Jack the Ripper: The Murders and the Myths

by Gavin Baddeley, Paul Woods

Five brutal murders shocked London in the summer and autumn of 1888. They have never been forgotten.The Jack the Ripper case has never been solved - the killer remains a blood-spattered silhouette. Although ‘Jack’ as an entity was almost certainly invented by an unscrupulous journalist, he became an archetype - decked in the top hat and cloak of a Victorian melodrama villain, stalking the fog-wreathed streets of the old East End. The numerous Ripper theories which emerged at the time tell us more about Victorian attitudes than they do about the killer’s true identity.

In Jack the Ripper the authors follow the grim homicidal trails that have permeated popular culture since the Whitechapel murders of 1888. It tells the victim’s stories in all their desperate poignancy, and explores the theories and suspects of the burgeoning field of ‘ripperology’. Conspiracy theories and myths that swirl around the case to this day, from black magicians to the royal family, are considered, as is the modern forensic view of the Ripper murders as sex crimes, with reference to disturbing modern cases such as that of the ‘Plumstead Ripper’.

Terrifying and unignorable, this is the ultimate book on Jack the Ripper.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime

393 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2022

Reviews

[Murron Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
Bad.

[Bethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this so hard to follow. It was all over the place.

The information about both Jack and and the murderes were so difficult to read about. But this didn't just cover that story and wasn't even a story just about him but about other Murders that could have been linked to him don't get me wrong it was fascinating to see different opinions on the matter but it was so stuffed with other 'facts' that it took away from the man I wanted to read about. Wish it had just solely centered around him.

[Lee Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

References many others as opposed rather than the main.

[Keira turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really enjoyed learning about Jack the Ripper however I felt the book dragged and there was many irrelevant moments that I found hard to keep engaged, overall I think the book was too long and I struggled to enjoy it

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this deep dive into the letend of the Whitechapel ripper. I thought it was well presented and laid out in a way that helped me navigate the story and the myths.

[Stan Salmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book interesting and informative, I find seriously researched historical crime books worth reading and I appreciate all the research and work that has gone into a book of this genre.

[Matthew Gurteen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like most Ripper books, this is more concerned with peddling myths and challenging them. It was more of an extensive appendix of Ripper theories and media. Interesting if you are studying the Ripper further. I wouldn't say 'Jack the Ripper: The Murders and the Myths' offers anything new, however. It feigns academic study when it is little more than rehashed information.

It also frequently loses track of the titular figure. The authors devote multiple paragraphs per chapter to other murder cases. I also really disliked the fictional imaginings of the crimes. I'm not opposed to this in concept. For example, Alan Moore's 'From Hell' is an intellectual imagining of the crimes. Like the information, however, the author's retelling felt more bloodthirsty than purposeful.

Overall, I could only recommend 'Jack the Ripper: The Murders and the Myths' to anyone studying the Ripper. It is a helpful text if you want to point to other theories. It offers nothing on its own, though.

[Kev · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, and a knowledgable author. Some information I knew about Saucy Jack and some was new. The haunting stories of the five canonical victims and the possibilities of prior and later victims have drawn people throughout the 140 years since. The misogyny, the murders, the savagery of the murders and history have repeated over the intervening years and will continue until we teach our male offspring that the females deserve respect too! Now that The Handmaid's Tale has become an actual thing in the USA, and as long as we allow outdated misogynistic religions to dictate how we live, nothing will change.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

Interesting read outlining the victims and theories surrounding. Also very focused on other cases both preceding and subsequent, which serve to contextualise the case and the thinking/fascination around it.

Comes across like a less formal academic/research article/book in the way it references other work, etc.

I can see why others may not have enjoyed it so much, as it doesn't focus on just the titular case and there were parts which lost my interest, but as someone interested in true crime generally it was worth a read.

[John Errington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eventually, I got to the end. No surprises there, as I still don't know who did it, but in all fairness, neither do they. A curious mix of writing styles, with some of the language unnecessarily poor in style and content, mixed with some much more straightforward, well written language. Bit schizophrenic, maybe they were mimicking The Ripper himself, who knows?

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know the subtitle was the murders and the myths but it was 90% myths. It leapt around all over the place. Lots of the book was irrelevant to any sensible discussion of the Ripper.
It had the air of two men rambling down the pub - what can we write a book on to make some money. Let's google any reference to Ripper and scribble down some words.

[Christine]

Very interesting. I liked the dramatisation of the murders. The indepth look at series killers and Ripper media was also very enlightening.