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lindsayb09's review
4.0
I think the author makes a compelling case for the identity of the Ripper, and it is definitely the most plausible and fleshed out theory I have come across. It's a quick and engrossing read to which I was eager to return each time I had to put it down.
Part of what makes it compelling is that the author isn't coming up with a new theory with 100+ years of hindsight, but is following up on contemporary theories and evidence. Some of the connections the author draws weren't made at the time, but there is no "new" evidence from questionable sources that came to light recently.
In addition to the "canonical five," the author attributes several other similar murders to Cutbush. These murders extend the timeline of the Ripper series of murders and stretch until Cutbush's unrelated arrest. This would help explain the mystery of why the Ripper suddenly "disappeared" after Mary Kelly -- he didn't, his crimes just weren't attributed to him because of gaps in time or small changes in MO. They only stop altogether once he is incarcerated. I thought the theory of the "second double event" in the appendix was particularly interesting.
The only thing I find myself still wondering about after finishing the book are the "dear boss" letters that were sent to the press and the police, supposedly by the killer. The author mentions them, but it's never clear if he thinks Cutbush wrote them or they were from a fraud. He mentioned seeing an example of Cutbush's handwriting at one point, and even suggests in the appendix that another letter signed by "Jim the Cutter" had come from Cutbush. That letter was also addressed "Dear Boss", which might suggest that all came from the same source, though he mentions that the canonical letters had a very distinct handwriting.
Part of what makes it compelling is that the author isn't coming up with a new theory with 100+ years of hindsight, but is following up on contemporary theories and evidence. Some of the connections the author draws weren't made at the time, but there is no "new" evidence from questionable sources that came to light recently.
In addition to the "canonical five," the author attributes several other similar murders to Cutbush. These murders extend the timeline of the Ripper series of murders and stretch until Cutbush's unrelated arrest. This would help explain the mystery of why the Ripper suddenly "disappeared" after Mary Kelly -- he didn't, his crimes just weren't attributed to him because of gaps in time or small changes in MO. They only stop altogether once he is incarcerated. I thought the theory of the "second double event" in the appendix was particularly interesting.
The only thing I find myself still wondering about after finishing the book are the "dear boss" letters that were sent to the press and the police, supposedly by the killer. The author mentions them, but it's never clear if he thinks Cutbush wrote them or they were from a fraud. He mentioned seeing an example of Cutbush's handwriting at one point, and even suggests in the appendix that another letter signed by "Jim the Cutter" had come from Cutbush. That letter was also addressed "Dear Boss", which might suggest that all came from the same source, though he mentions that the canonical letters had a very distinct handwriting.
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