Ripper: A Novel by Isabel Allende 496 pages published by Harper  I have just finished this book but before I give my inexpert opinion, let me show you the blurb:

Isabel Allende—the New York Times bestselling author whose books, including Maya’s Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, and Zorro, have sold more than 57 million copies around the world—demonstrates her remarkable literary versatility with Ripper, an atmospheric, fast-paced mystery involving a brilliant teenage sleuth who must unmask a serial killer in San Francisco. While her mom looks for the good in people, Amanda is fascinated by the dark side of human nature, like her father, the SFPD’s Deputy Chief of Homicide. Brilliant and introverted, the MIT-bound high school senior is a natural-born sleuth addicted to crime novels and Ripper, the online mystery game she plays with her beloved grandfather and friends around the world.

I enjoyed the story line and concept and I thought they fit in well with a San Francisco backdrop. As for the writing style, over 25% of the book could have been erased without losing any of the story. There was too much developing of the background of each superfluous character  that resulted rather tedious at times. She avoided a "happy Hollywood" ending but there was still a touch of the movie studios at the end. You could see the last scene on a movie theater screen and the credits rolling. The idea of Isabel Allende trying to feel out the waters of the crime genre is interesting but J.K.Rowling has her beat even down to the one-legged hero. The second J.K.Rowling book is coming out in June and I can't wait. The Ripper is available in Spanish under the name El Juego del Ripper.