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Yorkshire Ripper - The Secret Murders: The True Story of Serial Killer Peter Sutcliffe's Reign of Terror
In 1981, Peter Sutcliffe, the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’, was convicted of thirteen murders and seven attempted murders. All his proven victims were women: most were prostitutes.
Astonishingly, however, this is not the whole truth. There is a still-secret story of how Sutcliffe’s terrible reign of terror claimed at least twenty-two more lives and left five other victims with terrible injuries. These crimes – attacks on men as well as women – took place all over England, not just in his known killing fields of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Police and prosecution authorities have long known that Sutcliffe’s reign of terror was far longer and far more widespread than the public has been led to believe. But the evidence has been locked away in the files and archives, ensuring that these murders and attempted murders remain unsolved today.
As a result, the families of at least twenty-two murdered women have been cheated of their right to know how and why their loved ones died: the pain of living with that may diminish over time, but it never fades away completely. Five other victims survived his attacks: their plight, too, has never been officially acknowledged.
Worse still, police blunders and subsequent suppression of evidence ensured that three entirely innocent men were imprisoned for murders committed by the Yorkshire Ripper. They each lost the best parts of their adult lives, locked up and forgotten in stinking cells for more than two decades.
This book, by a former police Intelligence Officer, is the story not just of those long-cold killings, of the forgotten families and of three terrible miscarriages of justice. It also uncovers Peter Sutcliffe’s real motive for murder – and reveals how he manipulated police, prosecutors and psychiatrists to ensure that he serves his sentence in the comfort of a psychiatric hospital rather than a prison cell.
Astonishingly, however, this is not the whole truth. There is a still-secret story of how Sutcliffe’s terrible reign of terror claimed at least twenty-two more lives and left five other victims with terrible injuries. These crimes – attacks on men as well as women – took place all over England, not just in his known killing fields of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Police and prosecution authorities have long known that Sutcliffe’s reign of terror was far longer and far more widespread than the public has been led to believe. But the evidence has been locked away in the files and archives, ensuring that these murders and attempted murders remain unsolved today.
As a result, the families of at least twenty-two murdered women have been cheated of their right to know how and why their loved ones died: the pain of living with that may diminish over time, but it never fades away completely. Five other victims survived his attacks: their plight, too, has never been officially acknowledged.
Worse still, police blunders and subsequent suppression of evidence ensured that three entirely innocent men were imprisoned for murders committed by the Yorkshire Ripper. They each lost the best parts of their adult lives, locked up and forgotten in stinking cells for more than two decades.
This book, by a former police Intelligence Officer, is the story not just of those long-cold killings, of the forgotten families and of three terrible miscarriages of justice. It also uncovers Peter Sutcliffe’s real motive for murder – and reveals how he manipulated police, prosecutors and psychiatrists to ensure that he serves his sentence in the comfort of a psychiatric hospital rather than a prison cell.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
January 31, 2024
This true crime book focussed on the failed police investigation of the Yorkshire Ripper crime spree. Unfortunately the task unit came to the wrong conclusions early on, which meant that the killer was let go despite multiple interviews and concerning instances, all because he did not match the profile. To make matters worse, the dedicated headquarters team were stubborn even in the face of logic, reason, evidence, and most importanly survivor witness statements. The photo identi-kits were so similar, if only they would shelve their petty egos and stop trying to save their own jobs…
Obviously, it is easy/unfair to solely look backwards after the killer has been caught. There were so many suspects that looked promising, so how to tell apart the real from the fake? But even still, the sheer volume of f**k ups were unfathomable.
Basically, the killer killed some prostitutes in a relatively small area. So the police decide that he ONLY kills prostitutes and that his motive must be HATRED OF PROSTITUTES. And then the killings stop. So what is the killer doing? Killing non-prostitutes. Death after death, attack after attack, those cases get sidelined. Which means open season for the killer. The police also fell for two hoaxes: one telephone recording, multiple letters. The killer was ruled out several times because he had the wrong handwriting, or accent even though the survivors kept saying that’s not his accent, it’s not him.
So as you can no doubt gather, it is a frustrating read. You keep thinking they can’t bungle it any more and then you start wondering what will they bungle next.
It’s all good and well that the case itself was interesting, but how about the writing and structure of the book? Did the case carry the story?
No, I don’t think so. It was mosty well written. Each chapter had a theme which worked well. I suspect there was some over-reaching at points. There were many references to, “Peter Sutcliffe killed x, y, z” written as fact, when they hadn’t been proven in court or charged with the cases. But other times they fall back on, “Peter Sutcliffe most likely killed…”.
I only had one beef. The coverage of whether the killer was an ‘organised’ or ‘disorganised’ killer. I think the profiling is one of the most fascinating aspects of true crime, so I was disappointed when the authors quoted, “…would clearly have placed him in the organised killer category.” With no explanation or justification provided. The preceding paragraphs explained the differences and then bang, so duh, he’s ‘organised’. The problem is, he seemed very ‘disorganised’ to me. I even made a list and ticked the attributes accordingly. I accept that the killer had a lot of the telltale traits. But the first trait, to me, is the most important one, therefore if you don’t have that one, then the rest aren’t really relevant. For example, an ‘organised’ killer plans each murder whereas the ‘disorganised’ killer is opportunistic. I get that he planned TO murder, and roughly WHERE or HOW to hunt for victims. And bringing weapons and designing a coat to quickly expose his junk. They are all ‘organised’ traits. But, he chose unaccompanied women, many were prostitutes, many weren’t. For the prostitutes they would often tell him where to park nearby (where they take customers), so half the time he attacks them and is almost immediately disturbed by people nearby and has to flee the scene. And the non-prostitutes are usually women walking home from the bus stop just a short distance from home where he quickly catches up to them in the car, whacks them, and somehow drags them behind a hedge etc. To me, that is opportunistic. He relies on the potential victim being alone, goes where they say to instead of to his scoped out sites. I may be wrong, but what I would have appreciated was some justification for the statement that he was clearly ‘organised’. Dear authors, if you are reading this, please add this to the next revised version.
5 stars for the case, 4 stars for the writing, a couple of stars deducted for the beef.
Obviously, it is easy/unfair to solely look backwards after the killer has been caught. There were so many suspects that looked promising, so how to tell apart the real from the fake? But even still, the sheer volume of f**k ups were unfathomable.
Basically, the killer killed some prostitutes in a relatively small area. So the police decide that he ONLY kills prostitutes and that his motive must be HATRED OF PROSTITUTES. And then the killings stop. So what is the killer doing? Killing non-prostitutes. Death after death, attack after attack, those cases get sidelined. Which means open season for the killer. The police also fell for two hoaxes: one telephone recording, multiple letters. The killer was ruled out several times because he had the wrong handwriting, or accent even though the survivors kept saying that’s not his accent, it’s not him.
So as you can no doubt gather, it is a frustrating read. You keep thinking they can’t bungle it any more and then you start wondering what will they bungle next.
It’s all good and well that the case itself was interesting, but how about the writing and structure of the book? Did the case carry the story?
No, I don’t think so. It was mosty well written. Each chapter had a theme which worked well. I suspect there was some over-reaching at points. There were many references to, “Peter Sutcliffe killed x, y, z” written as fact, when they hadn’t been proven in court or charged with the cases. But other times they fall back on, “Peter Sutcliffe most likely killed…”.
