Jack the Ripper Unmasked

by William Beadle

Had the Jack the Ripper murders taken place in 1988, not 1888, the response to them would have been markedly different. Since those dark days in Victorian London we have learned much about this type of killer: their damaged childhoods, misfit adulthoods, and psychopathic alienation from the human race. But can this new knowledge help to solve a mystery that has been eluding generations of policemen and historians? One suspect who embodied all the dire characteristics was William Henry Bury. Bury moved to the East End of London in 1887. He had a terrible childhood, he was a horsemeat butcher, and he had a violent relationship with his wife. But was Bury the Ripper? Beadle uses his Ripper psychological profile in conjunction with newly unearthed evidence: Bury was out all night on the dates of the murders, and when his wife "committed suicide" she had been strangled and her body ripped up in the same way as the Ripper's victims. When Bury was executed for the murder of his wife, the killings in the East End stopped. A Scotland Yard detective even conceded to the hangman that he was "quite satisfied you have hanged Jack the Ripper."

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 5, 2009

Reviews

[Paul Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good investigation into the crimes of Jack the Ripper. It is very suspect focused and the suspect here has form and is credible. Using elements of modern psychological profiling this book unmasks Jack the Ripper!

[Sharon Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still not 100% convinced of any suspect named in the books but i think it would be someone like william bury over the insane cloaked doctor/gentleman. A good profile. But he's no closer to being "unmasked".

[Stef · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author seems so convinced that William Bury was Jack the Ripper..most other books acknowledge the fact that the Ripper's identity was never confirmed. An okay book but all based on circumstantial evidence.

[Jessica Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, and accessibly written, but the facts of the case could easily have stood alone. A lot of the the theorising around names and their significance, for example, really feels like grasping at straws.

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it gave a new perspective to this over 100 year old mystery.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a very dry read. The book also bounced from the 1880's to modern times a bit too frequently for my taste.