The Strange Case of Isaac Crawley

by James Markert

Overview

Isaac Crawley has just returned home from London and is obsessed with the Jekyll and Hyde play, which has opened at Macaulay's Theater in Louisville, Kentucky. On the fourth night of the show, a body is found on the riverbank, butchered like Jack the Ripper's first victim. The police set their sights on Issac, who has recently developed an opium habit, a propensity for blackouts, and noticeable changes in behavior. Since Isaac was in London during the horrific killing spree, they think he may be the Ripper himself.

More bodies are found, eerily linked to the Ripper, and as evidence points toward Isaac, his former alienist, Dr. Blackwood, steps in, locking him away in the Lakeland Asylum in a desperate effort to keep him safe. What Dr. Blackwood discovers lurking inside Isaac's mind needs to be destroyed to save him, but it also holds the key to finding the real killer, who is still out in the streets, imitating the Ripper.

"James Markert takes readers on a whirlwind tour of late 19th century Louisville, a bustling river city populated by rogues from every strata of society. ISAAC CRAWLEY is a richly textured tale of murder, deception, and opium. Lots of opium." — Andrew Shaffer, NYTimes bestselling author of HOPE NEVER DIES

"James Markert's THE STRANGE CASE OF ISAAC CRAWLEY is a vividly detailed and richly researched historical thriller that grabbed me the same way Caleb Carr's THE ALIENIST did. It brings a forgotten time and forgotten incidents to three-dimensional life and had me turning pages late into the night. Don't miss this smashing tale!" - David Bell, USA Today Bestselling Author of KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS

"Fear of the Ripper's bloodthirst has traveled on the wind from London to Louisville, leaving the mighty Ohio River crimsoned and the city's residents trembling. Markert's novel of murder and madness is heavy with a foggy lamppost atmosphere, but goes beyond moody ambiance in its remarkable psychological turns and even surprisingly tender moments between the cast of vivid, memorable characters. An engrossing novel." -Ian Stansel, author of THE LAST COWBOYS OF SAN GERONIMO
 

Product Details

BN ID:	2940165525285
Publisher:	Holland Brown
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	1,062,221
File size:	448 KB

About the Author

James Markert was raised in a household where creativity thrived, paintings and stained-glass windows beautified the walls, and the arts were as regular as the seasons. This upbringing will forever be his muse. James has a history degree from the University of Louisville, where, in his senior year, he was awarded a scholarship as the school’s most outstanding history major. He won an IPPY Award for his debut, The Requiem Rose, which was later published by Sourcebooks as A White Wind Blew. Since then his novels have run the gamut of history from time periods and topics like Jekyll and Hyde, Prohibition, the Dust Bowl, the Sixties, and World War I.

James is the writer and co-producer of the feature film/tennis comedy 2nd Serve, starring several actors from popular television shows like Scandal, The Big Bang Theory, Gotham, Cougar Town, Shameless, and Ray Donovan. James is also a USPTA tennis pro, and has coached dozens of kids who’ve gone on to play college tennis in top conferences like the Big 10, the Big East, and the ACC. He lives with his wife and two children in Louisville, KY.