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moonlightcupofcocoa 's review for:
Investigating Charles Lechmere: Was He Jack the Ripper?
by Neil Norman
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the ARC! As always all opinions shared below are 100% my own.
This is a solid read for anyone new to and interested in Victorian England, and of course more specifically, the Jack the Ripper mystery.
I will preface this by saying that, while I am obsessed with everything Victorian, I actually knew next to nothing about the case other than general timeframe. While I love mysteries, and occasionally do dip into true crime, it's not usually a genre that attracts my attention for some reason. So I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to enjoy this book.
That ended up being not an issue at all! While the title mentions 'Charles Lechmere', one of the key suspects, he doesn't actually take center stage until perhaps the last 30 pages or so. Instead, the book does a wonderful job introducing the readers to each of the victims followed by each of the suspects before digging deeper into analyzing Jack the Ripper's methodology and the titular person.
Despite my limited prior knowledge, I will say the author does present a compelling case, while still acknowledging areas where investigations regarding other suspects might still lead to different outcomes. It felt like a fair and balanced presentation overall.
Because of the length of the book, it is on the shorter side around 200 pages or less, some sections -- particularly those about some suspect profiles -- felt a little too brief. A few times I found myself wishing for more detail regarding why certain suspects were dismissed. But, also, going too deep might've hurt the book's pacing especially as they weren't the focus. Honestly, the fact that I wanted more probably just means the book succeeded in sparking my curiousity.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. As heartwrenching as it was to read about the victims, the book sheds light on the dark side of Victorian London and is a good introduction for any budding Ripperologist.
You can also find me on: Instagram
This is a solid read for anyone new to and interested in Victorian England, and of course more specifically, the Jack the Ripper mystery.
I will preface this by saying that, while I am obsessed with everything Victorian, I actually knew next to nothing about the case other than general timeframe. While I love mysteries, and occasionally do dip into true crime, it's not usually a genre that attracts my attention for some reason. So I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to enjoy this book.
That ended up being not an issue at all! While the title mentions 'Charles Lechmere', one of the key suspects, he doesn't actually take center stage until perhaps the last 30 pages or so. Instead, the book does a wonderful job introducing the readers to each of the victims followed by each of the suspects before digging deeper into analyzing Jack the Ripper's methodology and the titular person.
Despite my limited prior knowledge, I will say the author does present a compelling case, while still acknowledging areas where investigations regarding other suspects might still lead to different outcomes. It felt like a fair and balanced presentation overall.
Because of the length of the book, it is on the shorter side around 200 pages or less, some sections -- particularly those about some suspect profiles -- felt a little too brief. A few times I found myself wishing for more detail regarding why certain suspects were dismissed. But, also, going too deep might've hurt the book's pacing especially as they weren't the focus. Honestly, the fact that I wanted more probably just means the book succeeded in sparking my curiousity.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. As heartwrenching as it was to read about the victims, the book sheds light on the dark side of Victorian London and is a good introduction for any budding Ripperologist.
You can also find me on: Instagram
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Rape