Kind of an odd novel.....the actual storytelling was a bit flat, with plenty of detail in some areas but no details at all in others, so I couldn't really get to enjoying it, because I either wanted to know more than I was being told, or was being told things that made no sense to me. Possibly worth a borrow if you have interest in urban Victorian life.

Kind of an odd novel.....the actual storytelling was a bit flat, with plenty of detail in some areas but no details at all in others, so I couldn't really get to enjoying it, because I either wanted to know more than I was being told, or was being told things that made no sense to me. Possibly worth a borrow if you have interest in urban Victorian life. ( )

I got this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers. It took me a while to get around to reviewing it, however, because it took some time to read it... and even then, I ended up not finishing it. Whether it's a bad time for me to be reading this particular book, or whether it's because I'm on a paranormal kick (and this is not a paranormal), or whether it's because of the odd present/past tense style of writing, I just couldn't get into it.

The basic premise was good, or at least what I saw of it. (I'm not sure how much more depth is in the 2/3rds of the book I didn't read.) I like the way the Victorian era is portrayed. From the research I've done, it seems quite feasible. I also like the way the characters are written, mostly. They are believable and likeable. (I actually kept reading as long as I did because of the characters.)

My biggest problem was the way it was written. Some sentences are in present tense and others are in past tense and there seems to be no rhyme or reason for which is used. This drives me ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.

Someone who is less picky about tense and who prefers historical fiction to paranormals might enjoy this book much more than I did. However, I won't be returning to this book as it was not written for people with my personal preferences. ( )

The author
Sara Stockbridge (born Sarah Jane Stockbridge on 14 November 1965 in Woking, Surrey, England)is an English model, actress and author who achieved a certain level of high fashion notoriety in the mid to late 1980s as the muse of designer Vivenne Westwood. She has a son and a daughter from previous relationships. Currently she resides in London where she keeps busy with her band Rooster.

The synopsis
Whitechapel, 1888. Grace Hammer and her children live comfortably in Bell Lane, their home a little oasis in the squalor of London’s East End. They make their living picking the pockets of wealthy strangers foolish enough to venture there. But Grace’s history is about to catch up with her. Out in the countryside Mr. Blunt rocks in his chair, vowing furious retribution. He has never forgotten his scarlet treasure, or the coquettish young woman who stole it from him.

The review
I saw this book in the bookstore and read the synopsis. I was really enthusiastic, Oliver Twist and Jack the Ripper in one book and a female protagonist. As soon as I found an excuse to stuff it in a challenge I grabbed it.
So I will start with the characters. The author managed to clearly personalize the characters. Grace is a very strong willed woman. She is trying to survive with her children in a way that she thinks is acceptable. She did not learn her daughter to steal for example. She also spending the money for entertainment for her children and food and clothes for them all. The children all have clear characters too though one action of Jake kind of surprised me, I did not see that one coming.
Mr. Blunt stars out as a scary little man but grows out to be an evil spirit fed by hate for Grace, you really get shivers down your spine the way he is described. Same with some other characters.
The story is a different thing though. I had a struggle reading it. The one sentence is written from the POV from Grace and the next sentence is written about her. It jumps up and down like that and it really takes a bit to get into it. As soon as you pick up a pace it will get easier to go trough it but every time you have to get in it again. This was irritating me enough that I considered giving the book only two stars. Still the story itself was entertaining enough. The atmosphere was clear and the characters where good. So three stars. But be careful if you want to pick up this book, read the first pages in the bookstore and see if you can deal with that style cause if you can not it will disappoint you. ( )

Whitechapel, 1888. Grace Hammer and her children live comfortably in Bell Lane, their home a little oasis in the squalor of London's East End. They make their living picking the pockets of wealthy strangers foolish enough to venture there. But Grace's history is about to catch up with her. Out in the countryside Mr. Blunt rocks in his chair, vowing furious retribution. He has never forgotten his scarlet treasure, or the coquettish young woman who stole it from him.

My Thoughts:

I had previously read ‘Cross my Palm’ by Sara Stockbridge and really enjoyed it, enough to give it 5 stars. So when I managed to get a copy of ‘Hammer’ I couldn’t wait to read it. I couldn’t believe that both books were by the same author.

‘Hammer’ could have been so much more. Set in Whitechapel in 1888, time of jack the Ripper, whose crimes are lightly touched on, and with the criminal underworld, this book had so much going for it. The book did just not hit the mark. I felt the writing was clunky and didn’t really flow. There could have been a lot more atmosphere in the book to make the reader feel that they were in Whitechapel.

I also felt at times that I was getting quite bored with the book and I was just plodding along with it, and towards the end I was skipping pages, and this is my pet hate.

I am glad that I read ‘Cross my Palm’ first and would highly recommend it. Had ‘Hammer’ have been my first encounter with Sara Stockbridge then it may well have been my last. ( )