When London Walked in Terror

by Tom Cullen

Jack the Ripper was a young man of unfulfilled promise and an urge to force social reforms in London's most notorious slum, according to the author's fascinating deductions. Mr. Cullen is a London-based American reporter who re-opened the 19th century's most famous unsolved murders. (In Italy, Jack is called Giacomo-lo-Squarciatore.) He had access to contemporary coroners' reports on the five prostitutes who were the victims and dashes the image of young and beautiful girls put forward in the imaginative re-creations. They were the dregs, middle-aged and alcoholic, of Spitalsfield. The name and record of the man Mr. Cullen has decided was the Ripper are revealed for the first time anywhere and it would seem from his research that Scotland Yard shared his solution. He's cram-packed the book with every bit of folklore that has sprung up around it and has written it up with the energy and suspense that goes into the best detective fiction.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Horror

292 pages

First published January 1, 1965

Reviews

[Barry H. Wiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An earlier book on the Ripper phenomenon and one of the best. A smooth enjoyable, and well researched read.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book on Jack the Ripper back in the 70s.

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out well, very interesting; once Jack disappeared (died? Committed suicide?), things got kind of boring.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and quite interesting. Far too long to leave a good impression.

[Kjsbreda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a study of the Jack the Ripper murders in the summer and fall of 1888. The author meticulously researched Scotland Yard archives, interviewed relatives and even spoke to some of the people from London's East End who were alive in 1888 and remembered the collective horror and the extensive investigations to find Jack the Ripper. The book, which was written in 1965, is very well-researched. The author tends to repeat himself, but other than the repetition, the book is quite readable. He identifies the man whom he believes to have been Jack the Ripper and backs up his conclusion with facts and quotations from Melville M'Naughton's private diaries (the author interviewed M'Naughton's daughter). The book features maps and includes two appendices concerning the prime suspects and the wealth of fiction and film inspired by the investigation. This is a very interesting and informative book.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Britishness of this book is out of control.