I only had one beef. The coverage of whether the killer was an ‘organised’ or ‘disorganised’ killer. I think the profiling is one of the most fascinating aspects of true crime, so I was disappointed when the authors quoted, “…would clearly have placed him in the organised killer category.” With no explanation or justification provided. The preceding paragraphs explained the differences and then bang, so duh, he’s ‘organised’. The problem is, he seemed very ‘disorganised’ to me. I even made a list and ticked the attributes accordingly. I accept that the killer had a lot of the telltale traits. But the first trait, to me, is the most important one, therefore if you don’t have that one, then the rest aren’t really relevant. For example, an ‘organised’ killer plans each murder whereas the ‘disorganised’ killer is opportunistic. I get that he planned TO murder, and roughly WHERE or HOW to hunt for victims. And bringing weapons and designing a coat to quickly expose his junk. They are all ‘organised’ traits. But, he chose unaccompanied women, many were prostitutes, many weren’t. For the prostitutes they would often tell him where to park nearby (where they take customers), so half the time he attacks them and is almost immediately disturbed by people nearby and has to flee the scene. And the non-prostitutes are usually women walking home from the bus stop just a short distance from home where he quickly catches up to them in the car, whacks them, and somehow drags them behind a hedge etc. To me, that is opportunistic. He relies on the potential victim being alone, goes where they say to instead of to his scoped out sites. I may be wrong, but what I would have appreciated was some justification for the statement that he was clearly ‘organised’. Dear authors, if you are reading this, please add this to the next revised version.
5 stars for the case, 4 stars for the writing, a couple of stars deducted for the beef.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2021
Tim Tate, a journalist, and Chris Clark, a former police officer, have done a remarkably in-depth study of Peter Sutcliffe's other crimes(the ones that he was not charged with) and in this most readable of books it is difficult to fathom out why the police investigators at the time did not come up with all the facts that the two authors have now brought before the public. Perhaps it is not quite true to use the words 'come up with' for some of the evidence now brought forth was discovered at the time and was for some unaccountable reason chosen to be ignored. If acted upon, as the authors quite clearly state on numerous occasions, a number of lives could possibly have been saved.
In appendices at the back of the book the authors list the suspected attacks and killings and the confirmed attacks and killings and there were 30 of the former and 20 of the latter, From the evidence presented in the book, they could, arguably, all have been listed under one heading, 'confirmed'. How the various district police forces did not link them together is perhaps not too difficult to understand because at the time there was no cross-checking of crimes in other districts. But the modus operandi of the killings in them all would seem to point to Sutcliffe.
And as for Sutcliffe, the feeling from this book is that he is no more mad than the man in the moon. He was, throughout his trial and thereafter in prison, manipulative, crafty, cunning, call it what you will, but he did not seem to be mad; he seemed to have been completely aware of exactly what he was doing and there did seem to be a sexual motive to all the killings. How professional people fell for his convincing them that he was insane is beyond belief especially as his defence only came up with that theory much later in the trial. Having said that it is with hindsight that one can perhaps work out that he was masquerading as insane. Of course, it does make life easier for him in prison for he is safely tucked up in Broadmoor instead of spending time in a less comfortable jail.
In addition to his atrocities, there were three innocent men sent to prison for lengthy spells of over 20 years after they had been convicted of murders that were later attributed, and admitted, by Sutcliffe. Once again it would seem that police blunders led to these miscarriages of justice.
The book is a compelling read, albeit a sad one to discover that the police force that we so rely on can be misled so seemingly easily; when one considers that Sutcliffe himself was interviewed nine times before his 'accidental' (the authors' description) arrest, that speaks for itself. One hopes that the lessons learned from this tragic case are now firmly in place to investigate and deal with future such incidents.
In appendices at the back of the book the authors list the suspected attacks and killings and the confirmed attacks and killings and there were 30 of the former and 20 of the latter, From the evidence presented in the book, they could, arguably, all have been listed under one heading, 'confirmed'. How the various district police forces did not link them together is perhaps not too difficult to understand because at the time there was no cross-checking of crimes in other districts. But the modus operandi of the killings in them all would seem to point to Sutcliffe.
And as for Sutcliffe, the feeling from this book is that he is no more mad than the man in the moon. He was, throughout his trial and thereafter in prison, manipulative, crafty, cunning, call it what you will, but he did not seem to be mad; he seemed to have been completely aware of exactly what he was doing and there did seem to be a sexual motive to all the killings. How professional people fell for his convincing them that he was insane is beyond belief especially as his defence only came up with that theory much later in the trial. Having said that it is with hindsight that one can perhaps work out that he was masquerading as insane. Of course, it does make life easier for him in prison for he is safely tucked up in Broadmoor instead of spending time in a less comfortable jail.
In addition to his atrocities, there were three innocent men sent to prison for lengthy spells of over 20 years after they had been convicted of murders that were later attributed, and admitted, by Sutcliffe. Once again it would seem that police blunders led to these miscarriages of justice.
The book is a compelling read, albeit a sad one to discover that the police force that we so rely on can be misled so seemingly easily; when one considers that Sutcliffe himself was interviewed nine times before his 'accidental' (the authors' description) arrest, that speaks for itself. One hopes that the lessons learned from this tragic case are now firmly in place to investigate and deal with future such incidents.
December 5, 2015
A shocking account of the bungled police manhunt for the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1970s, and the attempt to cover up the true extent of his vile activities, which the authors believe began in the mid-1960s and included many more victims than the official tally. They argue that senior police figures do not want the full story to come out because that would further highlight how disastrous their investigation had been.
It is a sorry tale. Faults in the investigation included: police insistence that Peter Sutcliffe was only targeting prostitutes, not 'innocent' women; failure to coordinate intelligence among police forces nationwide (so that Sutcliffe could operate everywhere from London to Essex to Derbyshire, without ever being suspected); repeatedly excluding victims who showed all the hallmark's of Sutcliffe's MO (hammered from behind etc) from their Ripper investigation; interviewing him nine times and believing his lies; when two detectives did suspect him and wanted him brought in for questioning they were overruled; insisting that the Ripper was a Geordie following the 'I'm Jack' tape, despite a victim who survived stating emphatically that was a Yorkshireman; failing to act on information from Sutcliffe's best mate, who fingered him for the crimes; discounting many accurate descriptions of him.
The authors make a decent case that Sutcliffe was in the vicinity for many unsolved murders of the 1960s and 1970s, something which elements in the police establishment want hushed up. Hence the case files being kept secret for 65 years.
Thank goodness a police sergeant and a rookie stopped Sutcliffe in a routine check, otherwise he would probably have carried on for many more years.
It is a sorry tale. Faults in the investigation included: police insistence that Peter Sutcliffe was only targeting prostitutes, not 'innocent' women; failure to coordinate intelligence among police forces nationwide (so that Sutcliffe could operate everywhere from London to Essex to Derbyshire, without ever being suspected); repeatedly excluding victims who showed all the hallmark's of Sutcliffe's MO (hammered from behind etc) from their Ripper investigation; interviewing him nine times and believing his lies; when two detectives did suspect him and wanted him brought in for questioning they were overruled; insisting that the Ripper was a Geordie following the 'I'm Jack' tape, despite a victim who survived stating emphatically that was a Yorkshireman; failing to act on information from Sutcliffe's best mate, who fingered him for the crimes; discounting many accurate descriptions of him.
The authors make a decent case that Sutcliffe was in the vicinity for many unsolved murders of the 1960s and 1970s, something which elements in the police establishment want hushed up. Hence the case files being kept secret for 65 years.
Thank goodness a police sergeant and a rookie stopped Sutcliffe in a routine check, otherwise he would probably have carried on for many more years.
January 17, 2019
I've read pretty much everything about the Yorkshire Ripper. Most of the books were written shortly after the conclusion of the trial and for me by far the best book is Wicked Beyond Belief by Michael Bilton.
All of the earlier books concentrate on the known Ripper victims and the ones he was prosecuted for.
