Life in Ellis Orphanage is not that bad for Carver Young. He has food, clothing, shelter, and a friend. He has an enemy named Finn, and he doesn’t know his dad, but that is the worst of his life. But when Carver finds a disturbing letter from his father, implying that he is still alive, everything changes.
 

When Finn, Delia, and Carver are forced to leave the orphanage because they are too old, Finn lives with the Echols, Delia lives with newspaper reporters, and Carver is apprenticed to Albert Hawking, the partner of the leader of the New Pinkertons, a secret detective organization. Finally, Carver has the resources to look for his father.

Petrucha starts the book off with a murder by Jack the Ripper.     Then the book pans over to the life of Carver Young. The book is fast paced and there is a clue on every page. The conclusion is a big twist and is surprising. Every time the reader puts the book down, they will be left thinking about Carve r and his battle to find his father. This book has a perfect amount of sensory description, you can see the secret headquarters of The New Pinkerton's, and all of the gadgets there, like the air tram and air elevator.
 

The theme of this book is to not give up, through the whole book Carver is faced with the choice to give up or keep going, he always chooses to give up,  Mr. hawking or Delia urge him to keep solving the mystery of his father. This book is not recommended for children ten and under due to murder and violence. Other than that, readers who love a fast paced thriller/ historical fiction novel should read Ripper.

Page Number: 416 ISBN:978-0-545-61454-2 Copyright Date: 2012