ARC REVIEW The Jekyll Revelation by Robert Masello

I've always loved the story of Jekyll and Hyde and this was a fantastic interpretation of the story. Interweaving Hyde, Jack the Ripper, and the real life of Robert Lewis Stevenson. The back and forth jumping from modern times to Victorian times, from the third person POV of environmental scientist, Rafael Salazar, to the first person journal of Stevenson, it was an outstanding concept and as annoying as it got sometimes with the mini cliffhangers at the end of the chapters it was a really good read. As slow as it was at times it made up for it by the intense situations the characters got into, a good almost horror suspense.

It all start with a foreboding open chapter from the journal of Stevenson telling that something followed him from London, something he thought he left far behind. The next chapter jumps to modern day California Topanga county and Rafael tracking the coyotes the has been researching and documenting. It also introduces the trouble makers that make Rafael's life hell and the woman he can't stop thinking about. The Stevenson journal entries follow him from the time he visits a doctor in the mountains of the Alps to try and cure or control his tuberculosis. The treatments are unconventional and Stevenson ends up suffering from some unusual side effects. Rafael's side of the story just spans a few weeks it follows him from the discovery of an old trunk full of a noxious smell, a set of gentleman's Victorian suit, a flask, and an old journal. As Rafael reads the journal he finds out the startling truth behind Jack the Ripper and the real story of Mr. Hyde. And with every other chapter the reader also slowly discovers the truth.

Overall, this was a great read and if you can stand the slow progression of the story and the back and forth POV it really pays off in the end.