This, however, whilst covering the known victims, concentrates on 22 other crimes with remarkable similarities in modus operandi to the 13 women known to have been murdered by Peter Sutcliffe. Of the 22 cases investigated by the authors 3 of them were 'solved' by detectives, men sent to prison for many years, and then their convictions quashed because it became apparent that the convictions were unsafe.
This is a meticulously researched book and the authors deserve enormous credit for their diligence and hard work.
Of the 22 cases investigated, I'm convinced that Sutcliffe was guilty of the majority of them, though not all.
What does come to light is the staggering incompetence of the high-ranking investigating officers. Even Inspector Clouseau would have solved this case long before the buffoons in charge at West Yorkshire police.
All of the earlier books concentrate on the known Ripper victims and the ones he was prosecuted for.
This, however, whilst covering the known victims, concentrates on 22 other crimes with remarkable similarities in modus operandi to the 13 women known to have been murdered by Peter Sutcliffe. Of the 22 cases investigated by the authors 3 of them were 'solved' by detectives, men sent to prison for many years, and then their convictions quashed because it became apparent that the convictions were unsafe.
This is a meticulously researched book and the authors deserve enormous credit for their diligence and hard work.
Of the 22 cases investigated, I'm convinced that Sutcliffe was guilty of the majority of them, though not all.
What does come to light is the staggering incompetence of the high-ranking investigating officers. Even Inspector Clouseau would have solved this case long before the buffoons in charge at West Yorkshire police.
July 13, 2015
I remember following the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper at the time but I had completely forgotten what a fiasco his trial turned out to be with the prosecution doing a neat job of trying to prove the defence's case for them until the judge put a stop to it. It is down to the jury to decide whether a defendant is mad or bad.
Reading this book, written by a retired policeman makes you realise how many things went wrong with the investigation and why it was necessary to have enquiries into what went wrong. The main problems were the huge amount of information the investigation amassed and the way some senior officers stuck to their theories, discarding evidence which didn't fit and thus allowing Sutcliffe to continue his killing spree.
One of the main things which went wrong with the investigation was that senior officers were convinced he only killed prostitutes when it was plain to see that unless there were two dark and bearded men going around attacking women with a hammer that he simply attacked women on their own. So many women provided identical descriptions of their attacker including his accent and yet the investigation was convinced that the now infamous letters and tapes were the Ripper himself and the man they were looking for therefore had a Geordie accent.
I think the thing which annoyed me most while reading this book was the report filed by two police officers who interviewed Sutcliffe some time before he was arrested and who were convinced he was the man they were looking for were ignored completely. The report which they filed has since disappeared from the records. Why did no one listen to them or even consider conducting a more thorough interview with Sutcliffe under caution? Even if it was only done to eliminate him from the investigation? It seemed to me, reading this book, that the police were reluctant to formally interview anyone.
I hadn't realised until I read this book that there were a few cases where other people were convicted and served long prison sentences for murders which were almost certainly committed by Sutcliffe.
Why wasn't major evidence used at the trial? Why have the reports into what went wrong been hidden from the public? Why don't police forces around the country want their unsolved and potential Ripper murders investigated? So many unanswered questions remain about this case including why Sutcliffe was transferred from an ordinary prison to Broadmoor even though the jury at his trial ruled he is bad not mad?
This is a fascinating book which made me angry reading it. Any knowledgeable crime fiction fan would have done a better job than the original investigation did. Fortunately some lessons have been learned by the police and now information is shared between forces which helps to ensure that criminals who cover large areas are more likely to be caught. Crime doesn't stick to force boundaries and really the police have taken a long time to learn this lesson. Fortunately serial killers are rare in this country but can we rely on any future cases being investigated in an open minded and thorough way? Let's hope so.
Reading this book, written by a retired policeman makes you realise how many things went wrong with the investigation and why it was necessary to have enquiries into what went wrong. The main problems were the huge amount of information the investigation amassed and the way some senior officers stuck to their theories, discarding evidence which didn't fit and thus allowing Sutcliffe to continue his killing spree.
One of the main things which went wrong with the investigation was that senior officers were convinced he only killed prostitutes when it was plain to see that unless there were two dark and bearded men going around attacking women with a hammer that he simply attacked women on their own. So many women provided identical descriptions of their attacker including his accent and yet the investigation was convinced that the now infamous letters and tapes were the Ripper himself and the man they were looking for therefore had a Geordie accent.
I think the thing which annoyed me most while reading this book was the report filed by two police officers who interviewed Sutcliffe some time before he was arrested and who were convinced he was the man they were looking for were ignored completely. The report which they filed has since disappeared from the records. Why did no one listen to them or even consider conducting a more thorough interview with Sutcliffe under caution? Even if it was only done to eliminate him from the investigation? It seemed to me, reading this book, that the police were reluctant to formally interview anyone.
I hadn't realised until I read this book that there were a few cases where other people were convicted and served long prison sentences for murders which were almost certainly committed by Sutcliffe.
Why wasn't major evidence used at the trial? Why have the reports into what went wrong been hidden from the public? Why don't police forces around the country want their unsolved and potential Ripper murders investigated? So many unanswered questions remain about this case including why Sutcliffe was transferred from an ordinary prison to Broadmoor even though the jury at his trial ruled he is bad not mad?
This is a fascinating book which made me angry reading it. Any knowledgeable crime fiction fan would have done a better job than the original investigation did. Fortunately some lessons have been learned by the police and now information is shared between forces which helps to ensure that criminals who cover large areas are more likely to be caught. Crime doesn't stick to force boundaries and really the police have taken a long time to learn this lesson. Fortunately serial killers are rare in this country but can we rely on any future cases being investigated in an open minded and thorough way? Let's hope so.
April 3, 2016
An excellent read on a truly sickening story. Twenty-five of them, in fact -- the stories of the victims of the Yorkshire Ripper who were never connected to him publicly, and the stories of the men who went to prison for life for crimes obviously committed by the Ripper. Don't miss this one if you enjoyed The Mayerling murder or The Red Parts. Also highly recommended if you are interested in forensic psychiatry, cold-case investigation, or geographic profiling. FINALLY, an author who knows the difference between "lie" and "lay."
December 21, 2021
Overall: 3 stars.
An interesting look at the Sutcliffe murders as well as those the author suspects could be as well based on his research. I didn’t know much about the Yorkshire Ripper going into this book, so it was a worthwhile listen for that reason alone for me. However, the author repeated several ideas and phrases multiple, multiple times (if I had a nickel for every time I heard the phrase “national database” I’d have at least a couple bucks): he seemed obsessed with communicating his theory that if the original investigators had only more thoroughly checked their records of witness descriptions and Sutcliffe’s past arrest history, the case would have been solved. Eh, maybe, maybe not. I also found some of his proposed victims likely but others seemed like a bit of a stretch: the reality is we will never know.
The author’s insistence that these other crimes that can likely be attributed to Sutcliffe could be proven if only the police would thoroughly investigate them now....I find this an unlikely event. There’s probably just not enough evidence remaining, especially since these crimes were committed before the importance of DNA was realized in forensics. I also disagree with his argument that the fact that Sutcliffe hasn’t gone to trial for these additional crimes is part of a larger police cover-up: that smacks too much of conspiracy theory to me. It’s likely not malice or some government masterminding going on: rather just simple incompetence or lack of budget or apathy or fatigue or any other number of explanations.
Nevertheless, although I don’t agree with the entirety of the author’s argument, I find it an interesting one to make and applaud the effort to attempt to solve these cold cases.
