Finished Capturing the Devil, the final book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, and dying for more? Lucky for you, Kerri Maniscalco let us in on some juicy tidbits about the book as well as the series as a whole!

It’s hard not to want more of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, especially with how it ends. There’s just so much that happens in Capturing the Devil!

So obviously when we were given the chance to talk to Kerri Maniscalco, we had a lot of questions and a lot of aspects we wanted to know more about. We narrowed our list down to our most pressing questions in the hopes that they’re some of everyone else’s burning questions as well.

One item of note though: Because this was the final book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series (and because we love this series so much), we couldn’t possibly steer clear of spoilers. So if you haven’t yet had a chance to read Capturing the Devil, know that you’ll be heading into spoiler territory from here on out.

And if you have read Capturing the Devil and are thirsting for more insight into this captivating series? Well then we hope you enjoy this fascinating Q&A with one of our favorite authors of all time, Kerri Maniscalco!

Author Kerri Maniscalco answers burning questions about ‘Capturing the Devil’ and more!

1. Where did the idea for Thomas’ tattoo—his wanting to get one as well as its design—come from?

In Hunting Prince Dracula one of the students had tattoos, and I had no idea they were actually becoming popular among the upper class during that time period. Whenever I picture Victorian Era society, I imagine all of the restrictions and rules, so it was fun to think of them drawing attention to their skin. (The scandal!)

I’d like to think Thomas was intrigued by the prince’s tattoo and it sparked his idea to ornament his own body. He goes into detail about his decision in the text of Capturing the Devil, so I’ll save that for him to share!

2. Audrey Rose’s resilience and ability to stick to her beliefs despite her world crumbling down around her is inspiring. How’d you decide that Audrey Rose would refuse to be Thomas’ mistress, even if it meant never being with him again?

Oh, gosh. What a scene! During that point in history, reputation was everything and a scandal affected everyone. While I don’t think there’s anything selfish about someone putting their needs or happiness first for a lot of things—i.e. health reasons, etc.—it would never be in Audrey Rose’s nature to do something that would hurt Liza or her father. She loves Thomas — and it would be brutally hard to never be with him again—, but she also loves herself and her family. After the events in Escaping From Houdini, she’s also more confident in what she wants and what she’s willing and unwilling to accept. It was a tough spot to be in, and I’m proud of how she handled it.

3. Audrey very much gets her “final girl” moment toward the end of the novel where she’s able to use everything she’s learned along her path, as well as her inherent capabilities and strength of character, to face her personal tormentor. At what point in writing the series did you plan for this showdown, and what impact, if at all, did this momentous sequence have on your writing the rest of the novel (in terms of skills to learn and trials to endure)?

Even though I’d planned it for a while, the sequence was hard to write. I dropped Audrey Rose into this hell of her own creation in some ways, and it was up to her to claw her way out; she needed to adapt to the situation or she wouldn’t survive. But in order to do that, she needed to conquer her emotions.

Throughout the series she’s had plenty of emotional battles—fighting for her place in the world, fighting for freedom, for respect, and for love. She went to that Murder Castle, intent on killing Holmes—which was a huge emotional response to the final stunt he pulled—, and it almost got her killed. While it might be satisfying as hell to go after someone when you’re mad or hurt or upset, it’s not always the best decision. She needed to dig deep, face her fears of darkness, and discover who she really was. Then she needed to fight. It was her first real physical battle scene and while it may not be her comfort zone, she was forced to fight or die.

4. Capturing the Devil brought back so many faces, both expected and unexpected, in a sort of last-hurrah manner. Who was your favorite character to bring back (or introduce in the flesh)? Were there any characters you wanted to reappear but just couldn’t work in?

There were a lot of moving parts in this book, and one of my favorite aspects was pulling in the major players and completing the overarching personal plot as well as the murder mystery. I mean, I know I had readers hearts all a flutter, but the intro to a character mentioned in the first Thomas novella, Meeting Thomas Cresswell, was my most favorite. I knew I wanted that person to come back into play and had been biding my time for years. ☺

5. Looking back, which types of scenes were your favorites to write, and which did you find more difficult?

I love banter, so any time Audrey Rose and Thomas are sharing a scene, I adore it. I had a lot of fun with the romance portion of this book—there was this slow burn for three novels and I could finally let them have their moment. The fact that Holmes didn’t leave bodies made it extra challenging to craft a murder mystery, but I knew that from the start and decided to focus on building a sense of foreboding instead.

I wanted this book to almost feel like a haunting; like old fears creeping in during personal moments of happiness and joy, because it was a case that’s haunted Audrey Rose from the start. It’s not a book about uncovering who the killer is, but about revealing his ties to previous crimes and the scope of this nightmare.

6. Though you had some experience with incorporating a real historical figure in Escaping from Houdini, Capturing the Devil is the first time where you dealt with a serial killer with a known name/identity whose actions are based more in fact than lore. How did the process of writing around H.H. Holmes and his victims differ from writing about Jack the Ripper and his victims?

One of the fascinating things about H.H. Holmes is he was a teller of tale tales. You never know what’s real and what’s something he fabricated. Even in his jailhouse confession he claimed to have killed 27 people, but only 9 could be confirmed. Since I had fun with the Holmes/Ripper conspiracy, it wasn’t too hard to draw on both of them to write this book.

7. In your author’s note, you mention that reading a bit about H.H. Holmes is really what sparked your idea for this series. Looking back on it all, and with all of the incredibly clever breadcrumbs dropped along the way (such as the inclusion of the Etruria), does your feelings on calling the series the “Stalking Jack the Ripper series” vs the “Capturing the Devil series” change at all?

Great question! I think I’ll always like the “Stalking Jack the Ripper series” because that’s the crime at the heart of it all. The White City Devil was ultimately captured and punished, but the Ripper case is still a fascinating mystery we haven’t solved today.

Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco is available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository, and your local independent bookstore. Also, don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads “to read” list!