Jack the Ripper: The Unsolved Mystery of History’s Most Notorious Serial Killer

by Charles River Editors, Zed Simpson

*Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts of the crimes and theories *Includes a table of contents “I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track…How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games.” – Excerpt from a letter widely believed to be from Jack the Ripper When one hears the term “Victorian,” many images come to mind. For some, the term conjures up visions of lace and gloves and delicate fans. Others think of tight corsets and even tighter morals. Others, swayed perhaps by one too many British costume dramas, envision gentle elegance and long lost beauty. Naturally, few people think of multiple dead bodies cast about in the streets or dark bedrooms, most mutilated to a shocking degree, and yet, those tragic images played a significant role not only in late Victorian London but ever since. In 1888 and 1889, a killer stalked the dark backstreets of the city through the notoriously overcrowded and crime-ridden Whitechapel district, murdering young women and then cutting their bodies up like a butcher. There have been a countless number of serial killers throughout history, and certainly more prolific ones, but the timing, circumstances, and unsolved nature of the case continue to make Jack the Ripper the most famous serial killer in history. The murders came at a time when media coverage could be both more acute and more widespread, and it allowed the public a closer look into how police agencies operated at the time, exposing both their strengths and shortcomings. Of course, the lack of modern forensics hamstrung the investigators in the late 19th century, and while the police file for the case was extensive and active for several years, much of the evidence disappeared from the file without explanation, possibly as souvenirs. Despite the fact the police interviewed thousands and considered hundreds of suspects, they were never able to arrest anyone for the murders. The intense media coverage also likely played a role in both the actual murderer and would-be copycats and pranksters sending hundreds of letters to police claiming to be Jack the Ripper. It’s also indisputable that the use of a precise modus operandi, the serial killer being given a nickname, and the taunting letters sent to police all influenced subsequent serial killers and the way they were covered. Whether it’s the Zodiac Killer, the Son of Sam, or the Boston Strangler, the antecedent of all 20th century and 21st century killers remains Jack the Ripper. The Jack the Ripper case continues to fascinate historians and amateur sleuths so much that people have dubbed themselves Ripperologists, and since nobody knows for sure who the killer was, every aspect of the crimes is up for discussion, down to who the actual victims of the Ripper were and whether there was actually more than one Ripper. In addition to considering so many suspects, the police were only certain that 5 of the victims (the “canonical five”) were killed by Jack the Ripper, but there were at least 11 documented murders over the course of several years, and today those are called the Whitechapel murders. Even in the 19th century, authorities were debating how many of the 11 were the work of the Ripper, and as the murders have been compared and contrasted for nearly 130 years, the debate continues. Jack the The Unsolved Mystery of History’s Most Notorious Serial Killer examines the case, including a history of the crimes, the police investigation, and subsequent attempts to list and identify potential suspects.

Genres: True Crime, History, Nonfiction, Mystery, Ebooks

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2016

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack the Ripper: The Unsolved Mystery of History's Most Notorious Serial Killer by Charles River Editors, Zed Simpson is a very informative book on Jack the Ripper. This book also goes into the two cases before the main five and discusses why many believe these may be the start of Jack's work. There were a total of 11 similar murders but only 5 were attributed for sure to Jack but many of those 11 were probably Jacks handiwork. There are some very gruesome pictures as well, don't eat while reading! The book also has many eye witness statements from the people that found the bodies which was very interesting to read. Many other trivial but interesting conversations that I found interesting are in here but I love history too. The book should the letters that was sent to the cops and the ones that they felt was from the "real" killer. Very interesting book.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, solid overview of the 5 (but maybe 11, or more) murders that are considered to be part of Jack the Ripper's handiwork.  The author went to the trouble to quote from inquests, newspaper reports, and individual interviews that were all part of the thousands of pages of work related to the murders.

Please note, those of a tender disposition:  The author included graphic details about the murders and mutilations.  There are photographs of the affected women and the detectives involved in working the cases (thank you, Zed Simpson and Charles River Editors for including such a wide range of photos and drawings).  It helped give a flavor to the locations and people of that era.

The author even covered the most recent theories.  I was interested in the author's evaluation of Patricia Cornwell's 2002 nonfiction book (Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed (ISBN 0-425-19273-3)).  He did not believe Cornwell had found the killer, either.  In 2014, Russell Edwards used DNA evidence to further his theory about who Jack was.  Even though such a long time has passed, theories still abound.

[Randall Eskew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reasonably good.

A typical example of the genre, this short summary covers the highlights of the Whitechapel Murders and explores the usual suspects in what may be called a good introductory treatise. There is nothing new here, but neither is there any excess sensationalism not outlandish speculation. Perfect for beginners.

[Margret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, solid overview of the various facts and theories.