An interesting look at the Sutcliffe murders as well as those the author suspects could be as well based on his research. I didn’t know much about the Yorkshire Ripper going into this book, so it was a worthwhile listen for that reason alone for me. However, the author repeated several ideas and phrases multiple, multiple times (if I had a nickel for every time I heard the phrase “national database” I’d have at least a couple bucks): he seemed obsessed with communicating his theory that if the original investigators had only more thoroughly checked their records of witness descriptions and Sutcliffe’s past arrest history, the case would have been solved. Eh, maybe, maybe not. I also found some of his proposed victims likely but others seemed like a bit of a stretch: the reality is we will never know.
The author’s insistence that these other crimes that can likely be attributed to Sutcliffe could be proven if only the police would thoroughly investigate them now....I find this an unlikely event. There’s probably just not enough evidence remaining, especially since these crimes were committed before the importance of DNA was realized in forensics. I also disagree with his argument that the fact that Sutcliffe hasn’t gone to trial for these additional crimes is part of a larger police cover-up: that smacks too much of conspiracy theory to me. It’s likely not malice or some government masterminding going on: rather just simple incompetence or lack of budget or apathy or fatigue or any other number of explanations.
Nevertheless, although I don’t agree with the entirety of the author’s argument, I find it an interesting one to make and applaud the effort to attempt to solve these cold cases.
December 29, 2022
There's something particularly creepy about books about real life serial killers that take place in the town you live in. when all the places the bodies are found are ones you've walked by regularly...
Luckily I was not only a baby at the time the Yorkshire Ripper was active, but I wasn't living in Leeds yet either, or any of the other places he'd left his trail of bodies.
I'm hoping that will help me get to sleep tonight. That and the fact that he died a couple of years ago.
Hopefully...
(Yes, very interesting and detailed book. I wouldn't be worrying about my incipient insomnia otherwise!)
Luckily I was not only a baby at the time the Yorkshire Ripper was active, but I wasn't living in Leeds yet either, or any of the other places he'd left his trail of bodies.
I'm hoping that will help me get to sleep tonight. That and the fact that he died a couple of years ago.
Hopefully...
(Yes, very interesting and detailed book. I wouldn't be worrying about my incipient insomnia otherwise!)
Read
January 11, 2021Read for an essay.
November 17, 2021
An interesting read, well written and researched - a man at the height of his killing while I was being born, this is the British Ted Bundy. he just didn't really stop at any section of society in the same way: Bundy was interested in a certain type of girl, that being college attending, brown haired and slim. Sutcliffe really did see any woman as fair game. And he had more killings over a longer period of time, a larger force chasing him, and as much paperwork involved as the Stasi had in Berlin when the wall fell! *possible exaggeration perhaps, not sure the Stasi had anywhere as much paperwork to chase round as the Yorkshire police!
An interesting concept of the injustice of society - justice for some, not for others. And that's not completely fair, some victims got their closure, others never had the answers to their questions: but the man was found guilty & given life. And probably because they didn't want a Martyr (the attacks in prison were extreme and often, apparently), this evil man was transferred to the asylum to join the criminally insane. Not sure how good their company was for those near-40 years... He died in 2020. A small byline on the news, that's it. Not the famous Bundy and the televised end he had, massive publicity and interviews. I'm pretty sure I'd rather an evil man left this world quietly than with a fanfare!
An interesting concept of the injustice of society - justice for some, not for others. And that's not completely fair, some victims got their closure, others never had the answers to their questions: but the man was found guilty & given life. And probably because they didn't want a Martyr (the attacks in prison were extreme and often, apparently), this evil man was transferred to the asylum to join the criminally insane. Not sure how good their company was for those near-40 years... He died in 2020. A small byline on the news, that's it. Not the famous Bundy and the televised end he had, massive publicity and interviews. I'm pretty sure I'd rather an evil man left this world quietly than with a fanfare!
July 22, 2024
The title of this book on Goodreads has (Kindle Edition) attached at the end of the title and long sub title, but the one without that, only has two ratings, so either everyone who has read and rated this book has read it on Kindle, which I doubt, or like me, hadn't noticed that particular stipulation (I only noticed it when coming to write my review, and the full title became apparent) attached to the end of the title. Given all that, I'd like to point out, that I read this book in paperback form, NOT on Kindle, but given that nobody evidently looks at the other version on Goodreads, I'll stick to reviewing this one. I hope this is clear.
This book on The Yorkshire Ripper, Peter William Sutcliffe, was excellent. It was thoroughly researched and meticulous in detail, without being gratuitously graphic on the injuries inflicted on the women and men who were unwittingly pulled into the depraved world of this particular monster. There still were horrifically detailed accounts of the victims injuries and Sutcliffe's methods of killing and torturing, but unlike Howard Sounes's book on Fred and Rose West, 'Fred & Rose', it wasn't overly reliant on an almost pornographic attention to that kind of detail.
The Secret Murders struck an almost perfect balance between facts about Sutcliffe I already knew, and giving me the scoop on many details of which I had previously been totally ignorant.
For example, I was aware of the main accusation levelled against the police hunt for the ripper, namely that it was completely and utterly botched from start to finish and the police being so exasperatingly incompetent, that when Sutcliffe was finally caught, it was purely by the dint of an accident, rather than any inspired detective work. I’m sad to say, that Columbo, after reading this book would indeed, be spinning in his grave!
This however, was hardly surprising, given the prevailing and frighteningly shocking attitudes towards sex workers and women in general, which were shown here to have actually been much, much worse than I had previously thought! A feat I'd have guessed, was nigh on impossible.
As well as institutionalized misogyny and rampant sexism, institutionalized racism also reared its ugly head, where, because one victim was a person of colour and attacked in a predominantly black area, they were unbelievably dismissed out of hand as a ripper victim, despite the evidence pointing to many signatures of Sutcliffe’s modus operandi (MO). Admittedly, serial killers rarely cross racial lines, but it’s not unheard of and again the incompetence shown by West Yorkshire Police was at a level that was almost as pathological as the perpetrator himself!
It is common knowledge, that the police and press described non sex working victims of Sutcliffe as 'innocent', implying that the victims that were actual sex workers, somehow 'had it coming'!? With this all too prevalent and depressing attitude and it’s mind boggling misogyny being what it is, it was nonetheless generally known. What I didn't know however, was just how ingrained the grossly mistaken conviction of the police was, and where all the evidence pointed in the opposite direction, that Sutcliffe only targeted sex workers and that he only targeted in a limited geographical area, in and around Yorkshire and Lancashire. Completely ignoring any murders or attempted murders, that, although fitting many of the signatures of Sutcliffe's MO, just didn't meet with the investigations limited and fatally inaccurate parameters, and if this book is to be believed, which I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t, there were many, many more victims, other than the official headcount. Geographically stretching all the way down to London and going as far back in time as 1966. Leaving many of the victims and their families of Peter Sutcliffe, till this day, completely in the dark, officially without both closure and justice.
I also knew, that Sutcliffe had been picked up and questioned an astonishing nine times by West Yorkshire Police in connection with the ripper murders, prior to his actual arrest. Unfortunately due to flabbergasting police inefficiency, and a totally bungled investigation, where there was absolutely no cooperation between the different regional forces and Sutcliffe's previous records, he’d been cautioned in the past for assaulting a sex worker, by ’hitting her over the head’ with ’stones in a sock’ and coming prepared for a robbery, notably with a ’hammer’ (he’d actually been stalking a victim), were never checked, because the central data base was either non existent or at best a complete shambles, where good leads were just never followed up and/or just completely ignored. Inevitably however, he was released back into the community and remained very much at large to commit his henious crimes.
