Abigail Rook is looking for a job - ANY job - when she runs into the mysterious (and very weird) R F Jackaby. As he explains to her:

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Of course, what he sees are supernatural beings. All Abigail sees are ordinary, everyday things - but he says that is her strength. Jackaby hires Abigail as his assistant and she has no idea what she is getting herself in for. They immediately start investigating a bloody murder that appears to be the work of a serial killer. The police are not happy about their presence - except for handsome Detective Charlie Cane. As Jackaby tells her later, "There's a jar in my office marked 'Bail.' If you don't hear from me by tonight, just bring it down to the Mason Street station, would you? I'm usually in the first or second cell."

No, Jackaby is definitely not a normal employer. When Abigail moves into his home, she finds she is sharing the place with a ghost, Douglas the duck, a pond (yes, pond), piles of books, and heaven only knows what else. This is not what she expected at all, but she quickly adapts to it and makes herself at home.

The murder Jackaby investigated the day he and Abigail met is not an isolated event. There were previous murders and the killer is not finished. While the local law enforcement searches for a human killer, Jackaby knows the one responsible is definitely NOT human at all - and he has to find them.

This is a fun, quick read that is like a cross between Sherlock Holmes and [b:Faeries|618209|Faeries|Brian Froud|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348519660s/618209.jpg|872459] by [a:Brian Froud|9345|Brian Froud|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1307006013p2/9345.jpg]. I love the characters, the setting, and the language. Abigail is strong, intelligent, and brave. Jackaby is goofy and confusing at times, but he really is a genius and he truly sees things that others miss. Bizarre, to say the least, but certainly never dull. I kept seeing Benedict Cumberbatch as Jackaby, probably because of the Sherlock connection. I enjoyed this book enough that I preordered its sequel, [b:Beastly Bones|24001095|Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)|William Ritter|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425592816s/24001095.jpg|43601150]. I really hope this is a series.