Dutton
Published August 25, 2026
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
Since it’s set in London in 1888, it should come as no surprise that The Whitechapel Full Moon Society is about Jack the Ripper — at least in part. But author Elizabeth DeLozier has found a unique angle to give her tale, and her angle includes, in part, remembering the victims, especially Mary Jane Kelly. DeLozier makes the point more than once that the women who were killed were wives, daughters, mothers, people in their own right and not just victims of a famous killer, and she does a nice job of spotlighting them. Because little is known about Mary Jane Kelly in particular, DeLozier creates a believable story for her. But the real story of The Whitechapel Full Moon Society belongs to Caroline Foster.
Recently orphaned and left penniless, Caroline travels to London to find her elusive, and currently missing, brother Charlie. The last address she has for him is a boardinghouse in Whitechapel, but when she arrives, the landlady and her mysterious guests deny knowing him or where he is. With nowhere to stay and knowing no one else in London, Caroline begs the landlady to hire her as a maid. Learning to cook and clean are almost overwhelming tasks for Caroline, but she’s determined to find her brother, even if that means not only doing hard, unfamiliar tasks but also putting herself in danger as she delves into the forbidden secrets of the boardinghouse and its tenants. The more Caroline discovers, though, the more she realizes that her own life may be at risk, since all signs indicate that Jack the Ripper is very likely one of the men she works for and lives with.
DeLozier doesn’t spend a great deal of time describing London of 1888, but the details she does include give a real flavor of the place and time. Caroline is, by far, the most fully developed character, and watching her discover clues about both herself and the various mysteries that swirl around the Full Moon Society is intriguing. While the novel is very much Caroline’s coming-of-age story, it is also still a mystery, and the multiple reveals at the end are both interesting and satisfying. The fact that the novel also turns out to be an unexpected twist on a Jack the Ripper story is a nice bonus.