What I was completely unaware of nonetheless, was that Peter Sutcliffe had murdered and attempted to murder two males, one of which was more than likely his first killing. Committed during a robbery, and given its location in Bingley, not far from the predators family home at the time and the cruel manner in which Fred Craven was murdered, and again, it had many of the signatures that would become the all too familiar hallmarks of Sutcliffe slayings, it was more than likely the beast’s first taste for killing. This of course, makes total sense, as killers of this type, usually start off by honing their murderous skills and perfecting their sick MO through trial and error.
The astoundingly amateur working practices, shown here by the police, in not only failing to join up the dots that surrounded Peter Sutcliffe’s life, with his past criminal records and proximity to known murders, that blared out like a screaming klaxon, with bright red flashing warning lights, was simply breathtaking and in particular, when they received the hoax tape of the voice of the alleged ripper, where they egregiously shut down all enquiries other than looking for someone with a Geordie accent!
Unbelievably poor police and detective work? Or was there more to it and it was a deliberate misdirection? George Oldfield certainly thought so, during the investigation, he eventually commissioned Dick Holland to covertly investigate whether the ‘Geordie’ tape had been made and sent by fellow officers on the ripper team, in an effort to bring Oldfield down!
Police incompetence or police corruption or even both? Whatever the actual verdict, the choice for the victims and their families and the tax paying public is bleak and this book certainly ends up asking more questions than it answers.
Something I most certainly didn’t know however, was that police files on Peter Sutcliffe and The Yorkshire Ripper investigation and the two subsequent inquiries into its mishandling, have been locked away, never to be opened to the public till 2081.
This astounding level of secrecy is allegedly and officially because, so that the feelings of Sutcliffe himself aren't hurt, so it's against the public interest, which is obviously an unbelievable crock of poo, for no other reason now, than the fact he's dead!
Then there's the sanitized theory of both the authors of this book, that it's because the facts in the files point to many, many more victims of Sutcliffe, which for some unknown 'against the public interest ' type reason, will never be reopened and investigated.
Both of these reasons are plainly nonsense. Given the unusually severe amount of secrecy involved, I'm afraid that I’m just not buying it!
Here's my theory, and bear with me, Peter Sutcliffe was killing to order/suppling victims to order for Jimmy Savile and elite clients.
Don’t ask me the how’s and the why’s, I simply just wouldn’t know, it’s way, way too murky and complicated, but everything is that involves connections between Savile and his strange unfettered friendships and access with and to the upper echelons of the establishment.
Outlandish I know, but is it any more outlandish and far fetched than the fact that Savile was given the keys to Broadmoor in 1988 with a formal role in its management and unrestricted access?
Several of Sutcliffe’s victims were discovered near Savile's home at the time and he was also brought in and questioned a few times, police going as far as to take casts of his teeth. Savile would also later go on to describe Peter William Sutcliffe as "a mate".
And all of that’s even before you take into account what it says in this book, about the fact that despite the jury in Sutcliffe’s trial and a successive appeals court ruling, that the predator was indeed sane at the time of his murderous rampage and therefore should remain in a prison, and was then subsequently STILL moved to Broadmoor mental hospital, under the close eye and tutelage of his ’mate’, Jimmy Savile!
It’s most certainly something to think about.
This book on The Yorkshire Ripper, Peter William Sutcliffe, was excellent. It was thoroughly researched and meticulous in detail, without being gratuitously graphic on the injuries inflicted on the women and men who were unwittingly pulled into the depraved world of this particular monster. There still were horrifically detailed accounts of the victims injuries and Sutcliffe's methods of killing and torturing, but unlike Howard Sounes's book on Fred and Rose West, 'Fred & Rose', it wasn't overly reliant on an almost pornographic attention to that kind of detail.
The Secret Murders struck an almost perfect balance between facts about Sutcliffe I already knew, and giving me the scoop on many details of which I had previously been totally ignorant.
For example, I was aware of the main accusation levelled against the police hunt for the ripper, namely that it was completely and utterly botched from start to finish and the police being so exasperatingly incompetent, that when Sutcliffe was finally caught, it was purely by the dint of an accident, rather than any inspired detective work. I’m sad to say, that Columbo, after reading this book would indeed, be spinning in his grave!
This however, was hardly surprising, given the prevailing and frighteningly shocking attitudes towards sex workers and women in general, which were shown here to have actually been much, much worse than I had previously thought! A feat I'd have guessed, was nigh on impossible.
As well as institutionalized misogyny and rampant sexism, institutionalized racism also reared its ugly head, where, because one victim was a person of colour and attacked in a predominantly black area, they were unbelievably dismissed out of hand as a ripper victim, despite the evidence pointing to many signatures of Sutcliffe’s modus operandi (MO). Admittedly, serial killers rarely cross racial lines, but it’s not unheard of and again the incompetence shown by West Yorkshire Police was at a level that was almost as pathological as the perpetrator himself!
It is common knowledge, that the police and press described non sex working victims of Sutcliffe as 'innocent', implying that the victims that were actual sex workers, somehow 'had it coming'!? With this all too prevalent and depressing attitude and it’s mind boggling misogyny being what it is, it was nonetheless generally known. What I didn't know however, was just how ingrained the grossly mistaken conviction of the police was, and where all the evidence pointed in the opposite direction, that Sutcliffe only targeted sex workers and that he only targeted in a limited geographical area, in and around Yorkshire and Lancashire. Completely ignoring any murders or attempted murders, that, although fitting many of the signatures of Sutcliffe's MO, just didn't meet with the investigations limited and fatally inaccurate parameters, and if this book is to be believed, which I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t, there were many, many more victims, other than the official headcount. Geographically stretching all the way down to London and going as far back in time as 1966. Leaving many of the victims and their families of Peter Sutcliffe, till this day, completely in the dark, officially without both closure and justice.
I also knew, that Sutcliffe had been picked up and questioned an astonishing nine times by West Yorkshire Police in connection with the ripper murders, prior to his actual arrest. Unfortunately due to flabbergasting police inefficiency, and a totally bungled investigation, where there was absolutely no cooperation between the different regional forces and Sutcliffe's previous records, he’d been cautioned in the past for assaulting a sex worker, by ’hitting her over the head’ with ’stones in a sock’ and coming prepared for a robbery, notably with a ’hammer’ (he’d actually been stalking a victim), were never checked, because the central data base was either non existent or at best a complete shambles, where good leads were just never followed up and/or just completely ignored. Inevitably however, he was released back into the community and remained very much at large to commit his henious crimes.
What I was completely unaware of nonetheless, was that Peter Sutcliffe had murdered and attempted to murder two males, one of which was more than likely his first killing. Committed during a robbery, and given its location in Bingley, not far from the predators family home at the time and the cruel manner in which Fred Craven was murdered, and again, it had many of the signatures that would become the all too familiar hallmarks of Sutcliffe slayings, it was more than likely the beast’s first taste for killing. This of course, makes total sense, as killers of this type, usually start off by honing their murderous skills and perfecting their sick MO through trial and error.
The astoundingly amateur working practices, shown here by the police, in not only failing to join up the dots that surrounded Peter Sutcliffe’s life, with his past criminal records and proximity to known murders, that blared out like a screaming klaxon, with bright red flashing warning lights, was simply breathtaking and in particular, when they received the hoax tape of the voice of the alleged ripper, where they egregiously shut down all enquiries other than looking for someone with a Geordie accent!
Unbelievably poor police and detective work? Or was there more to it and it was a deliberate misdirection? George Oldfield certainly thought so, during the investigation, he eventually commissioned Dick Holland to covertly investigate whether the ‘Geordie’ tape had been made and sent by fellow officers on the ripper team, in an effort to bring Oldfield down!
