What Alice Knew: A Most Curious Tale of Henry James and Jack the Ripper

Literary and fascinating, this book brings us a fictional investigation and search for Jack the Ripper. But the seekers are Henry James (hence the parody title to What Maisie Knew) and his brother, famous early psychologist William James. But the secret brains behind the search, in some ways, is their bedridden sister Alice, who has nothing but time to think. I'm not a big Jack the Ripper fan, though many find him and his horror fascinating, and the descriptions were pretty graphic, but necessary to the plot. What really held me was the writing. I couldn't get enough of the author's words. I also loved William's scene with Ella. I won't spoil it but it was beautiful and rang so true. The author also faithfully exposed the prejudices of the times without exaggerating or over-dramatising them. An excellent read.

In this historical mystery, Henry James, his sister Alice and his brother William try to solve the identity of Jack the Ripper. William lives in America but has come to London at the request of Scotland Yard to help them solve these crimes, using his psychological training. Alice, who is bedridden is determined to help, using information from William's investigation and Henry's observations. Other historical figures also make appearances: Mark Twain, John Singer Sergeant, Oscar Wilde, and Walter Sickert.The story is told through the eyes of each of the James'. I loved being in London, 1888. The author did a fantastic job of creating that atmosphere; the art, the literature,the theater, and of making real characters come alive in this fictional novel.I thought the author also nicely portrayed how politics played a role in the search for the killer and how the police looked at psychology as an investigative tool at that time.Though mostly bedridden, one does not feel sorry for Alice, she is very smart and is happy with her life. She definitely knows how to keep her brothers in line as they argue about who Jack's real identity is. The dialogue is sharp and witty and clever.What Alice Knew is an interesting look at one of history's biggest mysteries, while being very entertaining. I don't know how factual the book actually is, but I don't really care. It kept me engaged and interested.my rating 4/5

This book satisfies at many levels. It gives an extended peek at three extraordinary siblings who complement one another in both strengths and flaws. It gives insights into the British and American psyches as they had evolved over the first century or so since the two nations split --- at least for the intellectual class that dominates this story. And, certainly not least, it spins an interesting yarn about a string of murders that have held the popular imagination for well over a century. The book accomplishes all of this while keeping the reader entertained and almost always engrossed. The writing is tight, the characterizations satisfying, and the history enlightening. I hope that the author does not keep us waiting too long for a sequel.

Very interesting plot. It kept me intrigued all the way along. Sad but interesting reading about Jack The Ripper's exploits and how he or she was never caught. The characters of Alice and her brothers were a refreshing change in the already known stor yof The Ripper. A good read, not super fast paced, but just exciting enough to keep you reading to see if Alice solves the case. The characters are real, Alice really did live and had an "ailment" of some sort.

The very private author Henry James brought to life by the wonderful Paula Marantz Cohen in a clever suspense tale in which James and his invalid sister Alice, fix their sleuthing attention on Jack the Ripper. Mixing fiction and a cast of real and and not so real Victorian characters, this is a clever, inventive and utterly terrific book.

I really liked this book. What made me give this book 4 stars is that I related to every character on the page.the writing was fabulous.I also liked that (what alice knew)was graphic at times as it should be when talking about jack the ripper.This timeline in history when so many famous peoples lives intertwined whith each other was wonderful the way our author brought them together on paper.this was our book of the month for october it is just too bad that I didn't get ms cohen to join us because we're in south philly mabey next book (Namaste')

What Alice Knew was a well written blend of elements. The three American siblings are working together to solves these gruesome murders. The author goes into some detail here but not in a gratuitous manner. I have never read the details of the case before so it was all new to me. I knew of both Henry and William james' work. I never knew they were brothers before. If you are curious [...] Now i want to read a bit of Alice's work too.

I very much enjoyed this creative story which had the American James family -- Henry the novelist, William the psychologist, and Alice the brilliant invalid, scheming together to solve the Whitechapel murders attributed to Jack the Ripper. Scotland Yard asks William James to come and apply his "new" science to help them better understand the type of man that would perpetrate such crimes. I had never connected in my mind Henry and William James, nor did I know of Alice. The books paints an insightful picture of a unique, almost eccentric family against the backdrop of one of the most notorious murder cases of all time.Read it! It's brilliantly done!

Great read.

I found the book a bit hard to get into but once I did, it was engrossing. I liked the references to the James brother and their sister, it made me look more into their respective works. I also appreciated the intricate ways the protagonists analyse the clues. Gave a good idea of how a serial killer's mind might work. The ending was most surprising and now I need to read more about the James' brothers works and about Jack the Ripper. A good read once you get into it. Just gotta give it a chance.