Title: Bertie
Author: Barbara Nadel
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Alternate history, Crime, Historical fiction
Dates read: 27th February 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: But this time there was no work Bertie could do to make it right.
Bertie is a money lender and the guidance to his family while Jack the Ripper roams the streets. But he has his very own secret, one that could change everyone’s lives forever.
This is my first ever Jack the Ripper retelling. Or alternate history. And I kind of thought that it was a nice, gentle introduction. Especially since I know next to nothing about Jack the Ripper in the first place. Bertie not only pulled me in immediately, but it also made me want to read far more stories like this (so lucky I have a whole collection to dig through).
This was a quick and easy story. One that provided context for the uninitiated (like myself) in the very last paragraphs. The extra context and insight were immensely helpful to give me a little more idea of how this story sits within the current knowledge and fiction.
This is a great, quick read that gives an alternate point of view to not only who Jack the Ripper was, but also why he did what he did.
Earth and Skye 
3 thoughts on “Bertie by Barbara Nadel”