Police incompetence or police corruption or even both? Whatever the actual verdict, the choice for the victims and their families and the tax paying public is bleak and this book certainly ends up asking more questions than it answers.
Something I most certainly didn’t know however, was that police files on Peter Sutcliffe and The Yorkshire Ripper investigation and the two subsequent inquiries into its mishandling, have been locked away, never to be opened to the public till 2081.
This astounding level of secrecy is allegedly and officially because, so that the feelings of Sutcliffe himself aren't hurt, so it's against the public interest, which is obviously an unbelievable crock of poo, for no other reason now, than the fact he's dead!
Then there's the sanitized theory of both the authors of this book, that it's because the facts in the files point to many, many more victims of Sutcliffe, which for some unknown 'against the public interest ' type reason, will never be reopened and investigated.
Both of these reasons are plainly nonsense. Given the unusually severe amount of secrecy involved, I'm afraid that I’m just not buying it!
Here's my theory, and bear with me, Peter Sutcliffe was killing to order/suppling victims to order for Jimmy Savile and elite clients.
Don’t ask me the how’s and the why’s, I simply just wouldn’t know, it’s way, way too murky and complicated, but everything is that involves connections between Savile and his strange unfettered friendships and access with and to the upper echelons of the establishment.
Outlandish I know, but is it any more outlandish and far fetched than the fact that Savile was given the keys to Broadmoor in 1988 with a formal role in its management and unrestricted access?
Several of Sutcliffe’s victims were discovered near Savile's home at the time and he was also brought in and questioned a few times, police going as far as to take casts of his teeth. Savile would also later go on to describe Peter William Sutcliffe as "a mate".
And all of that’s even before you take into account what it says in this book, about the fact that despite the jury in Sutcliffe’s trial and a successive appeals court ruling, that the predator was indeed sane at the time of his murderous rampage and therefore should remain in a prison, and was then subsequently STILL moved to Broadmoor mental hospital, under the close eye and tutelage of his ’mate’, Jimmy Savile!
It’s most certainly something to think about.
September 12, 2021
I really enjoyed this read. I liked the layout - starting with the trial and then visiting each 'forgotten' murder in chronological order. The descriptions of the murders/scenes were not over the top - quite clinical and to the point, I imagine following autopsy notes (I'm really glad this wasn't overdone). As a warning - it does go into quite a lot of detail and is not for the fainthearted.
The main theme/underlying theme is the shambles of a police investigation which meant the ripper was not caught soon enough. It also details three wrongly convicted individuals. I found it easy to follow despite having no law enforcement background - everything was explained well.
It is truly a shocking read. The author explains really well why each of these additional incidents should be attributed to the ripper, giving insight into police analysis and frustratingly police biases and mentality only a few decades ago. Thank goodness the criminal intelligence system has now changed!
Towards the end of the book it becomes clear the main point is 'all these murders are obviously linked, the police should be trialing him'. This is repeated A LOT and does get slightly annoying, however, due to the that being the purpose of the book, and it is such an injustice, I won't dock a star off my rating for this.
The main theme/underlying theme is the shambles of a police investigation which meant the ripper was not caught soon enough. It also details three wrongly convicted individuals. I found it easy to follow despite having no law enforcement background - everything was explained well.
It is truly a shocking read. The author explains really well why each of these additional incidents should be attributed to the ripper, giving insight into police analysis and frustratingly police biases and mentality only a few decades ago. Thank goodness the criminal intelligence system has now changed!
Towards the end of the book it becomes clear the main point is 'all these murders are obviously linked, the police should be trialing him'. This is repeated A LOT and does get slightly annoying, however, due to the that being the purpose of the book, and it is such an injustice, I won't dock a star off my rating for this.
May 23, 2017
Thorough, interesting, but ultimately depressing
I've bought and read more than a few Yorkshire Ripper books, this is, by far, the most thorough collection of his crimes. I was a mere toddler when he terrorised the country, but I still recall the palpable fear when my mum was off too play darts or bingo, and we were on the other side of the Pennies, is no idea off the scope, I just knew the name, Yorkshire Ripper, and wondered why they were so afraid. My dad was a lorry driver, he was convinced so was the ripper, no idea how or why he came to this conclusion, it was probably in the Sun or Mirror. But this book expands on what you've read and heard previously, and adds more victims. Convincingly too. Only thing I can't figure out is why the cover up? West Yorkshire police lost plenty of trust and the fact that there was rivalry between forces is no longer news. Why the secrecy?
Whilst this book answers many questions, it opens up a lot more to be asked. It's not even the same government, many of those who were in power are dead. I guess the number one question in all this is WHY?
I've bought and read more than a few Yorkshire Ripper books, this is, by far, the most thorough collection of his crimes. I was a mere toddler when he terrorised the country, but I still recall the palpable fear when my mum was off too play darts or bingo, and we were on the other side of the Pennies, is no idea off the scope, I just knew the name, Yorkshire Ripper, and wondered why they were so afraid. My dad was a lorry driver, he was convinced so was the ripper, no idea how or why he came to this conclusion, it was probably in the Sun or Mirror. But this book expands on what you've read and heard previously, and adds more victims. Convincingly too. Only thing I can't figure out is why the cover up? West Yorkshire police lost plenty of trust and the fact that there was rivalry between forces is no longer news. Why the secrecy?
Whilst this book answers many questions, it opens up a lot more to be asked. It's not even the same government, many of those who were in power are dead. I guess the number one question in all this is WHY?
April 26, 2021
This book is absolutley brilliant well written and investigated thoroughly. A most excellent read keeps you interested and wanting to know more all the time.This book let's you know what really happened and shocks you what really happened and how inept the west Yorkshire police where at that time with the leading personal who led the investigation and how stubborn and uncooperative the police forces where with each other. This should be a lesson learned by all police forces to make sure this never happens again. But this also shows how corrupt the judicial system is in this country,especially in the 70s and 80s and how the police are quite happy to cover there bundling of the yorkshire ripper case up,because if it was made public the west Yorkshire police would be a laughing stock around the country. But keeping records and facts away from the public is an offence and a rude,cruel slap in the face to the poor victims and there families who need to know the facts and have closure to what happen to there loved ones. Once again an amazing interesting well written factual book by the two writers.
June 20, 2021
A fascinating read about one of the UK's most notorious serial killers and the bungled police investigation that allowed him to continue his reign of terror under their noses for so much longer than he should have.
The book details the catalogue of errors made by the police that allowed this man to remain undetected and resulted in huge miscarriages of justice, including the imprisonment of three innocent men for crimes commited by Sutcliffe. There are so many unanswered questions that will likely remain that way due to police and government cover ups.
This book was first published in 2015. Reading it in 2021, a year after Sutcliffe's death, it is even more poignant as it becomes more apparent that justice will never be done.
The book details the catalogue of errors made by the police that allowed this man to remain undetected and resulted in huge miscarriages of justice, including the imprisonment of three innocent men for crimes commited by Sutcliffe. There are so many unanswered questions that will likely remain that way due to police and government cover ups.
This book was first published in 2015. Reading it in 2021, a year after Sutcliffe's death, it is even more poignant as it becomes more apparent that justice will never be done.
March 16, 2021
While this is an interesting and fascinating case, I am personally not a fan of things that focus on the perpetrator. I wished that this book focused more on what happened to the women and their lives over that of Sutcliffe's, but I do understand that his life needed to be explored to understand how crazy this whole case was.
January 7, 2024
Once again the Police epically failed the victims.
October 25, 2022
Murder and Mismanagement
I recall the images of the Yorkshire Ripper upon his capture and some of the news reports at the time even though I was born in 1971 and only a young child. Maybe it stuck in my mind with family in Keighley, or maybe it's just Sutcliffe mug shot and the fear I had of dark men with thick beards..
