Spectacle: A Historical Thriller in 19th Century Paris

by Jodie Lynn Zdrok

Overview

Spectacle is a YA murder mystery from debut author Jodie Lynn Zdrok in which a young reporter must use her supernatural visions to help track down a killer targeting the young women of Paris.

Paris, 1887.

Sixteen-year-old Nathalie Baudin writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Her job is to summarize each day’s new arrivals, a task she finds both fascinating and routine. That is, until the day she has a vision of the newest body, a young woman, being murdered—from the perspective of the murderer himself.

When the body of another woman is retrieved from the Seine days later, Paris begins to buzz with rumors that this victim may not be the last. Nathalie's search for answers sends her down a long, twisty road involving her mentally ill aunt, a brilliant but deluded scientist, and eventually into the Parisian Catacombs. As the killer continues to haunt the streets of Paris, it becomes clear that Nathalie's strange new ability may make her the only one who can discover the killer’s identity--and she'll have to do it before she becomes a target herself.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765399670
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/12/2019
Series:	Spectacle , #1
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	950,114
Lexile:	HL720L (what's this?)
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jodie Lynn Zdrok holds two MAs in European History and an MBA. In addition to being an author, she's a marketing professional, a freelancer, and an unapologetic Boston sports fan. She enjoys traveling, being a foodie, doing sprint triathlons, and enabling cats. Spectacle is her debut.

Editorial Reviews

"Clever and full of murder, Jodie Lynn Zdrok's Spectacle had my eyes glued to the pages as the body count rose, and mystery stacked upon mystery as our heroine closed in on a killer who seemed miles ahead of the Parisian authorities. Fans of serial killers and criminal investigations will find much to love, and fascinating passages about morgue tours will appeal to the morbid rubbernecker in us all."—Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

“With a fierce heroine, grisly 19th-century murders, and a mystery that left me on the edge of my seat, Spectacle is an immersive, Parisian, YA From Hell that I absolutely devoured!"—Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten and #MurderTrending

"Grisly, plot driven—and very creepy. Fans of historical thrillers that invoke the enduring spirit of Jack the Ripper will have fun."—Kirkus Reviews

“Hints of the murderer’s identity are subtly and intriguingly folded into the story, and unresolved plot threads pave the way for future cases, during which Nathalie can discover more about her powers. The blend of history, mystery, and fantasy makes this debut novel a good pick for fans of Libba Bray’s Diviners series or William Ritter’s Jackaby books."—Booklist

“The book seamlessly brings several threads together: the mystery of the murder and the horrors of the killings themselves; the beauty, bustle, and darkness of nineteenth-century Paris (the killer’s pursuit of Nathalie through the catacombs is thrillingly described); the bizarre but historically based practices of morgue viewing and blood transfusions for magic; and the destructive nature of family secrets and their generational effects. ...the tension amps up to a gasp-worthy climax.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Zdrok has concocted an ambitious Victorian-era story. ...Intricately plotted, the story's pace burns slow before racing ahead to set up and topple assumptions about the true identity of the Dark Artist.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Winter 2018

Gr 8 Up—In 19th-century Paris, Nathalie Baudin, 16-year-old morgue columnist, has a startling vision of a recent female victim's murder. She attempts to write off the experience as a hallucination, only to find herself having another vision when the next murder victim arrives at the morgue. Seeking more information about her apparent supernatural gift, Nathalie must decide whether or not to use her visions to aid the police in identifying the killer as the body count begins to rise. Buried secrets will come to light in the race to save the next girl and stop the Dark Artist's nefarious plot. Zdrok has concocted an ambitious Victorian-era story that may delight fans of suspenseful historical fiction. Intricately plotted, the story's pace burns slow before racing ahead to set up and topple assumptions about the true identity of the Dark Artist. A parallel plot involving blood experiments and supernatural powers works to explain Nathalie's visions but could derail readers who are more interested in the serial killer angle. As a reluctant hero prone to shallow introspection, Nathalie possesses a sense of perseverance that will appeal to readers. Secondary characters, on the other hand, feel thinly developed, existing in many cases simply to drive the narrative forward. VERDICT Recommended for large collections.—Pearl Derlaga, York County Public Library, VA

School Library Journal

Listeners will be immediately intrigued by this fantasy thriller. Set in 1887 Paris, the story is beautifully written, filled with descriptive language, and the cadence and pace of delivery make you feel as though you are there watching it all unfold. Laurie Winkel portrays 16-year-old Nathalie Baudin, a journalist who covers the daily arrivals at the Paris morgue. One day, Nathalie has a vision of the murder of one of the girls on the table, and everything changes. As more murders occur and the crimes remain unsolved, Nathalie's investigation becomes necessary to save others and herself. Winkel is especially skilled at portraying Nathalie as a young woman with determination and strength in this compelling mystery. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2019 - AudioFile

2018-11-12

In Zdrok's debut, a young woman with mysterious powers seeks to unmask a vicious killer terrorizing 19th-century Paris.

Sixteen-year-old Nathalie Baudin writes about Paris' unclaimed dead bodies that are on display for public viewing for her column at Le Petit Journal: The more detailed her descriptions, the better. When she sees the body of a young girl who has been brutally slashed, she's horrified. Placing her hand against the glass barrier, she has a terrifying vision of what seems to be the actual murder. The killer, dubbed "the Dark Artist," isn't finished, and the viciousness of the murders grows. Nathalie is intrigued to find out that her Aunt Brigitte, who is in an asylum for acting on her own visions, was a patient of an infamous doctor who offered supernatural powers through blood transfusions. Craving normalcy, Nathalie initially rejects her own powers, but when the Dark Artist slaughters someone very close to her, she resolves to put a stop to his reign of terror. Zdrok explores the universal fascination with death, set among the darker corners of 1887 Paris, and the very idea of the morgue viewings (to which parents brought their children) is chilling. All characters are assumed white. Grisly, plot driven—and very creepy.

Fans of historical thrillers that invoke the enduring spirit of Jack the Ripper will have fun, and Zdrok leaves things open for a sequel. (recommended reading) (Paranormal historical thriller. 15-18)

Kirkus Reviews