The Women in the Shadows

The Women in the Shadows

Harriet Fox
Historical Fiction, Amateur Sleuths, Historical Mystery, Mystery

Included in THE TIMES Best Historical Fiction Books of 2025: ‘A lively new perspective on a grimly familiar tale’

The world’s most famous unsolved serial killer mystery, told from the perspective of a gang of women.

‘A fresh and captivating retelling of the Jack the Ripper mystery, brimming with authentic historical detail and well-drawn, sympathetic characters. A must-read for lovers of finely crafted historical fiction.’ IRINA SHAPIRO

London, 1888. A monster prowls the gaslit streets, and the police are looking in all the wrong places, at all the wrong suspects. But three women refuse to stay silent.

Emma, the chief detective’s sharp-witted wife, sees the investigation failing. Maggie, a private investigator, exposes men’s darkest secrets. Bet, a police station cleaner, overhears what others ignore.

Together, they form an alliance to hunt down the killer dubbed Jack the Ripper. But as the women weave through the slums, brothels, and smoke-filled parlours of London’s underworld, they uncover corruption more sinister than they ever imagined.

The city belonged to men – until now.

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