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Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper: The Final Investigation
The fullest possible account of the crimes of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, including those he was not charged with and has never previously been connected to.
The police believed that Sutcliffe attacked women only in Manchester and West Yorkshire, travelling in his car. The authors show that, in fact, he attacked his victims across the UK and sometimes even overseas, while driving his employer’s lorry.
Now that Sutcliffe is dead the full extent of his crimes cannot be known, but authors Chris Clark and Tim Hicks have meticulously researched his life and, in this definitive investigation, they reveal many previously unknown victims for the first time. The book includes a number of first-hand accounts from women and children who narrowly escaped death at Sutcliffe’s hand.
The police failed to deliver justice for the victims’ families – both in the original investigation and in subsequent cold-case reviews – and the media has failed to hold them to account for this failure. The authors hope that by revealing all Sutcliffe’s attacks and telling the victims’ stories they can help to bring closure for friends and relatives of his victims, both those who are known and those who have remained unacknowledged – until now.
The police believed that Sutcliffe attacked women only in Manchester and West Yorkshire, travelling in his car. The authors show that, in fact, he attacked his victims across the UK and sometimes even overseas, while driving his employer’s lorry.
Now that Sutcliffe is dead the full extent of his crimes cannot be known, but authors Chris Clark and Tim Hicks have meticulously researched his life and, in this definitive investigation, they reveal many previously unknown victims for the first time. The book includes a number of first-hand accounts from women and children who narrowly escaped death at Sutcliffe’s hand.
The police failed to deliver justice for the victims’ families – both in the original investigation and in subsequent cold-case reviews – and the media has failed to hold them to account for this failure. The authors hope that by revealing all Sutcliffe’s attacks and telling the victims’ stories they can help to bring closure for friends and relatives of his victims, both those who are known and those who have remained unacknowledged – until now.
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2023
39 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 2, 2023
A shicking insight based on the timeline if all the possibke crimes of the yorkshire ŕippet. Factual and concisely told this pulls no punches. It reveals more than the public and also scary insights into the fact tgat leadins have not been learnt. I found this a really harrowing read especially the ways the police continue to make mistake and cover things
This highlights the need for true investogation and i look forward to reading more.investigation. highly recommended for anyine with an interest in true crime or the state of the police gorce and its relationships.
Take you netgallery and publisher and authors for 5 star read
This highlights the need for true investogation and i look forward to reading more.investigation. highly recommended for anyine with an interest in true crime or the state of the police gorce and its relationships.
Take you netgallery and publisher and authors for 5 star read
October 26, 2023
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: November 23, 2023
Peter Sutcliffe was known as “The Yorkshire Ripper”, responsible for killing at least twenty women between 1975-1980. His victims met grisly ends as Sutcliffe often stabbed them repeatedly, strangled them and violated their dead corpses. The police investigation into Sutcliffe was flawed, causing Sutcliffe to go undiscovered for more than five years, and it wasn’t until Sutcliffe’s death in 2020, when the true horrors of his crimes have been revealed.
“Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper: The Final Investigation” is a misleading title. It is presented in such a way that one would think the story by Chris Clark and Tim Hicks will provide a psychoanalysis of the evil human and the dastardly deeds he committed. Instead, “Ripper” is a deep-dive into all of the failures made by various police officers and forces, and is indeed a critical analysis of the investigation around Peter Sutcliffe.
Clark and Hicks highlight the victims of Sutcliffe (real and assumed), and respect can be given to the authors for their honest portrayal of Sutcliffe’s victims as human beings first, and serial killer victims second. Each and every woman is named and their background and history are touched on, to ensure the reader understands that a real person lies behind the headlines. This is unique in true crime fiction, and I absolutely give props to both authors for this aspect of their writing.
Clark and Hicks identify women who they believe were victims of Sutcliffe’s, even though the police forces at the time did not. I cannot say whether these women were indeed Sutcliffe’s victims, obviously, but in some cases I found that Clark and Hicks made massive jumps based on circumstantial evidence in order to tie some women to Sutcliffe and continue to criticize the police force.
I am not ignorant to the fact that police forces can make massive mistakes when it comes to high-profile, high-pressure investigations (Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo murdered only miles from my home, and there were massive screw ups in that investigation as well) and I respect Clark and Hicks for wanting to bring justice and peace to the families that have, so far, been ignored. However, the case-by-case, page-by-page critique of what the police forces did wrong did not, in my opinion, provide any solace to those who suffered.
“Ripper” is a deep dive into the investigative part of the Sutcliffe serial killings, and those who are fascinated with police procedures (aboveboard or not) will be fascinated by this non-fiction novel. “Ripper” does go into graphic detail, so it’s not something for the faint of heart, but don’t expect to learn much about who Sutcliffe was or what was going on in his twisted mind. “Ripper” is a unique true crime novel that takes an interesting perspective, however the title had me believing it was something different and I was disappointed.
