I bought this thinking I'd like it, having no idea how much I'd love it. I didn't have too many expectations for it and bought it mostly on a whim (isn't that just the most wonderful way to find new favourites, completely by accident?)
I knew after reading only one chapter how much I was going to enjoy this. It's official, R.F. Jackaby is one of my new favourite male characters.

Setting
New England, 1892. Ritter's descriptive style is subtle. No info-dumps here. It's like brushstrokes, slowly painting an image of New Fiddleham in my head as and when it needs to. I don't need too much information, my imagination can fill in the blanks. From the very first chapter, I could visualise the town, the weather, Abigail, all of it from only a few brief, but very well written lines.

Characters
I loved Jackaby!!
But not only that, I loved Abigail Rook, and I loved Jenny and I even loved Douglas the duck. This is one of those rare occasions where I don't just get attached to the main characters, but the minor characters too.
They are all loveable, quirky, individual, speak in a very easy and casual way with each other. They're developed but not so much as to reveal all their character to us too soon- It's only the first date, after all.
And I care about them. I CARE!! I found myself thinking about these characters whenever I wasn't reading, desperate to get back to them, to know how they were going to solve the mystery, how they were going to get out of trouble. I really fell in love with this detective duo from the very first chapter.

Abigail is a pleasant blend of intelligent, defiant badassery, and realistic, nineteenth-century lady aware of social propriety.

Jackaby is weird and quirky but also very human. Ritter doesn't make him appear like some hyper-intelligent, socially inept loner with no real concept of human emotion, but a genuine kind of guy with a special talent, who's incredibly casual and honest about the whole bizarre thing. He's also very aware that everyone thinks he's a weirdo. And though he's a little awkward and blunt at times, it's all endearing to his character. He's never pictured as the love interest, which I kind of like, not every book needs to be an intense love affair.

Plot
The plot is simple enough. A 'Whodunit' murder mystery with a splash of the supernatural. People are getting murdered. The police are looking for a man, Jackaby is looking for a monster. Abigail is immediately introduced as an adventure loving, thrill-seeker and it doesn't take her long to discover the local eccentric detective.
The mystery itself isn't so difficult to figure out and if you're looking for a complex plot with endless twists and turns and finger-pointing at many different suspects, you may not find this complicated enough for your tastes. It's very character driven, but personally, I loved that.

Writing Style
This book is written so well. Beautiful, descriptive. It was subtle yet I could picture everything happening at every moment. It flowed so well that I ended up racing through it much quicker than I expected. It never once felt awkward and clunky to read. My favourite style of writing, fluid, easy and moreishly entertaining. It was the perfect blend of humour, mystery, action, suspense, adventure.

Final Impression
I loved this book so much, I ordered the sequel when I was only half way through. This book and these characters will stick with me long after I've finished reading and this is what I love most about reading; A strange sort of feeling that I've made friends, rather than read a book, and I can't wait to see them again.
I didn't want the adventure to end so soon and I only wish the book was longer. All-round a compelling and lovely read. I really can't praise this enough.
Fantastic start to the series.