Abigail Rook has no intention of being the type of girl one might expect from her upper-class upbringing. Abigail would prefer travel and adventure - just like her father, a well-esteemed paleontologist. Regrettably, her parents believe a dusty dig site is no place for a proper young lady, so Abigail does what any headstrong girl would do: she runs away.
Abigail leaves her comfortable home and strict but loving parents to join a paleontological expedition, but plans fall through almost as soon as Abigail arrives at the site. Desperate to avoid admitting defeat, Abigail boards a ship bound for America. She lands in New England near a town called New Fiddleham and immediately begins a search for gainful employment. After numerous rejections from the businesses in town, Abigail stumbles across a rather unusual job listing - it advises, among other things, to not stare directly at the frog in Jackaby's offices. Intrigued, if a bit perplexed, Abigail decides to see what this employment opportunity entails.
Abigail's new (and somewhat reluctant) employer is one R.F. Jackaby, an investigator with unique abilities. Jackaby claims to be able to see things no one else can, things that enable him to solve cases where conventional investigation fails. Supernatural beings are Jackaby's specialty.
Jackaby is not immediately convinced Abigail should be his new assistant. He hasn't had the best luck with his previous assistants and fears for her well-being. His most recent previous assistant, as he tells Abigail, is "temporarily waterfowl" due to a mishap during a difficult case, hence the job listing. Undeterred, Abigail tags along on a call that interrupts her interview and finds a new killer is in town and signs seem to point to a paranormal culprit. Jackaby is on the case and, for better or worse, so is Abigail.
"Jackaby" is a charming paranormal mystery tale set in the Victorian era. Jackaby is a delightful, albeit somewhat curmudgeonly, detective character. Comparisons to Sherlock would not be amiss, though Sherlock almost certainly never had to deal with ghosts and boggarts, and Jackaby wears an ugly stocking cap instead of a deerstalker hat. Jackaby does, however, have about the same sort of rocky relationship with the local police as Sherlock.
As with any good mystery, readers will be kept guessing as the story unfolds, but they'll also be delighted by the clever dry wit of both Abigail and Jackaby. Together, the two make an exceptional team, though it takes Jackaby a frustratingly long time to come to this conclusion. Readers will root for Abigail and Jackaby as their unconventional techniques bring them ever closer to their villain.
Enamored readers will be happy to discover "Jackaby" is the first book in a trilogy by author William Ritter, meaning Abigail and Jackaby have many more adventures to come. "Jackaby" is an excellent choice for readers of just about any age who appreciate an atmospheric mystery mixed with a healthy dose of humor.
Courtney Waters is the teen services librarian at Missouri River Regional Library.