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Things in Jars  By  cover art

Things in Jars

By: Jess Kidd
Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne
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Publisher's Summary

Things in Jars is an enchanting Victorian detective novel that explores what it is to be human in inhumane times, from Costa Award winner and twice BBC Radio 2 Book Club author Jess Kidd.

London, 1863. Bridie Devine, the finest female detective of her age, is taking on her toughest case yet. Reeling from her last job and with her reputation in tatters, a remarkable puzzle has come her way. Christabel Berwick has been kidnapped. But Christabel is no ordinary child. She is not supposed to exist. 

As Bridie fights to recover the stolen child she enters a world of fanatical anatomists, crooked surgeons and mercenary showmen. Anomalies are in fashion, curiosities are the thing and fortunes are won and lost in the name of entertainment. The public love a spectacle, and Christabel may well prove the most remarkable spectacle London has ever seen.

©2019 Jess Kidd (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd

Critic Reviews

Things in Jars is exquisite. Perfect storytelling.” (Joanna Cannon)

What listeners say about Things in Jars

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Great!

I love Jess Kidd's books - so thrilled to have discovered them! Things in Jars doesn't disappoint.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Michelle Callaghan
  • 05-15-19

A wonderful delight of a book

I simply loved this book , I have read Jess Kidds previous books and enjoyed her quirky supernatural elements. In Things in Jars , Kidd delves into historical fiction with great results - the writing is rich and fluid , the characters are wonderful , a deeply engaging story and I have to say I was very impressed with the narrator who truly brought the story to life.

34 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 05-06-19

A Victorian detective novel with a difference

This book is filled with weird and wonderful characters and a sprinkling of magic and myth. It is a Victorian detective novel but not as you would know it and as such charms you with its originality. A great read, very much enjoyed.

27 people found this helpful

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  • Sarah
  • 10-14-19

Breathtaking!

I’ve always been an avid reader and have been an audible member for a few years now, getting through 3 or 4 books a week while I work. This has to be one of my favourite books of all time and I can’t recommend it highly enough! I’ve read and enjoyed both of Jess Kidd’s previous novels but this is in another league - well done to the author, and to the narrator who gives a performance as captivating as the story. I didn’t want it to end - please, please can this be the first in a series!

25 people found this helpful

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  • Alicja
  • 10-26-19

Disappointing performance

I love Jess Kidd’s books. This one has a different narrator from the other two I already listened to, and I’m not a fan. The book seems fun with a good plot, quite dark and with a great main character. Because of a monotonous voice of the reader I cannot remember half of the book. I feel like I didn’t engage and my brain just treated it like a background noise. Every time I was putting it on I couldn’t remember what the plot was so far. I think the book is well worth reading. Just not listening to this version.

21 people found this helpful

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  • Chambers
  • 05-06-19

fantastical and fantastic!

beautiful writing makes this book a joy to read. The story is unique and wonderfully spiced with all things Victorian: filth, intrigue, mystery and darkness but it is the quality of the descriptions that pull the reader into the story as is you are there standing in the rain watching it all happen. The relationship between Ruby and Bridie is both beautiful and heartbreaking. really hoping for a sequel.

13 people found this helpful

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  • spencear
  • 05-01-19

Lovely language

The language flows well like the water that features so strongly throughout this tale, poetically linking words and ideas to weave a story full of fantasy. The genre tag on this title is historical, which I was in the mood for, so the appearance of the ghost of a dead boxer to our main character took me by surprise, but it didn't deter me from following where the narrative lead. There is meany a flashback here, some not well signposted, which as a listener I would find if my attention was taken away from the story for a moment at the wrong time, I'd be lost in another time and have to scramble to regain my hold on the plot. Jacqueline Milne has a pleasing voice and performed well.

13 people found this helpful

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  • barbara
  • 09-29-19

Brilliant

Loved it .. can’t wait for the next one .I’m an avid audio book listener
of crime thrillers with
the occasional off road author , Ruth Hogan Jess Kidd being just 2 . Great narration too.

8 people found this helpful

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  • Mr
  • 03-03-20

Spoiled by narration

Interesting story, beautiful language, great characters. Narrator has lovely Irish accent for Bridie but her attempt at different voices is excruciating. Better to read this one.

7 people found this helpful

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  • Vivienne
  • 04-07-19

An unexpected treasure

i was not sure what to expect with this title but it was a remarkable tale and well narrated

7 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 09-08-19

fabulous storytelling

loved the story and really enjoyed the motley crew of characters. The narrator brought the world of Bridie and Ruby to vibrant life. is there to be a sequel? I hope so.

6 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 03-02-23

Great narration

I really enjoyed the mythical/old world mixture. It was well paced, kept me interested from start to end

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  • Sarah
  • 05-10-21

Loved it!

I loved this story and it's characters, even tho some of it was quite disturbing.
I didn't want it to end as it meant leaving Bridie and Ruby.... I really hope there will be another book in this series!
The narrator was absolutely brilliant.

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  • Helen Engstrom
  • 10-30-20

The Best Victorian Detective Story

Bridie Divine and her ghostly companion are utterly compelling characters, and the story is riveting. The narration is brilliant.