Jack the Ripper: The bloody truth

by Melvin Harris

Jack the The Bloody Truth

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1987

Reviews

[Eva Müller · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I'm not in the intended target-demographic of this book...I also have no idea what the intended target-demographic for this book is supposed to be. The blurb and the title both suggest that the author has his own theory about who was Jack the Ripper but if he has one I didn't get far enough. In the half I read he only debunked various Ripper-theories...and by 'various' I mean only the really stupid ones that anybody with just half a brain would recognize as idiotic without pages and pages of explanation why they are impossible. I gave up when he was about to spend the second chapter on a 'theory' that was debunked as hoax more or less the moment it first appeared in print and contained glaring inaccuracies like claiming there were almost 20 Ripper-victims.

I have no clue whom this books wants to address. If you just know some basic facts about the Ripper-case you don't need this author to tell you how wrong these theories are and if you're convinced it is some major conspiracy involving Rasputin or think there was some kind of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde-thing going on with a high-ranking doctor you've already got your hands on your ears singing 'lala I can't hear you and your boring facts' anyway so...who would want to read this?

There might be some sort of curiosity-value if you're into that but for a 'look at all these crazy theories'-book the auther takes them (and himself) far too seriously.

[John Peaseland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a badly written book, but the author appears to select at random, theories that are manifestly ridiculous to anybody who has read anything about Jack the Ripper. Ripperolgy is a massive subject and this book is tantamount to a nineteenth century explorer putting a pin in a map of Africa and declaring the source of the Nile without travelling there.