Expected publication date: November 23, 2023
Peter Sutcliffe was known as “The Yorkshire Ripper”, responsible for killing at least twenty women between 1975-1980. His victims met grisly ends as Sutcliffe often stabbed them repeatedly, strangled them and violated their dead corpses. The police investigation into Sutcliffe was flawed, causing Sutcliffe to go undiscovered for more than five years, and it wasn’t until Sutcliffe’s death in 2020, when the true horrors of his crimes have been revealed.
“Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper: The Final Investigation” is a misleading title. It is presented in such a way that one would think the story by Chris Clark and Tim Hicks will provide a psychoanalysis of the evil human and the dastardly deeds he committed. Instead, “Ripper” is a deep-dive into all of the failures made by various police officers and forces, and is indeed a critical analysis of the investigation around Peter Sutcliffe.
Clark and Hicks highlight the victims of Sutcliffe (real and assumed), and respect can be given to the authors for their honest portrayal of Sutcliffe’s victims as human beings first, and serial killer victims second. Each and every woman is named and their background and history are touched on, to ensure the reader understands that a real person lies behind the headlines. This is unique in true crime fiction, and I absolutely give props to both authors for this aspect of their writing.
Clark and Hicks identify women who they believe were victims of Sutcliffe’s, even though the police forces at the time did not. I cannot say whether these women were indeed Sutcliffe’s victims, obviously, but in some cases I found that Clark and Hicks made massive jumps based on circumstantial evidence in order to tie some women to Sutcliffe and continue to criticize the police force.
I am not ignorant to the fact that police forces can make massive mistakes when it comes to high-profile, high-pressure investigations (Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo murdered only miles from my home, and there were massive screw ups in that investigation as well) and I respect Clark and Hicks for wanting to bring justice and peace to the families that have, so far, been ignored. However, the case-by-case, page-by-page critique of what the police forces did wrong did not, in my opinion, provide any solace to those who suffered.
“Ripper” is a deep dive into the investigative part of the Sutcliffe serial killings, and those who are fascinated with police procedures (aboveboard or not) will be fascinated by this non-fiction novel. “Ripper” does go into graphic detail, so it’s not something for the faint of heart, but don’t expect to learn much about who Sutcliffe was or what was going on in his twisted mind. “Ripper” is a unique true crime novel that takes an interesting perspective, however the title had me believing it was something different and I was disappointed.
December 5, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and the authors for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
I was so disappointed by this book; it reads more like a list of Sutcliffe's crimes with some details I didn't know previously. Despite what the title suggests, there is no deep dive into the psyche of the Yorkshire Ripper.
The formatting on Kindle maybe didn't help as maps were strewn in here and there, but made little sense, even with the long lists of victims beneath them.
The authors' main goal was to highlight other, similar offences possibly committed by Sutcliffe. Each one ended with a detailed description of Sutcliffe's possible escape routes, something that makes no sense unless you live in England.
What bothers me the most though is the author's superior attitude, throughout. We all know the police made many mistakes in capturing the Yorkshire Ripper, as well as errors investigating many other crimes since.
However, the long list of totally different, unrelated crimes and the mistakes made in solving them makes the authors look both petty and perhaps disgruntled, as though they feel they could've done a better job.
Basically, this book could've provided new insight into one of Britain's most infamous serial killers, but it just read as a long list of circumstantial evidence and didn't really add much of interest at all.
I was so disappointed by this book; it reads more like a list of Sutcliffe's crimes with some details I didn't know previously. Despite what the title suggests, there is no deep dive into the psyche of the Yorkshire Ripper.
The formatting on Kindle maybe didn't help as maps were strewn in here and there, but made little sense, even with the long lists of victims beneath them.
The authors' main goal was to highlight other, similar offences possibly committed by Sutcliffe. Each one ended with a detailed description of Sutcliffe's possible escape routes, something that makes no sense unless you live in England.
What bothers me the most though is the author's superior attitude, throughout. We all know the police made many mistakes in capturing the Yorkshire Ripper, as well as errors investigating many other crimes since.
However, the long list of totally different, unrelated crimes and the mistakes made in solving them makes the authors look both petty and perhaps disgruntled, as though they feel they could've done a better job.
Basically, this book could've provided new insight into one of Britain's most infamous serial killers, but it just read as a long list of circumstantial evidence and didn't really add much of interest at all.
December 7, 2023
This book is good for overall details about each individual victim and overall look into the police investigation. The reason the rating is so low is mostly because this book’s title is ‘inside the mind’ and there is literally no psychological details about Peter Sutcliffe’s motivations or any detail about his early life. Furthermore, the authors are incredibly biased about how this case was handled by the West Yorkshire police, I think they could’ve detailed the incapabilities of the force much better if there wasn’t so much bias ( in some cases the authors directly make assumptions of case facts which are not directly evidenced and are more so links which the authors are making).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2023
Sorry but not worth the effort. Based entirely on assumptions, supposition and presumptions without any evidence. In dire need of an edit as there are a number of factual errors and the use of abbreviations is infuriating.
Gave up with it before finishing.
Gave up with it before finishing.
November 7, 2023
Firstly huge thanks to the lovely Mel at AdLib for so kindly sending me an early copy of this book, a personal interest to me!
