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SPECTACLE

Jodie Lynn Zdrok

In 1887 Paris, 16-year-old reporter Nathalie Baudin suddenly acquires a troubling magical ability connected to the public morgue - one of the city's biggest attractions, especially now that a serial killer is on the loose: If she touches the viewing pane, she witnesses the murder scene.

The bodies pile up as Nathalie struggles with her gift. Or is a curse, given the tradeoff of ever-worsening memory loss with each vision? Paris was caught up in pseudoscience experiments that infused people with magic, but that was decades ago and long before she was born.

Through her visions, she brings the police ever closer to the murderer . . . which brings her to the attention to the killer, and soon she might be the next slain corpse at the morgue.

Upcoming title: EXHIBITION (Scholastic, March 2020). A sequel to SPECTACLE set during the 1889 Paris World's Fair.
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Published 2019-02-01 by Tor Teen

Comments

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. -- Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

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. -- Kirkus

Russia: AST;

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. --BCCB

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 “