfriend, a body is found in Sweden that mirrors the previous crime almost exactly. Then a woman in London goes missing, following this same pattern. Castells and profiler Emily Roy are back on the investigation trail, trying to figure out what’s going on and if the wrong man is serving time for heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the book flashes back to London’s East End in 1888, when Jack the Ripper was slaughtering prostitutes in a similar manner - could these new crimes be related?

I can’t say enough about how well Gustawsson brings all of these pieces together and creates an amazing story that combines all of these fascinating elements. It’s like a great movie that you talk about with your friends for days afterward, trying to decider all of the little plots and subplots. I’m still not sure I understand everything or caught everything. It’s that rich.

It can be confusing to keep all of the characters straight at first, but I got the hang of it a little ways in. And the characters are really well drawn — they each have their own skills and emotional baggage which makes me want to see where they go throughout the series.

I can not wait for the next book in this series. I’m so excited.

Half of the story takes place in Sweden and so a lot of characters are Swede—with complicated names when you’re not used to them—and I had to go back and forth because I couldn’t remember who was who. But other than that it’s an intricate, very well-written, and gruesome story—I may have felt nauseous a couple of times. I particularly loved the in-depth characterization going all the way back to Jack the Ripper’s time.

a addictive page-turner set in whitechapel in the time of jack the ripper. an interesting mystery but does leave you with the feel of been there done that

Dark, twisty, creepy are words that come to my mind describing this book. Emily Roy is a Profiler from Canada working with Scotland Yard, Alexis Castells is a writer in Sweden...together they work with police in both countries to unmask a serial killer that has been killing for decades. They thought the killer was incarcerated 10 years ago...but the killings have started again. So who's really the killer? The book moves from 1880s White Chapel to present day England and Sweden. Ms. Gustawsson gives us well written, interesting characters. This book isn't for the faint of heart...it can get pretty gruesome...but at heart it is an excellent Police procedural...with an ending that was a total surprise! I can recommend this book to anyone who likes a good crime story and doesn't mind some gruesome details.

"Whitechapel, 1888: London is bowed under Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror. London, 2015: actress Julianne Bell is abducted in a case similar to the terrible Tower Hamlets murders of 10 years earlier, and harking back to the Ripper killings. Falkenberg, Sweden, 2015: a woman’s mutilated body is found in a forest, her wounds identical to those of the Tower Hamlets victims. With the man arrested for the Tower Hamlets crimes locked up, do the new killings mean he has an accomplice, or is a copy-cat serial killer on the loose? Profiler Emily Roy and true-crime writer Alexis Castells are again drawn into an intriguing case with personal links."

This was an alluring and captivating thriller that is about a serial killer who is replicating the murders that Jack the Ripper committed, this is all being done by a serial killer who is currently in prison. Is it the most original story ever written, no, but it was well written and keeps your attention.

#Keeper by Johana Gustawsson
Thanks to #NetGalley for this advance copy!
Pub Date: Nov 01, 2018

I wish I had enjoyed this book more than I did. It was a well-written, engaging thriller that tells the story of a serial killer who seems to be re-enacting the murders performed by Jack the Ripper and continuing crimes in the pattern of a serial killer who is currently in prison. Eventually, detectives in England and Sweden realize that the murders they are investigating are most likely the work of a single person, and team up to solve the mystery.

This was a competent mystery novel, but nothing about it stood out beyond most mystery novels that I read. And the concurrent investigations, with the personalities and workplace politics that impacted each, felt somewhat confusing as I was reading them. However, once the two sets of detectives combined forces, things became clearer and more streamlined, and the plot settled into a thrilling drive to try and find the victim before she was killed.

So, in short, this was an enjoyable thriller, but there was nothing that made it stand out as particularly unique or memorable.

I received an advanced reading copy from the publishers via NetGalley. Thanks!

#Keeper by Johana Gustawsson is a story which sails forth on swirling seas of stunning twists. The author successfully navigates between different periods of time as she plants the seeds for the shocks which follow. The eclectic cast of heroes are among the best in the genre. I look forward to the next book in the series. #NetGalley