Now being in my mid 50's I can clearly remember the latter years of Peter Surcliffe's crimes and his capture in early 1981. I was 14 and already had a huge interest in true crime, and badly wanted to be a Police Officer. From then on, I've always had an interest in this era of our history.
Years later I met a new friend through our mutual love of guinea pigs and found out that one of the suspected Sutcliffe victims (Lynne Weedon), was a school friend of hers, so when I saw this new book I was even more interested.
I must firstly say, that I won't be using the moniker of 'The Yorkshire Ripper', this is just my own feeling that it brought terror to so many, and still does, so I will refer to him by his name.
So onto the book! Wow, what an absolutely in-depth, eye-opening and honest account of Peter Sutcliffe and his killings. This book starts from way back when PS was young and takes us through all the attacks and murders that are pretty clearly attributed to him. I've read a lot of books and articles on PS and this is the first one that actually does highlight how intelligent, forensically aware and calculating a killer he really was - not as he later portrayed, an insane man who heard voices! You will learn in-depth about his modus operandi, how he was able to travel all over the UK and Europe committing attacks, and murders on men, women and children and because he was so forensically aware and clever he pretty much ran rings around the inept Yorkshire Police of the time!
This book is the most eye-opening and honest account of the Sutcliffe reign, and how this still impacts our Police Forces today.
As an ex-traffic warden and Police Civvy from 1990 - 2002, it was also interesting to learn how the use of computers and HOLMES was still in its infancy when I joined Surrey Police, something I've not really thought of before. And the fact that even in the early 1990s Surrey Police were still using index cards in the Intelligence Offices!
So my rating is a massive 5 stars, if you like True Crime, then this book is a must-read. If you want to learn what Peter Sutcliffe was really like, you must read this book. After the recent TV show ( The Long Shadow) why not read what it was really like for the victims, and how, even now this vile man still has an impact on them, their families and friends and even the Police Officers who dealt with the Investigation.
And finally, I want to thank both authors for trying to publish the truth and trying to give some form of closure to all Sutcliffe victims. Bravo.
Now being in my mid 50's I can clearly remember the latter years of Peter Surcliffe's crimes and his capture in early 1981. I was 14 and already had a huge interest in true crime, and badly wanted to be a Police Officer. From then on, I've always had an interest in this era of our history.
Years later I met a new friend through our mutual love of guinea pigs and found out that one of the suspected Sutcliffe victims (Lynne Weedon), was a school friend of hers, so when I saw this new book I was even more interested.
I must firstly say, that I won't be using the moniker of 'The Yorkshire Ripper', this is just my own feeling that it brought terror to so many, and still does, so I will refer to him by his name.
So onto the book! Wow, what an absolutely in-depth, eye-opening and honest account of Peter Sutcliffe and his killings. This book starts from way back when PS was young and takes us through all the attacks and murders that are pretty clearly attributed to him. I've read a lot of books and articles on PS and this is the first one that actually does highlight how intelligent, forensically aware and calculating a killer he really was - not as he later portrayed, an insane man who heard voices! You will learn in-depth about his modus operandi, how he was able to travel all over the UK and Europe committing attacks, and murders on men, women and children and because he was so forensically aware and clever he pretty much ran rings around the inept Yorkshire Police of the time!
This book is the most eye-opening and honest account of the Sutcliffe reign, and how this still impacts our Police Forces today.
As an ex-traffic warden and Police Civvy from 1990 - 2002, it was also interesting to learn how the use of computers and HOLMES was still in its infancy when I joined Surrey Police, something I've not really thought of before. And the fact that even in the early 1990s Surrey Police were still using index cards in the Intelligence Offices!
So my rating is a massive 5 stars, if you like True Crime, then this book is a must-read. If you want to learn what Peter Sutcliffe was really like, you must read this book. After the recent TV show ( The Long Shadow) why not read what it was really like for the victims, and how, even now this vile man still has an impact on them, their families and friends and even the Police Officers who dealt with the Investigation.
And finally, I want to thank both authors for trying to publish the truth and trying to give some form of closure to all Sutcliffe victims. Bravo.
November 16, 2023
I only knew the name of the Yorkshire Ripper but not much of his murder spree. This book was very informative in that regard for me, which was stimulating. This book is actually a chronological line of the Yorkshire Ripper’s spree written through his numerous victims (of the murders and the attempted murders). The emphasis is on these victims, and not the perpetrator. And I thought that it was a very respectful tribute to the victims. The book is filled with informations about the victims and who they were before they met the Yorkshire Ripper. Some of them are unidentified but they still are talked about, they are not forgotten. This book also displays the incapacities of the police, which are highly frustrating.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
September 26, 2024
For authors that claim they are trying to bring justice to victims, they did a pretty shit job. I found this book entirely petty as all they did was belittle how the police departments involved fumbled the investigation. I am not ignorant/blind to the issue of police departments not communicating across lines and territories or that some police departments truly do actually fumble the ball, but holy hell cut these men and women a break. It was literally the 1960s and forensic science wasn’t advanced at all. The authors even acknowledged that but act like they would have solved this crime better than trained professionals. Everyone is human and can mess up. Get over yourself and the high horse you came riding up on.
