45 pages • 1 hour read
William RitterJackaby
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 23-26Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 23 Summary
Abigail realizes that the banshee was predicting her own death. She and Jackaby reclaim their things. The clerk complains that it takes ages to catalog everything in Jackaby’s pockets. As they exit, Charlie leaves to get some rest; Jackaby tells him to make sure he’s “safe and secure” (209). Abigail expresses relief that Charlie isn’t the killer, but Jackaby isn’t so sure. He says that Mrs. Morrigan was killed because she served as a warning system to the killer’s victims. He leads them back to the apartment building, where they meet Marlowe. Marlowe tells them that Jackaby is a bad influence on Charlie and that Charlie was the first to realize Mrs. Morrigan was dead.
They go inside and find Mona sitting in shock. Jackaby takes on two coins and sets them on Mrs. Morrigan’s eyes in a ritualistic gesture, reciting a Latin prayer. Marlowe admits he needs Jackaby’s help. Jackaby proposes a plan and asks Marlowe to bring every police officer to the town square. Buoyed by his idea, Jackaby returns home feeling victorious.
Chapter 24 Summary
At the house, Jackaby hastily looks through his books, now having a concrete objective in mind. He tells Abigail they need lead and firewood. After selecting several books to bring, Jackaby and Abigail make their way to the square, where several police officers are waiting. Jackaby runs off after a man who may have metal to spare, and Hatun approaches Abigail. It takes Abigail a moment to notice her. Hatun tells her that if she goes after Jackaby, she won’t survive.
The crowd of policemen grows, and Marlowe arrives, looking for Jackaby. As Abigail searches for him, she sees Charlie in the crowd looking spent. Swift arrives just as Jackaby returns, and Abigail notices that Charlie is becoming very ill. Jackaby climbs onto a statue and calls for attention. He introduces himself and asks someone to light a fire. The crowd relaxes and makes fun of Jackaby; Jackaby announces that he believes the killer is a policeman. Swift calls for the performance to stop just as the clouds clear and the moon shines through.
Chapter 25 Summary
The crowd suddenly becomes alarmed, and everyone backs away from Charlie; he is spasming and transforming into an animal. He runs away, leaving the policemen in shock until Swift sends them after him. Jackaby finds Abigail, and they both chase after Charlie. They run past the place where they first met Hatun, and Abigail stops to pick up a piece of lead from Hatun’s fishing pole. She puts it in between the pages of a book, and they continue running. Abigail trips and loses sight of Jackaby, finding herself also lost. She sees another police officer running through the woods. Abigail follows him, then sees him dead on the ground. Swift is leaning over him. Initially, Abigail thinks Swift is mourning the body, but she quickly realizes he is the killer. She recognizes the clinking sound as his leg braces clack on his shoes, and his hat is soaked in the man’s blood.
Chapter 26 Summary
Abigail attempts to run away, but Swift is too fast for her. Just as he attacks, Charlie—in the shape of a hound—diverts him. They fight, and Swift slowly wears Charlie down. He attempts to appeal to Charlie’s monstrous side. When Charlie attacks him, Swift stabs him with a sword from his cane. Abigail desperately tries to help by throwing her books at Swift. They do not hurt him, but the lead sinker flies off and hits him in the face. Angered, he leaves Charlie and prepares to kill Abigail. Jackaby arrives and shoots him several times. He recites a Latin prayer, and Swift goes quiet. Abigail passes out.
Chapters 23-26 Analysis
This section moves from the false climax at the end of the second act to the true climax in which the heroes face the story’s villain. Like all successful third acts, the intensity and pacing increase and do not let up until the villain is defeated. Jackaby’s renewed energy and plan to catch the killer create a turn in atmosphere and tone in the novel; however, his trajectory is violently derailed by Charlie’s transformation. This moment is a natural progression of Charlie’s arc within the novel, but it sets new events into motion that will ultimately be his undoing. At this point, Abigail becomes convinced that Charlie is the root of the mystery—however, the narrative has laid enough clues, so the reader understands Charlie is only a victim. Swift immediately sees his opportunity and sends the police after him, an action that will have reverberating consequences even after Swift is dead.
The novel’s climax comes when Abigail faces Swift and finds herself “a foolish girl, lost in the woods” (247). She does not suddenly come into some previously unknown power but instead faces and overcomes her vulnerability and fear. While this novel is coming to a close, the series as a whole—and, within the context of the story, Abigail’s journey with Jackaby—is only beginning. This moment where she rises clumsily to the challenge serves as her point of no return, beyond which she will never be the same. The experience of Abigail and Charlie each coming to the other’s aid also creates a unique bond between them that hints at their future in each other’s lives.
Jackaby arrives and removes the threat by shooting him and reciting a prayer or incantation. The use of metal accompanied by prayer mirrors Jackaby’s gesture towards Mrs. Morrigan—the first a symbol of honor and respect, the second a banishment.
As both Charlie and Swift are revealed as they truly are, the themes of Perception, Illusion, and Truth and the Nature of Humanity are again foregrounded. Charlie’s revelation as a shapeshifter is a public dismantling of the façade he has worn—that he is just a “normal” hardworking Joe on the police force. When this illusion is shed and his truth is revealed, the town’s perception of him changes for the worse, such that he will not be able to remain there. Swift’s true nature is only seen by Abigail, Charlies, and Jackaby, so while they are aware of his illusion, others, including Marlowe, still perceive him to be honorable, at least for now. Later, even after Jackaby kills him, his murderous self will remain hidden from most, and he will be buried as a hero.
