I really liked this one!

The East End of London, Whitechapel. A murderer is on the loose, and the police are at a loss. They suspect the killer might be targeting multiple victims in a sustained run of violence that leaves them baffled. Those who work the streets are scared, but the streets are their living, and they have little choice.

Amid the streetwalkers and hustlers, a woman walks with a medical bag in hand. Though she comes from a family of wealth and worth, her future is no less certain than those around her. She is one of the few, a woman who is desperate to follow in her fathers’ footsteps, to join the medical profession that sees her as less than worthy because of her sex.

Her journey will take her through the dark heart of London, and her own heart will not be the same with its passing.


This is the first book I’ve read from Rena Mason, though her name has been a familiar one to me, and I knew nothing of what to expect from her, though the subject matter itself – of course – was more than a little familiar.

Most people who read horror would have more than a passing understanding of the tale of Jack the Ripper, as well as the multiple theories about his identity. From comic books to movies the story has been told again and again, and you might think that there was little to add to the old chestnut.

But I think Rena Mason might prove you to be wrong.

With East End Girls Rena Mason creates a story that plays out alongside the story we all know, echoing familiar themes but placing them in a context that makes them fresh.

Rena Mason has created a character that imbues many of the same characteristics that I enjoyed in the Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter books. In fact I feel awful admitting how much I loved Eliza Covington - the protagonist of East End Girls - and how much I would love to read another book detailing her further adventures, in much the same way as I avidly read about Dexter.

Eliza’s actions are all too easy to understand, as the world around her forces her into a mindset that perhaps she would not entertain if the circumstances were different. She victimises those who do not deserve it and spares those who perhaps deserve her wrath far more. But this is why I would like to see more of her evolution, as I suspect there would be a point when her focus would change.

This is not to say that I found East End Girls to be a flawless reading experience. At times I found the dialogue to be anachronistic in nature, though this may be just my own warped view of how people from the last century spoke, but - if true - these moments were fleeting and did nothing to ruin my enjoyment of the work.

Usually I like to try to write even reviews, balancing positive and negative comments as well as I can, but for East End Girls I’m finding this practice to be a difficult one.

To put it simply. I liked East End Girls far too much, and I can see very little - if anything - I could pick fault with. The only thing I can think to do is cry a plea to Rena Mason to write more Eliza Covington books.

If that is not a “positive review” I don’t know what is!

One last comment about the narrator Amanda Wyss - yes I do believe that is THE Amanda Wyss who played the gorgeous Tina from Nightmare On Elm Street. Though I did feel that her English accent bordered on strange at times, I still really enjoyed her performance. Partially I think this was because her acting skills allowed her to play characters that were easily definable in my mind, but also because she manages to fill Eliza with warmth even when she is contemplating the most horrific acts.

And there are lots of horrific acts on display in East End Girls. In fact some of the descriptions of mutilation may cause some distress to those who are sensitive to such things. There is something about explicit descriptions of these particular crimes that puts even the staunchest stomachs on notice.

I have to say, I’d be hard pushed to perform such gruesome scenes without throwing in my microphone and handing in my notice!
Personally I really liked Rena Mason’s East End Girls and I am surprised it hasn’t gotten more positive reviews. I could easily see this character in a series of books detailing her exploits across the New World, but sadly (for me) this will probably never happen.

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