March 6, 2024
Time taken to read - 3 days
Pages - 345
Publisher - Ad Lib Publishers
Source - Netgalley
Blurb from Goodreads
The account of the crimes of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, including those he was not charged with and has never previously been connected to.
The police believed that Sutcliffe attacked women only in Manchester and West Yorkshire, travelling in his car. The authors show that, in fact, he attacked his victims across the UK and sometimes even overseas, while driving his employer’s lorry.
Now that Sutcliffe is dead the full extent of his crimes cannot be known, but authors Chris Clark and Tim Hicks have meticulously researched his life and, in this definitive investigation, they reveal many previously unknown victims for the first time. The book includes a number of first-hand accounts from women and children who narrowly escaped death at Sutcliffe’s hand.
The police failed to deliver justice for the victims’ families – both in the original investigation and in subsequent cold-case reviews – and the media has failed to hold them to account for this failure. The authors hope that by revealing all Sutcliffe’s attacks and telling the victims’ stories they can help to bring closure for friends and relatives of his victims, both those who are known and those who have remained unacknowledged – until now.
My Review
So I have seen many documentaries and or programmes over the years about the Yorkshire Ripper including articles and discussions on true crime groups. I had no idea just how horrific his MO was, I think every one knew about the hammer(s) but this book gives graphic details and insight into just how depraved he really was.
There is a lot of data in the book as well as maps giving locations and routes, potentials too as there are many more victims attributed to him that those commonly posted/discussed. I never knew he was suspected of male victims too and different attack styles to throw the police off. Add into that how he tried (effectively in many ways) to put the police off his track.
The book also discusses those well knows tapes and letters from the alleged ripper and how the police blindly clung to them and just how many times Sutcliffe slipped through their fingers as a result.
The book is shocking in many aspects, the bungled investigations, time after time, how some officers were dissuaded from linking cases that they knew was the ripper. The underhanded behaviours, criminal at times, in some of the actions of lack of actions in handling victims, witnesses, statements. It is amazing he was caught and you cannot help but think how many lives may well have been saved had they not missed or ignored so many tings.
I think another jaw dropper is that despite knowing all they did wrong, when they were reached out to in more recent times they still refuse to release information or acknowledge certain similarities/cases/victims. One of the authors of this book is an ex police officer so it adds more weight and shock to some of the things you read and what was ignored. Truly shocking in so many areas and I think a lot of information in this book will raise more than a few eyebrows, like I say I had been familiar with the case, who isn't but so much information, victims, falsely accused is discussed in this book, it is actually quite scary how badly it was overall (the case handling not the book). For people who love true crime I think this is a must read as there is so much new (well for me anyway) information, it is wild how much he got away with and how many still have no closure/justice, 4/5.
Pages - 345
Publisher - Ad Lib Publishers
Source - Netgalley
Blurb from Goodreads
The account of the crimes of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, including those he was not charged with and has never previously been connected to.
The police believed that Sutcliffe attacked women only in Manchester and West Yorkshire, travelling in his car. The authors show that, in fact, he attacked his victims across the UK and sometimes even overseas, while driving his employer’s lorry.
Now that Sutcliffe is dead the full extent of his crimes cannot be known, but authors Chris Clark and Tim Hicks have meticulously researched his life and, in this definitive investigation, they reveal many previously unknown victims for the first time. The book includes a number of first-hand accounts from women and children who narrowly escaped death at Sutcliffe’s hand.
The police failed to deliver justice for the victims’ families – both in the original investigation and in subsequent cold-case reviews – and the media has failed to hold them to account for this failure. The authors hope that by revealing all Sutcliffe’s attacks and telling the victims’ stories they can help to bring closure for friends and relatives of his victims, both those who are known and those who have remained unacknowledged – until now.
My Review
So I have seen many documentaries and or programmes over the years about the Yorkshire Ripper including articles and discussions on true crime groups. I had no idea just how horrific his MO was, I think every one knew about the hammer(s) but this book gives graphic details and insight into just how depraved he really was.
There is a lot of data in the book as well as maps giving locations and routes, potentials too as there are many more victims attributed to him that those commonly posted/discussed. I never knew he was suspected of male victims too and different attack styles to throw the police off. Add into that how he tried (effectively in many ways) to put the police off his track.
The book also discusses those well knows tapes and letters from the alleged ripper and how the police blindly clung to them and just how many times Sutcliffe slipped through their fingers as a result.
The book is shocking in many aspects, the bungled investigations, time after time, how some officers were dissuaded from linking cases that they knew was the ripper. The underhanded behaviours, criminal at times, in some of the actions of lack of actions in handling victims, witnesses, statements. It is amazing he was caught and you cannot help but think how many lives may well have been saved had they not missed or ignored so many tings.
I think another jaw dropper is that despite knowing all they did wrong, when they were reached out to in more recent times they still refuse to release information or acknowledge certain similarities/cases/victims. One of the authors of this book is an ex police officer so it adds more weight and shock to some of the things you read and what was ignored. Truly shocking in so many areas and I think a lot of information in this book will raise more than a few eyebrows, like I say I had been familiar with the case, who isn't but so much information, victims, falsely accused is discussed in this book, it is actually quite scary how badly it was overall (the case handling not the book). For people who love true crime I think this is a must read as there is so much new (well for me anyway) information, it is wild how much he got away with and how many still have no closure/justice, 4/5.