I'm astonished to now find the parameters of the case were structured so rigidly, that the countless photofits were ignored, that there seemed to be an utterly bizarre idea that attacks on "innocent women" were ignored despite so many similarities and that the police seemed determined to belittle the victims who were prostitutes and ignore those who weren't.
Sweeping assumptions that left Sutcliffe free to continue killing for far too many years. Whilst I appreciate that computer systems weren't available to help them process and link evidence in constructive ways it seems that those in charge were so blinkered and determined to solve the case themselves that they failed to ensure that the information collected was even recorded or shared efficiently. This lead to catastrophic errors of judgment and caused the lives lost to increase heavily..
The court case con where he pled diminished responsibility, and to be suffering from schizophrenia despite statements in custody that show malicious intent, calculated deliberate actions taken to avoid capture and crystal clear clarity over his actions again astound and astonish. Sutcliffe's subsequent move to patient status when he was clearly not schizophrenic or suffering from significant mental health issues, well nothing beyond being, deservedly, considered a target by other inmates and being allowed to serve his time in relative comfort defies words.
West Yorkshire Police should once and for all open every file, show the public their full shame and own their utter incompetence.. by disallowing further investigations, by choosing not to pursue the later cases he admitted to they denied countless families closure, they left innocent men in jail and they continued in their roles despite having proved utterly incompetent and ill-equipped to run a p*ss up in a brewery.. horrific..
Kudos however to the sergeant and young constable who arrested Sutcliffe and realised they had stumbled into something much bigger.
There are updates since the publication of this book.. not all of the cases can be ascribed to Sutcliffe.. many can.. and most of the reports but not all have been released.. it would be good to have an extra chapter which covers that a the position now Sutcliffe is dead.
I recall the images of the Yorkshire Ripper upon his capture and some of the news reports at the time even though I was born in 1971 and only a young child. Maybe it stuck in my mind with family in Keighley, or maybe it's just Sutcliffe mug shot and the fear I had of dark men with thick beards..
I'm astonished to now find the parameters of the case were structured so rigidly, that the countless photofits were ignored, that there seemed to be an utterly bizarre idea that attacks on "innocent women" were ignored despite so many similarities and that the police seemed determined to belittle the victims who were prostitutes and ignore those who weren't.
Sweeping assumptions that left Sutcliffe free to continue killing for far too many years. Whilst I appreciate that computer systems weren't available to help them process and link evidence in constructive ways it seems that those in charge were so blinkered and determined to solve the case themselves that they failed to ensure that the information collected was even recorded or shared efficiently. This lead to catastrophic errors of judgment and caused the lives lost to increase heavily..
The court case con where he pled diminished responsibility, and to be suffering from schizophrenia despite statements in custody that show malicious intent, calculated deliberate actions taken to avoid capture and crystal clear clarity over his actions again astound and astonish. Sutcliffe's subsequent move to patient status when he was clearly not schizophrenic or suffering from significant mental health issues, well nothing beyond being, deservedly, considered a target by other inmates and being allowed to serve his time in relative comfort defies words.
West Yorkshire Police should once and for all open every file, show the public their full shame and own their utter incompetence.. by disallowing further investigations, by choosing not to pursue the later cases he admitted to they denied countless families closure, they left innocent men in jail and they continued in their roles despite having proved utterly incompetent and ill-equipped to run a p*ss up in a brewery.. horrific..
Kudos however to the sergeant and young constable who arrested Sutcliffe and realised they had stumbled into something much bigger.
There are updates since the publication of this book.. not all of the cases can be ascribed to Sutcliffe.. many can.. and most of the reports but not all have been released.. it would be good to have an extra chapter which covers that a the position now Sutcliffe is dead.
November 24, 2024
o livro traz informações muito importantes, um extenso conteúdo sobre vítimas que nunca foram oficialmente ligadas ao assassino e possíveis motivos para que a polícia escondesse fatos sobre ataques a mulheres que podem ter sido cometidos pelo ripper, mas eles (a polícia da Inglaterra como um todo) nunca tentaram comprovar.
enfim, é um bom livro.
eu tenho apenas duas ressalvas:
1) é MUITO repetitivo. durante todo o livro, os autores tentam provar o caso de que o serial killer teve pelo menos 22 vítimas, não apenas as 13 pelas quais ele foi condenado (e é ridículo pq ele confessou, mas anos depois inventou uma história de que tinha uma missão dada por deus para livrar o mundo de prostitutas [mesmo ele tendo matado mulheres de todas as profissões]. e os psiquiatras todos acataram essa versão conveniente da loucura dele. bitch, please). aí em TODOS os capítulos, eles repetem que ataque x tem a, b e c que se encaixam no M.O. do ripper e se ao menos as polícias de y e a de z tivessem conversado, talvez a carreira do omi lá tivesse encerrado bem antes de 1981... em TODOS os capítulos. isso fica velho bastante rápido.
2) a polícia desde sempre dividiu as vítimas entre prostitutas e "inocentes" e ok, é um retrato do tempo no qual os crimes foram cometidos (ok não, mas era assim que era, né, não vou perder meu fôlego discutindo essa questã), só que este livro é de 2015 e não há uma discussão sobre esse tratamento das vítimas, nem uma reflexão sobre o machismo que também contribuiu para que o assassino ficasse quase 20 anos matando impunemente.
(livros escritos por omis, né, que falta faz uma mulher!)
sem falar que os autores também não fazem recorte de raça, que foi um fator que atrapalhou - e muito - para que a polícia levasse a sério esses crimes (pq inicialmente eles eram cometidos em um bairro majoritariamente composto por pretos e imigrantes). enfim, tá faltando, my friends. tinha dado 3 estrelas, mas agora vou baixar pra duas rs.
enfim, é um bom livro.
eu tenho apenas duas ressalvas:
1) é MUITO repetitivo. durante todo o livro, os autores tentam provar o caso de que o serial killer teve pelo menos 22 vítimas, não apenas as 13 pelas quais ele foi condenado (e é ridículo pq ele confessou, mas anos depois inventou uma história de que tinha uma missão dada por deus para livrar o mundo de prostitutas [mesmo ele tendo matado mulheres de todas as profissões]. e os psiquiatras todos acataram essa versão conveniente da loucura dele. bitch, please). aí em TODOS os capítulos, eles repetem que ataque x tem a, b e c que se encaixam no M.O. do ripper e se ao menos as polícias de y e a de z tivessem conversado, talvez a carreira do omi lá tivesse encerrado bem antes de 1981... em TODOS os capítulos. isso fica velho bastante rápido.
2) a polícia desde sempre dividiu as vítimas entre prostitutas e "inocentes" e ok, é um retrato do tempo no qual os crimes foram cometidos (ok não, mas era assim que era, né, não vou perder meu fôlego discutindo essa questã), só que este livro é de 2015 e não há uma discussão sobre esse tratamento das vítimas, nem uma reflexão sobre o machismo que também contribuiu para que o assassino ficasse quase 20 anos matando impunemente.
(livros escritos por omis, né, que falta faz uma mulher!)
sem falar que os autores também não fazem recorte de raça, que foi um fator que atrapalhou - e muito - para que a polícia levasse a sério esses crimes (pq inicialmente eles eram cometidos em um bairro majoritariamente composto por pretos e imigrantes). enfim, tá faltando, my friends. tinha dado 3 estrelas, mas agora vou baixar pra duas rs.
August 25, 2022
I have just finished this book and it has left me feeling incredibly sad and boiling with anger at the ineptitude of West Yorkshire Police.
