I'm a big fan of Hunter's thriller novels, especially the Bob Lee Swagger and Earl Swagger series. This was a real departure from Hunter's usual fare. In I, Ripper, Hunter gives an engrossing account of what could have happened and who could have been Jack the Ripper. He uses a duel method of narrative that includes the Ripper's diary and the memoir of Jeb, a news reporter for the London Star. Jeb makes acquaintances with a Professor Dare who builds a reasonable hypothesis for the identity of Jack based on deductions similar to Sherlock Holmes. Of course, Jeb feels that Dare's hypothesis is accurate and the two of them try to identify the Ripper using it. But is the hypothesis really viable? Hunter tells the story in the language of a late 19th century novel and really sets the atmosphere of Whitechapel and the murders. The murders described in the Ripper's journal are really quite graphic! Then Hunter has a couple of good twists at the end including the identity of Jeb. I would recommend this one and I'm looking forward to what Hunter comes up with next!
