Virginia Baker, Jack Knife

Jack Knife

Virginia Baker

Jove, Feb 2007, $7.99

ISBN: 0515142522

In a black ops experiment, a time travel machine was built by brilliant scientist Jonathan Avery. However he was not chosen to be the first person to travel through time; his co-worker Sara Grant was. Avery made an unauthorized trip back in time while Sara and special ops officer David Elliot follow to bring him home before he changes anything.

When the duo arrives in 1887, the Ripper slayings are headline news in the papers owned by Sir Jay Osborne, who is Avery though he does not know it. In his years living in the nineteenth-century, Avery bought up the newspapers, polarized the social classes, and counterfeited bills to buy up gold by illegal means. Although David and Sara have no idea what he plans to achieve, they know it must be horrendous. They work with "native' Scotland Yard Inspector Jonas Robb in an effort to prevent Avery's scheme from happening and perhaps help him with his Ripper case.

Using the Wells' science fiction device of time travel, Virginia Baker creates a strong, historical police procedural that is unique and entertaining. One of the most fascinating elements of this tense tale is the identity of the Ripper, which will stun readers. Great characterizations, a strong storyline that merges two inquiries and a foggy Victorian atmosphere conjure up a memorable thriller.

Harriet Klausner