Jack the Ripper

January 1, 1990
Begg ( Into Thin Air ) takes a scholarly approach to the ``Ripper'' murders, offering a substantive account of the five gruesome slayings committed in Whitechapel, London, in 1888. The author sets the stage by examining London at that time--especially its slums--and discussing the careers of the police officials concerned with the Ripper case. Launching into an analysis of the five murders, he demonstrates how circulation battles among metropolitan newspapers spurred wild conjectures and misstatements of fact about the killings. The deduction of some doctors--that the killer was a skilled anatomist--is inconclusive, Begg contends. He also argues against the popular belief that the Ripper was a gentleman gone slumming. Begg concludes by assessing the most frequently suspected murderers, providing persuasive evidence that none was guilty. Photos.

February 17, 2014
After 125 years, and dozens of books about the notorious Ripper murders, it's a challenge to come up with a new angle, but experts Begg and Bennett, who previously collaborated on Jack the Ripper: CSI: Whitechapel, successful tread new ground in this thought-provoking book. They focus on women murdered around the time of the so-called Autumn of Terror of 1888 who are generally not considered to be actual Ripper victims. The authors note that most serial killers often begin with crimes lacking all the signature element of their patterns, and argue it's a mistake to exonerate Jack the Ripper off-hand, just because the mutilations differed. Refreshingly, they don't try to advance a new suspect, on the basis of evidence that could only be circumstantial. Instead, they do a convincing job of debunking myths, such as the existence of an extortionate street gang at the time called the High Rips. More importantly, they demonstrate that, whatever the Scotland Yarders of the day wrote, there is no definitive answer as to how many women the sadistic Whitechapel murderer slaughtered.