Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Things in Jars

  • By: Jess Kidd
  • Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne
  • Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,170 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Things in Jars cover art

Things in Jars

By: Jess Kidd
Narrated by: Jacqueline Milne
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.99

Buy Now for £13.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

All the Murmuring Bones cover art
A Necessary Murder cover art
Every Move You Make cover art
The Ghost of Whitechapel cover art
The Sixth Victim cover art
Beloved Poison cover art
When Christmas Comes cover art
The Crimson Petal and the White cover art
The Sisters cover art
And Then She Vanished cover art
Fly by Night cover art
The House in Quill Court cover art
The Forgotten Garden cover art

Summary

Things in Jars is an enchanting Victorian detective novel that explores what it is to be human in inhumane times, from Costa Award winner and twice BBC Radio 2 Book Club author Jess Kidd.

London, 1863. Bridie Devine, the finest female detective of her age, is taking on her toughest case yet. Reeling from her last job and with her reputation in tatters, a remarkable puzzle has come her way. Christabel Berwick has been kidnapped. But Christabel is no ordinary child. She is not supposed to exist.

As Bridie fights to recover the stolen child she enters a world of fanatical anatomists, crooked surgeons and mercenary showmen. Anomalies are in fashion, curiosities are the thing and fortunes are won and lost in the name of entertainment. The public love a spectacle, and Christabel may well prove the most remarkable spectacle London has ever seen.

©2019 Jess Kidd (P)2019 W. F. Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

Things in Jars is exquisite. Perfect storytelling.” (Joanna Cannon)

What listeners say about Things in Jars

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    638
  • 4 Stars
    307
  • 3 Stars
    148
  • 2 Stars
    49
  • 1 Stars
    28
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    711
  • 4 Stars
    212
  • 3 Stars
    80
  • 2 Stars
    34
  • 1 Stars
    25
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    580
  • 4 Stars
    264
  • 3 Stars
    132
  • 2 Stars
    53
  • 1 Stars
    30

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Lovely language

The language flows well like the water that features so strongly throughout this tale, poetically linking words and ideas to weave a story full of fantasy. The genre tag on this title is historical, which I was in the mood for, so the appearance of the ghost of a dead boxer to our main character took me by surprise, but it didn't deter me from following where the narrative lead. There is meany a flashback here, some not well signposted, which as a listener I would find if my attention was taken away from the story for a moment at the wrong time, I'd be lost in another time and have to scramble to regain my hold on the plot. Jacqueline Milne has a pleasing voice and performed well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Intriguing concept, poorly developed

I really wanted to like this book, and it certainly wasn’t terrible, the concept was interesting and the setting was good, but it was slow and the characters had no real depth to them, the motives behind the crimes weren’t really clear, and the descriptions of every little physical detail were endlessly laborious. The narration was good but only when the characters had Irish accents - I’ve never heard worse English accents, some of them were really quite painful to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous!

Another delightful read from Jess Kidd, fabulous and 100% recommended! This is my most favourite out of all the books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome Victorian steampunkish book

I love books with gloopy gore and a tinge of steampunk. I’m liking this author at the minute on audible and in paperback.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I love everything about this book and it’s narration. Completely absorbing and gutted it’s finished. Will just have to go back to the beginning again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Weird

A very grim subject. Intersting but story does not flow and is disjointed. To unbalanced to be enjoyable


Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written wonderful book

This is one of the finest books I have read or listened to, the prose is so beautifully written that the characters dance before the reader’s eyes... an absolute treasure, more of this series please! Fantastic characters and about time we had a female Sherlock... perfect narration also, what a joy, I am sad it is finished...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A good listen!

I really enjoyed this book, it was well read with a great story line and interesting characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Page turner

Exciting story and original characters. I was hooked and really enjoyed it. Great performance from the narrator too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

Absolutely loved this story, I’m hoping it’s a series!!
The story and narrator were excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!