Jody M. (jodymcgrath) - reviewed on 10/9/2016 + 110 more book reviews

Spring Heeled Jack is an unsolved mystery from the Victorian era. He began by going around and scaring woman at night in the country around London. He was described in various different ways, but by out accounts he could jump quite high and had claws or metal. Although his identity was never learned he became the boogeyman for children in the mid 1800s.

In this book, the author tells the history of this character and how he has stayed relevant in pop-culture. He uses a lot of newspaper articles, witness statements, and quotes. He attempts to just tell the story, not to solve the mystery.

As to the pop-culture references, he links Jack to a variety of characters, such as Punch and Judy, The Green Man, and Robin Hood. It seemed like quite a stretch to me, but it is interesting none the less. He also touches on Spring-Heeled Jack in the modern Steampunk culture. He is especially a good fit for this type of story. I really like steampunk, so I found this part very interesting.

I would recommend this book to history and pop-culture enthusiasts, not to mystery buffs. It was a very enlightening read.

* I voluntarily and honestly reviewed an Advance Copy of this book *

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