ARC Book Review: The Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier

Thank you to Dutton and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

A Dutton Books representative reached out to me a month ago, and offered an early copy of Elizabeth DeLozier's sophomore novel, The Whitechapel Full Moon Society. Of course, I was thrilled. I have been enjoying historical fiction recently (as well as historical dramas... Pursuit of Jade, I'm looking at you), and this one promised a supernatural twist. How could I not dive right in?

Set in Victorian London, the novel follows Caroline Foster as she arrives at the Whitechapel Full Moon Society, a men's boarding house, in search of her missing brother. With a serial killer on the loose, Caroline starts to believe that the curious mix of boarders have something to do with the murders as well as her brother's disappearance, but in order to find out the truth she needs to look into her past.

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Initially, I was quite intrigued by the plot and the mystery of Charlie's disappearance. Some reviewers mentioned that the pacing was too slow at the beginning, but I had a different experience. I was immediately engrossed by DeLozier's rich descriptions and faithful portrayal of London during the Victorian era. She ignited a flame within me that urged me to read on and find out how Jack the Ripper was tied to our protagonist and the boarders at the Whitechapel Full Moon Society.

Even the fact that our protagonist, Caroline, wasn't the typical strong female lead at the beginning of the novel added to my curiosity. I was eager to see how she would change over the course of the story. At times, she exhibited contradictory traits (e.g. her eagerness to be hired as the new maid even though she was clearly suspicious and scared of the boarders), and I thought some of her choices didn't make sense (e.g. her accepting Rab's questionable drink when she needed all her wits to eavesdrop on them during their monthly dinner party), but overall I was interested in her character arc. Despite some of the confusing behaviour, I thought DeLozier had written a well-rounded protagonist who would move the plot along, and hadn't lingered on her interiority.

On the topic of characters, I quite enjoyed the likeable mix of boarders at the Full Moon Society. They were all unique in their own ways, and you could tell that DeLozier had thought deeply about their characterisation to make them distinct from each other. However, I couldn't get behind Rab's motivations. If he had only told Caroline the truth from the very beginning, things would have played out so differently. I didn't understand what held him back. Additionally, I felt that the plot twist fell a bit flat to me. Whenever I don't expect a plot twist, I'm usually surprised and shocked. But with this book, I felt more betrayed by the sudden turn of events. It didn't feel authentic to me, and it left me more confused than anything else. Maybe I just didn't pick up on the clues, so I'm curious to know if others had a different experience.

Rating

⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒

Although I wasn't the biggest fan of the supernatural twist that DeLozier had added to the story - which says more about my own tastes than anything else - I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction with mystery and an interesting set of characters.

The Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier is out on the 25th August 2026.