The Ripper Affair (Bannon & Clare, #3)
Lilith Saintcrow
The enthralling conclusion to the Bannon and Clare trilogy from New York Times bestselling author, Lilith Saintcrow. Sorcery. Treason. Madness. And, of course, murder most foul... A shattering accident places Archibald Clare, mentath in the service of Britannia, in the care of Emma Bannon, sorceress Prime. Clare needs a measure of calm to repair his faculties of Logic and Reason. Without them, he is not his best. At all. Unfortunately, calm and rest will not be found. There is a killer hiding in the sorcerous steam-hells of Londinium, murdering poor women of a certain reputation. A handful of frails murdered on cold autumn nights would make no difference...but the killings echo in the highest circles, and threaten to bring the Empire down in smoking ruins. Once more Emma Bannon is pressed into service; once more Archibald Clare is determined to aid her. The secrets between these two old friends may give an ambitious sorcerer the means to bring down the Crown. And there is still no way to reliably find a hansom when one needs it most. The game is afoot...Bannon and ClareThe Iron Wyrm AffairThe Red Plague AffairThe Ripper AffairThe Damnation Affair (e-only)
Publication Year: 2014
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0 0Perhaps the best of the series thus far, THE RIPPER AFFAIR is the confluence of a dark mystery, an exploration of London's altered and haunting landscape, and the emotional growing pains of Bannon's little family as it grows. A fantastic book for any one of these elements, combining all three makes for a relentless, mesmerizing read.
Though the title evokes a sensational murderer from our own world, THE RIPPER AFFAIR is very much focused on the social and magical results of these murders in their own alternate world. Victorian strictures bind each of our characters in different ways, but THE RIPPER AFFAIR reveals the depth of their feelings below the social constraints. While my favorite reveal was a glimpse of Bannon's Victorian views on "proper womanhood", despite her considerable personal power, a great deal of the narrative also follows Clare's changing understanding of what his magical partner is capable of, despite viewing her in terms of her tiny, feminine physicality. The mentath's struggle with Feelings was deftly woven into the story, neither telegraphing an outcome nor diluting the mystery with melodrama.
While much of Urban Fantasy's "steampunk" leans towards the glossy and glamorous, Bannon & Clare offers a slow, rich stew of danger and grit and horror. From the city itself to the primal magic of its inhabitants, THE RIPPER AFFAIR is the stunning legacy of Gothic Romance, Horror, and Urban Fantasy.
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW.
Sexual Content: References to prostitution, kissing.
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