January 3, 2024
[Thanks to NetGalley for providing a complimentary digital review copy of this book.]
One of the worst things a critic or reviewer can do, I’m told, is to write about what book he wishes the author had written instead of accepting the book on its own terms. If I were reviewing a Danielle Steel romance novel, there are many ways I can critique the material, but it wouldn’t really be fair for me to say I wish Steel (and/or her ghostwriter) had written the life story of Mr. T instead.
Of course, any book would be improved by the inclusion of Mr. T. But I digress.
When reading Inside The Mind of The Yorkshire Ripper by Chris Clark and Tim Hicks, I tried to keep this principle in mind. But the writers have to do their own part, too. At the very least, they should give their book a title which actually reflects its contents.
Because Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper, about the shocking crimes of British serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, barely gets into the inner workings of his twisted mind at all. Indeed, there is more information about the mental state of his wife, who required mental health treatment at some points during their marriage.
If only Sutcliffe had gotten some kind of treatment before he murdered at least thirteen women between 1975 and 1980.
I say “at least,” because Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper posits that Sutcliffe might have attacked and killed many more people - almost all female - than the ones which were confirmed.
Indeed, the book is effectively a list of murders, assaults and abductions, some of which were definitively the work of the Yorkshire Ripper, and many more for which he might have been responsible. And not all of them were in Britain.
One intriguing section of the book hypothesizes that Sutcliffe, whose work as a truck driver often took him to the European continent, may have carried out some murders in Sweden.
I initially dismissed this as pure speculation - sadly, there is a lot of speculation in this book, with the writers saying Sutcliffe “probably” or “might have” carried out some of these crimes - but it turns out there are other investigators who’ve come to the same conclusions about the Swedish killings.
COVID-19 died of Sutcliffe in November, 2020, so we may never know for sure just how many more killings he carried out before his arrest in 1981. One thing the book does make certain is how the incompetence, tunnel vision, disorganization and ass-covering of British police forces ensured he was left free to kill long after he could and probably should have been caught.
When reading about police bungling in serial-murder cases, I try my best to remember that true-crime writers are operating with the benefit of hindsight. If only we could catch murderers after they’d already been caught, it would be so much easier.
Indeed, if law enforcement actually did their jobs well in catching a serial killer, we wouldn’t know about it, because they’d have caught him before he killed more than one person. But that’s another post.
But there really is no excuse for how badly the Yorkshire Ripper case was screwed up. Different police forces across the United Kingdom barely communicated with each other. A hoax cassette tape purporting to be from the killer sent police on a wild goose chase after suspects with the same accent. And - as is far too common in such matters, including the Robert Pickton murders here in Canada - police failed to take many of the murders seriously because the victims were sex workers and therefore considered disposable, if not deserving of their cruel fate.
Clark and Hicks have backgrounds in law enforcement, and at the end of the book they offer some suggestions about how such matters should be handled in the future. Sadly, such insightful moments are few and far between. Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper contains some intriguing material from which a better book may someday be written.
And maybe, just maybe, that book will explain why Sutcliffe did it. Despite that title, there isn’t much about it in this one.
[Originally posted at https://damianpenny.substack.com/p/th...]
One of the worst things a critic or reviewer can do, I’m told, is to write about what book he wishes the author had written instead of accepting the book on its own terms. If I were reviewing a Danielle Steel romance novel, there are many ways I can critique the material, but it wouldn’t really be fair for me to say I wish Steel (and/or her ghostwriter) had written the life story of Mr. T instead.
Of course, any book would be improved by the inclusion of Mr. T. But I digress.
When reading Inside The Mind of The Yorkshire Ripper by Chris Clark and Tim Hicks, I tried to keep this principle in mind. But the writers have to do their own part, too. At the very least, they should give their book a title which actually reflects its contents.
Because Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper, about the shocking crimes of British serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, barely gets into the inner workings of his twisted mind at all. Indeed, there is more information about the mental state of his wife, who required mental health treatment at some points during their marriage.
If only Sutcliffe had gotten some kind of treatment before he murdered at least thirteen women between 1975 and 1980.
I say “at least,” because Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper posits that Sutcliffe might have attacked and killed many more people - almost all female - than the ones which were confirmed.
Indeed, the book is effectively a list of murders, assaults and abductions, some of which were definitively the work of the Yorkshire Ripper, and many more for which he might have been responsible. And not all of them were in Britain.
One intriguing section of the book hypothesizes that Sutcliffe, whose work as a truck driver often took him to the European continent, may have carried out some murders in Sweden.
I initially dismissed this as pure speculation - sadly, there is a lot of speculation in this book, with the writers saying Sutcliffe “probably” or “might have” carried out some of these crimes - but it turns out there are other investigators who’ve come to the same conclusions about the Swedish killings.
