Capturing the Devil + Talk Shop Live Review

Goodreads Synopsis: In the shocking finale to the bestselling series that began with Stalking Jack the Ripper, Audrey Rose and Thomas are on the hunt for the depraved, elusive killer known as the White City Devil. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse has them fighting to stay one step ahead of the brilliant serial killer---or see their fateful romance cut short by unspeakable tragedy.

Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell have landed in America, a bold, brash land unlike the genteel streets of London they knew. But like London, the city of Chicago hides its dark secrets well. When the two attend the spectacular World's Fair, they find the once-in-a-lifetime event tainted with reports of missing people and unsolved murders.

Determined to help, Audrey Rose and Thomas begin their investigations, only to find themselves facing a serial killer unlike any they've heard of before. Identifying him is one thing, but capturing him---and getting dangerously lost in the infamous Murder Hotel he constructed as a terrifying torture device---is another.

Will Audrey Rose and Thomas see their last mystery to the end---together and in love---or will their fortunes finally run out when their most depraved adversary makes one final, devastating kill?

Before I review this book, I wanted to give a review on the company I acquired it from. I ordered this book from Talk Shop Live after viewing Kerri Maniscalco's live signing (super fun by the way!). Because I enjoyed the event so much, I decided to preorder the book right then and there, and placed my order with a note to personalize the copy. Unfortunately, the book did not come personalized (though it did come with the author's autograph), and it arrived late on September 26th, when the release date was September 10th (even the preorder campaign goodies came about a week or two earlier!). 

TLDR: TSL's service was disappointing, and next time, I'll just purchase the book on Amazon. 

But I have to say, the preorder goodies (not linked to Talk Shop Live, these were provided by the publisher) were really nice. The artwork was decently sized and the dust jacket was stunning! 10/10 for those.

Now for the actual review! Capturing the Devil was well-written, with plenty of details and descriptions. This is probably the best part of Kerri Maniscalco's writing; her attention to detail is on point and she immerses the reader into the story. This is especially important in historical fiction, so I'm glad she went above and beyond!

Audrey Rose continues to be a rocking protagonist, and it's awesome to see her and embracing her disability and fulfilling her dreams. Thomas is also funny as usual, but I did get tired of him telling Audrey that she still had a choice to marry someone else. I understand that this was probably emphasized to show how liberal Thomas was in that time period, but this constant self-doubt doesn't match the rest of his character, and quite frankly, gets annoying, since we already know Audrey Rose isn't going to walk away. 

The plot twist was infuriating (in a good way :)). I didn't see how they were going to out of the mess with Whitehall, but luckily Audrey Rose's grandmother has connections! I will say this wrapped up very quickly, however. Thomas and Audrey struggled for 95% of the book and on the last few pages the solution was magically presented. (For those of you who read the book, I think it'd be better if the author had written the scene with the queen instead of just Thomas describing it.)

***Minor spoilers below***

The mystery was not very well done; the murderer was obvious because there weren't many new male characters present. I also didn't really like how Nathaniel was revealed to be partially "innocent"; I feel like this just left Audrey confused and didn't drive the plot that much. 

I also can't believe Audrey was about to lure the murderer...that's extremely dangerous and very unlike her.

There was also one part where "Henry" is called "Harry" by his wife by accident. I'm curious to why that line was written, so if anyone knows why, let me know in the comments/on IG!

***end spoilers***

The ending of the novel was very satisfying, and I'm glad there were so many scenes after the end of the mystery. Overall, CTD was a solid conclusion to the series, and I give it 4/5 stars.

What do you guys think? Was Capturing the Devil a good conclusion? Were you able to solve the mystery? Let me know below!

Also, follow me on Instagram @not_a_prima_donna_girl !