A. Rae Dunlap

Also by A. Rae Dunlap

The Resurrectionist

The Dreadfuls

London, 1888. Committed to the Whitechapel Hall Reform School for “incurable delinquency,” Adelaide “Dell” Morton is a precocious, defiant misfit. She’s also a voracious reader of the sordid, sensationally popular Penny dreadful stories. In a stroke of luck, she’s found a kindred spirit in her poised roommate, Pippa. Their obsession is only further fueled by the Jack the Ripper murders blazing a trail of terror throughout London’s seediest streets . . . right outside Whitechapel Hall’s front door.

Desperate for adventure, they embark on their own investigation—and discover an ally in Noah, son of the local butcher. The trio’s budding spywork soon yields shocking results: Why was straightlaced Whitechapel teacher Miss Kaye escaping the school the night of the latest crime? Could Jack the Ripper be a she? Delving into Miss Kaye’s background, Dell is both horrified and thrilled to find that within Miss Kaye’s past lies a chapter dark enough to rival any Penny dreadful . . .

Dell’s fixation with Miss Kaye reaches dangerous heights while a series of suspicious events leaves Miss Kaye in sole command of Whitechapel Hall. Trapped in their teacher’s ever-tightening web of control, the young detectives devise a risky plan to track her. But what ensues may only propel them into secrets, lies, ruthless acts, and betrayals that go back decades—and a confrontation that will irrevocably change the fates of all involved . . . if they survive.

Edinburgh, Scotland, 1828. James Willoughby has abandoned his posh, sheltered life at Oxford to pursue a lifelong dream of studying surgery in Edinburgh. The university offers everything James desires—except the chance to work on a human cadaver. For that, he must join one of the private schools in Surgeon’s Square, at a cost he cannot afford. In desperation, he strikes a deal with Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnon, a dashing young dissectionist with an artist’s eye for anatomy and a reckless passion for knowledge. But James soon realizes he’s made a devil’s bargain . . .

Nye is a body snatcher. And James has unwittingly become his accomplice, rapidly descending into the underground ranks of the Resurrectionists—the body snatchers infamous for stealing fresh corpses from churchyards to be used as anatomical specimens. Before long, James is caught up in a life-or-death scheme as rival snatchers compete in a morbid race for power.

James and Nye soon find themselves in the crosshairs of a pair of opportunists known as Burke and Hare. These unsavory characters will do anything to beat the competition for bodies. Even if it’s cold-blooded murder . . .