COVID-19 died of Sutcliffe in November, 2020, so we may never know for sure just how many more killings he carried out before his arrest in 1981. One thing the book does make certain is how the incompetence, tunnel vision, disorganization and ass-covering of British police forces ensured he was left free to kill long after he could and probably should have been caught.
When reading about police bungling in serial-murder cases, I try my best to remember that true-crime writers are operating with the benefit of hindsight. If only we could catch murderers after they’d already been caught, it would be so much easier.
Indeed, if law enforcement actually did their jobs well in catching a serial killer, we wouldn’t know about it, because they’d have caught him before he killed more than one person. But that’s another post.
But there really is no excuse for how badly the Yorkshire Ripper case was screwed up. Different police forces across the United Kingdom barely communicated with each other. A hoax cassette tape purporting to be from the killer sent police on a wild goose chase after suspects with the same accent. And - as is far too common in such matters, including the Robert Pickton murders here in Canada - police failed to take many of the murders seriously because the victims were sex workers and therefore considered disposable, if not deserving of their cruel fate.
Clark and Hicks have backgrounds in law enforcement, and at the end of the book they offer some suggestions about how such matters should be handled in the future. Sadly, such insightful moments are few and far between. Inside the Mind of the Yorkshire Ripper contains some intriguing material from which a better book may someday be written.
And maybe, just maybe, that book will explain why Sutcliffe did it. Despite that title, there isn’t much about it in this one.
[Originally posted at https://damianpenny.substack.com/p/th...]
November 13, 2023
From the title I expected an in-depth investigation into why Peter Sutcliffe committed his crimes and got away with them for so long. As a young woman I remember him terrorising the country, keeping us in fear for our safety. The book starts with detailed descriptions of the credentials of the authors, so again my hopes were high.
However, it soon became clear that the book, by the authors' own admission, wasn't going to offer anything new - they only had access to documents in the public realm. The assumption was made that the reader had already read all the other books about the Ripper and was now going to be offered a new insight. Instead we got a breakdown of all his crimes, including all the crimes they think he committed but were not necessarily acknowledged as his. The book is hard to read on Kindle as there were long lists of attacks by geographical area that didn't really mean much. There was repetition, and some crimes were not chronologically noted but linked with others in the area, that didn't really make much sense.
The authors obviously liked the idea of being 'police investigators' so used acronyms wherever possible, which as a reader I found either confusing or just annoying. The writing style was not very good - the text leaped about in parts with different subjects within the same paragraph with no apparent link.
The book did not live up to its title - Sutcliffe was almost incidental to the catalogue of crimes, rather than 'getting inside his mind' as we were promised. The final chapter hit hard at the police investigation - which clearly had not been well handled, even given the limitations of that time. It certainly was shocking how many opportunities to stop him had been missed, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and they were working within the technological limitations and prejudices of the time, and one hopes lessons were learned. The book then goes on to mention other serial killers and how the police didn't stop them quickly - which really had nothing to do with this book's remit and was not relevant. The serial killers weren't dealt with in detail or with any background, but shoehorned into the story to make the point the authors were trying to hammer home, that the lessons still had not been learned.
Overall a disappointing read, which did not deliver anything new. Thank you to NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
However, it soon became clear that the book, by the authors' own admission, wasn't going to offer anything new - they only had access to documents in the public realm. The assumption was made that the reader had already read all the other books about the Ripper and was now going to be offered a new insight. Instead we got a breakdown of all his crimes, including all the crimes they think he committed but were not necessarily acknowledged as his. The book is hard to read on Kindle as there were long lists of attacks by geographical area that didn't really mean much. There was repetition, and some crimes were not chronologically noted but linked with others in the area, that didn't really make much sense.
The authors obviously liked the idea of being 'police investigators' so used acronyms wherever possible, which as a reader I found either confusing or just annoying. The writing style was not very good - the text leaped about in parts with different subjects within the same paragraph with no apparent link.
The book did not live up to its title - Sutcliffe was almost incidental to the catalogue of crimes, rather than 'getting inside his mind' as we were promised. The final chapter hit hard at the police investigation - which clearly had not been well handled, even given the limitations of that time. It certainly was shocking how many opportunities to stop him had been missed, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and they were working within the technological limitations and prejudices of the time, and one hopes lessons were learned. The book then goes on to mention other serial killers and how the police didn't stop them quickly - which really had nothing to do with this book's remit and was not relevant. The serial killers weren't dealt with in detail or with any background, but shoehorned into the story to make the point the authors were trying to hammer home, that the lessons still had not been learned.
Overall a disappointing read, which did not deliver anything new. Thank you to NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 3, 2025
I was super looking forward to this book, after watching the ITV drama I was keen to have a proper look at the reality of the YR. This book has some real high points and some serious frustrations, I have enjoyed it (is that the right phrase for a book on a serial killer?) but - there is a huge amount of use of acronyms without a glossary at the end for you to reference - some are easy, others 🤷🏻♀️.
The authors have presented the majority of the book well (not always in time order) and they have as they say themselves some bespoke maps, now whilst these maps can be great for building the picture in your head, sometimes they are just too hard to view with the spine in the middle and others they have tried to cram too much in and again don't back it up with enough reference for you to decode what's what.