The book is incredibly well researched and catalogues Peter Sutcliffe's crimes in chronological order - the ones he was charged with, and many more murders and attempted murders which were almost certainly the work of the Yorkshire Ripper. It tells of the huge catalogue of errors in the police investigation, meaning that Sutcliffe could have been caught much earlier, and several lives saved!
I was a teenager/early 20s and living in Leeds at the time that the Ripper carried out his horrendous crimes and remember the fear that every woman felt, and the relief on hearing he had been caught. At that time no one knew of the mistakes the police made, and the fact that the police and government will still not release the findings of the two inquiries until 2045 beggars belief.
Highly recommended to any true crime fans, and the narration by Leighton Pugh is excellent.
The book is incredibly well researched and catalogues Peter Sutcliffe's crimes in chronological order - the ones he was charged with, and many more murders and attempted murders which were almost certainly the work of the Yorkshire Ripper. It tells of the huge catalogue of errors in the police investigation, meaning that Sutcliffe could have been caught much earlier, and several lives saved!
I was a teenager/early 20s and living in Leeds at the time that the Ripper carried out his horrendous crimes and remember the fear that every woman felt, and the relief on hearing he had been caught. At that time no one knew of the mistakes the police made, and the fact that the police and government will still not release the findings of the two inquiries until 2045 beggars belief.
Highly recommended to any true crime fans, and the narration by Leighton Pugh is excellent.
November 28, 2021
I've no doubt that many of the horrific attacks and murders which Chris Clark discusses in this book many indeed have been committed by Sutcliffe. But there was a shocking lack of attention to detail (even in relation to Clark's journalistic career) that just left me struggling to accept the integrity of the information presented. So many small details were clearly factually incorrect, and subsequently not picked up by the editor or publisher I wasn't drawn into this as much as I may have been.
Whilst it's nowhere near as well presented as Michael Bilton's account of those attacks directly accept as 'ripper' attacks, in fairness it does shed a lot of light on how horrific this man's catalogue of violence was and how it almost certainly started a decade earlier than is generally presented.
It's worth reading, but a bit tabloid at times. Probably wouldn't recommend it.
Whilst it's nowhere near as well presented as Michael Bilton's account of those attacks directly accept as 'ripper' attacks, in fairness it does shed a lot of light on how horrific this man's catalogue of violence was and how it almost certainly started a decade earlier than is generally presented.
It's worth reading, but a bit tabloid at times. Probably wouldn't recommend it.
February 27, 2022
Peter Sutcliffe was one evil person, which pretty much goes without saying. While it is normally easy to say with hindsight that failings were made, but even without hindsight, mistakes and utter failings were made. He could've been caught a lot earlier and many people wouldn't have been attacked or murdered. I also find it disgusting that certain files are still sealed and will be for another 60 years. And the fact that many people didn't get "justice" because they cba to charge him with more attacks and murders. It was a hard read, but it was always going to be with this subject matter. It also makes me angry about the attitudes towards sex workers and no one got angry until he murdered a "innocent" child. I was also surprised on how many attacks and murders that are he didn't own up about, was probably done by him. His count is a lot larger than the official number.
November 26, 2022
Fascinating and shocking. This investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper and especially focused on the murders and attempted murders that have been linked to him but he has never been charged with. Shocking to hear the true extent (well what is not hidden in Governmen archives from public viewing till the 2080's) of the incompetence and cover-up by West Yorkshire police. There is no justifiable reason, to not give the victims (that are still alive), victims families and the three men wrongfully convicted for three of the murders, to be allowed to have the truth and true extent of Suffcliff's reign of terror to be given. Especially now Sutcliffe is dead, so his right to privacy (one of the excuses for documents not being made public) is defunct.
Highly recommended.
Also enjoyed the narrator, have purchased another book he narrates as a result
Highly recommended.
Also enjoyed the narrator, have purchased another book he narrates as a result
September 8, 2023
Excellent book, this is the Third book i'v read on Sutcliffe the First was Wicked Beyond Belief by Michael Bilton which was about the ludicrous investigation by West Yorkshire Police, the Second was Gordon Burns Masterpiece Someones Husband Someones Son about Sutcliffe the Man Son and Husband both books were superb Ten out of Ten books and i thought that there was little more to be read or said but this book goes into just how many likely murders he got away with (perhaps 22), the authors have clearly done a lot of research and the conclusions are convincing using Two yard sticks his method of Murder and second if he had any connection with the specific area and if it was possible he was there and the answers for all of them are in the affirmative, he got way with murder and played the system and successive Government allowed it.
Anyway its an intelligent book and well worth a read
Anyway its an intelligent book and well worth a read
February 18, 2018
A truly amazing account into how the police forces of nearly every large city in the UK failed to apprehend the Yorkshire Ripper, allowing him to continue his murderous rampage. With the benefit of hindsight the errors are astounding, but the clues that were available to the police forces at the time, show the true extent of the incompetence and mistakes which allowed Sutcliffe to remain outside of custody. The continuing cover up by successive British governments as to the results of tax payer funded inquiries into the police handling of the Yorkshire Ripper manhunt is also unbelievable. A genuinely jaw dropping book. For the sake of his victims, their families and those who Sutcliffe murdered but who have never had their cases tried, I hope this injustice is reversed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
It took me a while to really get into this one. There are so many different victims involved I found it a little confusing to start but that only adds weight to the point of the book. The catalogue of errors in policing throughout the whole investigation was staggering and I frequently found myself shaking my head in dismay at the amount of times things were missed or overlooked. It surely is a very shocking account of just how dangerous (and clearly not mentally ill as he later argued) Peter Sutcliffe really was. I can only pray that if this were to happen now it would be dealt with in a much more efficient and swifter way. I would like to hope that there are not too many people out there as sick as him though and that this will never ever happen again.
March 10, 2018
"Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders" by Chris Clark and Tim Tate, examines the motivations and modis operandi of Peter Sutcliffe (Yorkshire Ripper). It is hypothesised that he was responsible for up to 22 additional murders and 5 attacks. In the current climate of modern policing techniques, advanced forensic pathology, and high functioning IT systems, we often forget how difficult it was for police to compare notes, and evidence across jurisdictions. It is indeed probable, that some of the ideas proposed in the book, are likely to be true. An interesting examination of the man, the police investigation at the time, and victims. Nasty stuff.
July 20, 2020
Excellent and very thorough telling of the horrible career of Peter Sutcliffe, who became known as The Yorkshire Ripper in northern England in the 70s. This book covers all known killings, some that are suspiciously akin to Sutcliffe's and also explains what the police did and didn't do. What is interesting is that the author covers everything yet you never leave the edge of your seat. There is no boring courtroom testimony at the end, just enough to explain how it went. No boring departure into police politics, just enough to explain what most likely happened with this case. It's a great book.
November 5, 2017
Interesting read. A comprehensive walkthrough of the crimes (and suspected crimes) of Peter Sutcliffe. It's aim to uncover the truth about why Sutcliffe was never convicted of further linked crimes despite sometimes overwhelming evidence falls a little flat towards the end. Perhaps I was expecting too much, but what was revealed was no more than I already knew, and was hardly shocking given the history of UK governments and their inclination to hide behind the veil of The Official Secrets Act and other such legislative blockades.
April 6, 2020
This book is a clear and interesting report about the story and the untold stories around the Yorkshire Ripper. It is the first I read about this particular serial killer and I enjoyed reading it. A bit irritating was the number of times and the anger with which the authors blame police forces etc for the failures they see. That shows the book is not a neutral report, nevertheless the anger is understandable and quite catching. For everyone who enjoyed 'The Devil in the White City' and books similar to it, it is a perfect read.
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