This author put such effort into the description and the well-crafted characters that I had a hard time putting the book down.

The OBsession of Doctor Pendergrass is very well written and I can't wait to read more by this author in the future. Great job!!

Great instance of historical fiction, kind of a Holmesian feel to it. Well written, interesting character sketches and well-worth a read.

Read like a Sherlock Holmes novel with a Jack the Ripper feel. Absolutely engaging and highly recommend to anyone looking for a new story with an old feel.

Set in Victorian London, detective Dr John Pendergrass has an extraordinary mystery to unravel - the identity to a mysterious villain with apparently supernatural abilities to breathe fire, scale buildings like a modern Spiderman and flashing eyes. Could he be the product of the fevered imagination of the delicately constituted females he targets; if not, then where could he get his talents from?

It is suspected that Spring-heeled Jack may even be a mantle that has been assumed by more than one perpetrator. More recently though, things have taken more sinister turn: people are starting to get killed. Including a valuable patient at a hospital. It is time to find out where Spring-heeled Jack has learnt his skills. Could it be from a circus?

Fans who enjoy this kind of historical whodunnit should enjoy this novel: Buchanan gets the atmosphere of the times right. However, this still did not engage me as it could have and that might have something to do with the way the story is told. Jack's tragic history makes an interesting case study according to then-extant knowledge of how lunacy evolves, but it might have been more suspenseful if these discoveries had been made through the eyes of Dr Pendergrass as the villain's identity is unmasked.

There are really two mysteries to be solved rather than one, though at first they seem related: finding the killer before he can strike again and unmaking Spring-heeled Jack. Pendergrass is helped by the redoubtable nurse who is his assistant, even though detective work at that point would not have been considered a suitable job for a lady.

An outstanding example of historical fiction.. "The Obsession of Dr Pendergrass. " Captivates on every level… A must Read if you love History Fiction

My thanks to the author, John David Buchanan, Books go Social and Netgalley.
I've always had an interest in Springheeled Jack. I still am not sure whether he was real or not, but I believe! Of course he would be a circus performer. They are all slightly mad to begin with! No safety net? Yeah, that's madness. Kind of like people who like taking selfies in high risk situations! Also, this time period in England is one of my favorite times to read about. Though I'm usually more interested in its Naval history. Pendergrass was interesting? I may have to read more of him. I liked this book. I'm slightly weirded out by Jack, but that's a good thing!

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. For once I would really like to be able to give 3.5*. The story is interesting and I was drawn to the book by both the description and the cover. Dr Pendergrass and his sidekick nurse Sarah Shelley track down murderers cum ne'er do wells in the night when the Bow Street Runners seem unable to control crime to any degree. In 1889 a major terror is let loose on the city - an apparent flame throwing, glowing red eyed monster who can jump 20 odd feet to the tops of buildings. He terrorises young women of a particular type (no, not prostitutes for once), singes faces and eyebrows and scrapes his metallic-like claws down arms, necks etc. but drawing the line at outright murder .He is likened to various previous events dating back some 80 years. We have plenty of good, graphic (non gruesome) detail about circus life at this time - travelling from town to town and there is a clear link between a young circus man who lost his love in a tragic accident and Spring-heeled Jack (the 1889 terror). How Pendergrass and Sarah work through the evidence is well done and descriptions of characters and life in 19th century London essentially well written. However, there has to be a 'but', the dialogue is just too American and often modern. We do not have 'dry goods stores' this side of the Pond - this is but one example. There are occasional little forays into "olde worlde sayings" cum slang but they feel contrived against the rest of the dialogue. At times I felt (equally wrong almost certainly) that we were in the Old West, pardner, perhaps Tombstone Territory rather than Whitechapel. That's why 3.5 stars - I'm not mean enough to go to 3 stars because of this but it doesn't really merit 4 stars. So, if you're not as old a baa humbug as I am, you'll probably enjoy the book more!!

Sorry I have Jack the ripper with a different take. Love this book from the start. Found it difficult to put down. Great characters, edge of your seat reading
Just terrifically written. Couldn’t ask for more from the book. I will recommend this to my Book Club and my students and friends

I'm currently reading the book but so far I like what I've read. I highly recommend this book. The book is well written and easy to follow the characters and the story.

1803, 1821, 1837, 1889: quite a long duration for one individual to terrorize the Great City of London with numerous inexplicable assaults and injuries and seemingly supernatural feats. Doctor Pendergrass of London Hospital, freah from his dealings with Jack the Ripper, determines to stop whoever and whatever this might be. London Hospital is to minister to the ill, not to be overtaken by suffering victims of crime. As a sort of self-appointed silent nocturnal vigilante, Doctor Pendergrass is the man for the job.