I like how crimes are presented to the reader with I guess a body of evidence - however sometimes I feel there is too much author "deduction" where there isn't necessarily enough weight for a conclusion.
The gem of this book is it's conclusion - whilst obviously focused on the YR it also covers other serial offenders, other forces failures and comes very close up to date - for me it's very interesting to read this but a little bit scary our police force are still working on procedural failings from the 80s! I think this resounds with me especially as I am aware of a "operation" within my local force to rectify the past evidential errors but that still won't fix future procedure.
The authors have presented the majority of the book well (not always in time order) and they have as they say themselves some bespoke maps, now whilst these maps can be great for building the picture in your head, sometimes they are just too hard to view with the spine in the middle and others they have tried to cram too much in and again don't back it up with enough reference for you to decode what's what.
I like how crimes are presented to the reader with I guess a body of evidence - however sometimes I feel there is too much author "deduction" where there isn't necessarily enough weight for a conclusion.
The gem of this book is it's conclusion - whilst obviously focused on the YR it also covers other serial offenders, other forces failures and comes very close up to date - for me it's very interesting to read this but a little bit scary our police force are still working on procedural failings from the 80s! I think this resounds with me especially as I am aware of a "operation" within my local force to rectify the past evidential errors but that still won't fix future procedure.
dnf
December 12, 2023dnf at 43%*
Thank you to NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers for this book's ARC.
I'm sad to say I did dnf this book, not to say that I didn't enjoy what I read but I thought I'd be getting some more out of this book which I did not get. I thought I would be getting some real depth information on The Yorkshire Ripper and the inner workings of his mind and this just wasn't it.
Clark and Hick's within this novel go into depth on Sutcliffe's real and assumed victims, not just treating them as a victim of said crime but talking about them as the human beings they were/are such as whatever information they could find of their life and history which I think is an amazing touch. This is super unique for crime fiction and I applaud them for that as often victims in true crime novels aren't even named! They go on to highlight many victims that are assumed to be Sutcliffe's but not officially proven, almost as a way to try and put these cold cases to rest. I felt as if half of the evidence and police mess ups worked in their favour and the other half sadly did not.
I am completely understanding of the fact that the police can make massive mistakes, especially in the times of poorly constructed records and misogyny. However, we could have done without the constant complaining of said mess ups and just put the facts out there for us the reader to understand, as I think complaining about the police screw ups does nothing, and in fact, makes it worse for said families and victims still fighting for justice.
There was some poor formatting in the kindle version of various maps and lists throughout which did make it difficult to understand some information - probably looks a lot better in print.
I did end up dnfing this purely for the fact it was a lot of repetition on victims, and the crimes he committed which is not what I wanted from this book unfortunately especially as a lot of it is purely speculation. I may eventually finishing reading this at some in the new year, however currently I will be putting it to one side.
What I read I would rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️ as the attention to detail and humane way of speaking about the victims as the people they were/are really was something different and nice to see.
I would like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ad Lib Publishers for this book's ARC.
I'm sad to say I did dnf this book, not to say that I didn't enjoy what I read but I thought I'd be getting some more out of this book which I did not get. I thought I would be getting some real depth information on The Yorkshire Ripper and the inner workings of his mind and this just wasn't it.
Clark and Hick's within this novel go into depth on Sutcliffe's real and assumed victims, not just treating them as a victim of said crime but talking about them as the human beings they were/are such as whatever information they could find of their life and history which I think is an amazing touch. This is super unique for crime fiction and I applaud them for that as often victims in true crime novels aren't even named! They go on to highlight many victims that are assumed to be Sutcliffe's but not officially proven, almost as a way to try and put these cold cases to rest. I felt as if half of the evidence and police mess ups worked in their favour and the other half sadly did not.
I am completely understanding of the fact that the police can make massive mistakes, especially in the times of poorly constructed records and misogyny. However, we could have done without the constant complaining of said mess ups and just put the facts out there for us the reader to understand, as I think complaining about the police screw ups does nothing, and in fact, makes it worse for said families and victims still fighting for justice.
There was some poor formatting in the kindle version of various maps and lists throughout which did make it difficult to understand some information - probably looks a lot better in print.
I did end up dnfing this purely for the fact it was a lot of repetition on victims, and the crimes he committed which is not what I wanted from this book unfortunately especially as a lot of it is purely speculation. I may eventually finishing reading this at some in the new year, however currently I will be putting it to one side.
What I read I would rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️ as the attention to detail and humane way of speaking about the victims as the people they were/are really was something different and nice to see.
I would like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.
December 2, 2023
A shicking insight based on the timeline if all the possibke crimes of the yorkshire ŕippet. Factual and concisely told this pulls no punches. It reveals more than the public and also scary insights into the fact tgat leadins have not been learnt. I found this a really harrowing read especially the ways the police continue to make mistake and cover things
This highlights the need for true investogation and i look forward to reading more.investigation. highly recommended for anyine with an interest in true crime or the state of the police gorce and its relationships.
