The Wolf & Lamb: The Historic Suspense Series, #1

By Joslyn Chase

Jennet, a sheltered pastor's daughter, holds his hand as he passes from this world into the next. Orphaned and homeless, she goes to work in her uncle's Whitechapel pub in London. 1888.

Where an evil presence stalks the cobbled streets, a depraved soul known as Jack the Ripper. As Jennet pours the ale and wipes the tables at The Wolf & Lamb, her suspicion that The Ripper is among the regulars strengthens with each passing day.

But will her innocence be enough to save her when The Ripper chooses his next victim?

Drop into The Wolf & Lamb for a suspense-packed glimpse into one of history's most notorious unsolved mysteries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paraquel Press
• Release date: Apr 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781952647208

Joslyn Chase

Joslyn Chase is a prize-winning author of mysteries and thrillers. Any day she can send readers to the edge of their seats, chewing their fingernails to the nub and prickling with suspense, is a good day in her book. Joslyn's story, "Cold Hands, Warm Heart," was chosen by Amor Towles as one of The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2023. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Fiction River, Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem, Mystery Magazine, and Pulphouse Fiction, among others. Known for her fast-paced fiction, Joslyn's books are full of surprising twists and delectable turns. You will find her riveting novels most anywhere books are sold. Joslyn's love for travel has led her to ride camels through the Nubian desert, fend off monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar, and hike the Bavarian Alps. But she still believes that sometimes the best adventures come in getting the words on the page and in the thrill of reading a great story. Join the growing group of readers who’ve discovered the thrill of Chase! Sign up at joslynchase.com and get VIP access to great bonuses, like your free copy of No Rest: 14 Tales of Chilling Suspense, as well as updates and first crack at new releases. See you there!

Book preview

The Wolf & Lamb

A Historic Suspense Story

Joslyn Chase

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Paraquel Press

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WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

about Joslyn Chase

Author Joslyn Chase has now confirmed my first impressions of her being a formidable suspense writer bound to make readers sit up and take notice.

~ Manie Kilian (reader, Amazon.com)

As always in her writing, the settings and action scenes are vividly portrayed and the relationships between the characters are seamless and authentic. Ms Chase has a talent for bringing characters to life.

~ ReadnGrow (Amazon.com)

There is a reason Chase is an award-winning author. Highly recommended.

~ Justin Boote, author of Badass

The author is a great storyteller.

~ AstraDaemon

Joslyn Chase skillfully connects subplots, then injects a few surprises, then connects things again in an interesting cycle; weave, disassemble, weave, repeat.

~ Ron Keeler, Read 4 Fun

In the movie Field of Dreams, there is a now famous line, If you build it, they will come. Apply this sentiment to Joslyn Chase--if she writes it, we will come and read it.

~ William DeProspo, author of Unlikely Outcome

Joslyn Chase paints intriguing pictures with vivid, colorful descriptions…you feel like you have a front row seat from which to watch as everything unfolds.

~ Gabi Rosetti (reader, Amazon.com)

The flow of her writing is a delight to me, elegant and soothing, woven like fine linen.

~ Margherita Crystal Lotus, author of The Color Game

Contents

1. The Wolf & Lamb

More books by Joslyn Chase

About the Author

Copyright

The Wolf & Lamb

London, September 1888

Jennet stirred as fingers of watery sunlight poked through the grimed glass of the bedroom window to tease at her eyelids. Consciousness arrived and, with it, a sense of dread. She sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest, and listened to the flurried footsteps and raised voices. A yearning enveloped her, so sharp and strong that it knocked the breath from her lungs, and she wrestled it down. It was no use wishing none of this had happened, that her father had not died, that she’d not been transported to the filthiest part of London, that a madman wasn’t killing women in the streets.

She rose, shivering in the morning air, and splashed her face with chill water, ignoring the greasy sliver of soap that smelled of rancid fat. She slipped into her green-sprigged morning frock, grateful that she could still dress as befitted a parson’s daughter. For a while, anyway. When these clothes were worn to rags, she was afraid there would be no money to replace them. The advertisements she’d answered to serve as a ladies’ maid or governess had so far come to nothing, and it seemed she must work as a barmaid at her uncle’s Whitechapel inn far longer than she had hoped.

She tugged a brush through her dark hair, remembering how her father had laughed over her unruly curls.

You are a fine, obedient daughter. It’s no fault of yours that your head hosts a nest of rebellious curls. That was your mother’s doing, though she was a good Christian woman, God rest her soul.

Jennet pushed the memory from her mind and swallowed the lump of self-pity. Life had dealt her a new hand, and she must play it to the best of her ability. Her father had not raised a milquetoast daughter. As she bent to lace her boots, a pounding came at the door and her Uncle Smither’s voice bellowed through the thin walls.

"The bar’s half full already, though it be morning still, so get a move on. There’s a crowd of constables and committee men needing a stiff