Take you netgallery and publisher and authors for 5 star read
This highlights the need for true investogation and i look forward to reading more.investigation. highly recommended for anyine with an interest in true crime or the state of the police gorce and its relationships.
Take you netgallery and publisher and authors for 5 star read
September 24, 2024
This book was very hard going and I was tempted to just walk away from it. Firstly, I feel the title of the book is very misleading as I was expecting a deep dive into the psyche of Sutcliffe, but the book is just full of lists, maps and abbreviations. Secondly, the constant description of roads and maps would only make sense to someone in the UK who has a reasonable geographical knowledge.Thirdly the lists, oh good god the number of lists/bullet points was mind numbing. The only reason this gets 2 stars is that it included individuals who may have been attacked/murdered by Sutcliffe and it gives them an, albeit small, voice.
November 13, 2023
After watching the ITV series, I was keen to learn more about the murderer that, the Yorkshire Ripper was. Serial killers are wired differently to that of the rest of us, and I've always had a morbid fascination with them. This title acted as a tremendous deep-diving tool surrounding the man's psychology, and it examined what his life was like and the potential factors as to why he became what he became. He hated women, especially those going against what was the grain in society. I recommend this for a great informative view of the man and the subsequent deaths he caused.
August 20, 2024
What I was hoping to be more of a psychological insight into the case of the yorkshire ripper as well as a following of this case was more of a play by play of each convicted and suspected incident.
It does not really reveal much about him or the psychological side to this but more what the authors are believed to be crimes that are linked by not yet convicted to be the work of the yorkshire ripper.
The play by play of each murder with no psychological/ inside the mind follow through is really what disappointed me, the title is very misleading but learning about the case was interesting.
It does not really reveal much about him or the psychological side to this but more what the authors are believed to be crimes that are linked by not yet convicted to be the work of the yorkshire ripper.
The play by play of each murder with no psychological/ inside the mind follow through is really what disappointed me, the title is very misleading but learning about the case was interesting.
January 5, 2024
Amazing book that rightfully and convincingly assets that The Yorkshire Ripper attacked and/or killed more than 100 women and not just up North or in Britain. He even killed/assaulted a couple of men.
Whilst Gordon Burn’s Somebody’s Husband, Somebody’s Son is still the final word on Sutcliffe (and the best true crime book I’ve ever read), this book is still excellent and provides plenty of food for thought.
Whilst Gordon Burn’s Somebody’s Husband, Somebody’s Son is still the final word on Sutcliffe (and the best true crime book I’ve ever read), this book is still excellent and provides plenty of food for thought.
January 21, 2024
Although an intricate and cleverly researched account of every Yorkshire Ripper killing, the accounts of those officially unattributed to the killer lack subjectivity and are a clear attack on the UK police.
December 1, 2023
Discussion of both the known & suspected victims of this horrific serial killer & lessons to be learnt from the bungled investigation
January 8, 2024
Not what I expected. More just a list of his victims/ suspected victims. Less about the mind of a serial killer. Interesting in places but a bit repetitive.
March 26, 2024
Basically a list of suspected crimes.
April 9, 2024
Very informative book. Learnt a lot more about what this evil monster was responsible for.
September 29, 2024
totally misleading title. a dragged out recount of sutcliffe's crimes with an overly critical view and poor formatting
March 20, 2025
A deep insight into the case of Yorkshire Ripper
Anyone who is interested into true crime I would recommend
Anyone who is interested into true crime I would recommend
March 28, 2025
Sad, frightening! illustrates misogynistic policing by some officers at the time😔 Peter Sutcliffe was truly evil.
October 26, 2025
Interesting read. Terribly misleading title
March 19, 2024
This is the definitive guide on the Yorkshire Ripper, his crimes and his victims.
The book is impeccably researched and mentions attacks and murders including crimes abroad that were probably committed by Peter Sutcliffe. A compelling case is made for every attack and murder mentioned in the book. Some have been mentioned in previous documentaries but a large number have been attributed to Sutcliffe for the first time.
The victims are mentioned in a sensitive way which is good to see.
It mentions the police failings in some detail and relates how the failings of that investigation have not been resolved pointing out how what went wrong in the Yorkshire Ripper investigation is still happening in a number of investigations today.
The book is impeccably researched and mentions attacks and murders including crimes abroad that were probably committed by Peter Sutcliffe. A compelling case is made for every attack and murder mentioned in the book. Some have been mentioned in previous documentaries but a large number have been attributed to Sutcliffe for the first time.
The victims are mentioned in a sensitive way which is good to see.
It mentions the police failings in some detail and relates how the failings of that investigation have not been resolved pointing out how what went wrong in the Yorkshire Ripper investigation is still happening in a number of investigations today.
February 9, 2024
A fascinating book about one of the most prolific serial killers in history. I remember the story well as I was about 15 and remember avidly reading about the attempts to catch him. Back in the day when the News of the World was a very large paper! I have watched the documentaries that have been written about him, but for me this book surpasses all of those, including the ones based on the story. I think it was well written and brought to life his victims and the impact it had on their loved ones. Especially poignant were the stories of the women who survived. Its hard to believe that everything was done by hand and there was no computer to give you some answers.
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