Jack the Ripper: The Final Chapter

by Paul H. Feldman

On August 7, 1889, an American woman, Florence Elizabeth Maybrick, was sentenced to death in a court in Liverpool, England, for a crime she did not commit. She was condemned for the murder of her husband, Jack the Ripper. This book reveals how the largest and most detailed investigation ever undertaken on the subject of the Ripper Murders led the author to the story of Florence and how she was framed for the murder of her husband, James Maybrick, as part of an official cover-up which continues to this day.

Genres: True Crime, Crime, History, Nonfiction

457 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 1998

Reviews

[SAM · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author is biased to the point he comes across as ignorant. He didn't convince me.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book all but proves that James Maybrick was Jack The Ripper. I always found the diary compelling, but couldn't connect the historical dots, Feldman does in very convincing fashion through years of exhaustive historical research. I've read many books on the subjects and toured the murders sites, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction indeed.

[John Hughes · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up - tediously written.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The diary of Maybrick is without doubt one of the most enigmatic mysteries in the written world.
Don't get me wrong, I am completely convinced of its authenticity, but I do wonder at it's survival over so many decades. To be a fake it would need about ten people to be involve directly in the conpiracy. Including handwriting experts, and other unrelated people. The forger would have had to study the Maybrick family, including the movements, habits and intimate details of their everyday lives. S/he would have to know for sure, where James was on every occasion of each known murder, to ensure he was not home in Liverpool or out of the country. That he took arsenic, and what its effect on him was, and to know details that were not known until 1987. Then S/he would have to find a suitable old book,and Victorian ink. Then they would have to write a load of non Ripper small talk before they focused on the murders, (in a very vague way as the diary only mentions one victim), and ensure each word they write fits with Victorian word use, in a style which handwriting experts swear is that of a madman. And that is just for starters. Feldmans book tells you how and why Maybrick wrote the diary. It shows how Maybrick knew details about the murders that were not known until the diary was found. It proves the killer was Maybrick and it discloses why so many suspects - who knew each other and Royalty - were suspected. James Maybrick was Jack the Ripper. A brilliant example historical research and investigation. Case closed.

[Maureen]

bit heavy going initially, but having read it twice now, very good, on a par with Patricia Cornwells book about Jack.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a few books on Jack the Ripper, but I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as others I've read.

[Paul Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this deep debate into the Maybrick diary. It virtually picks up where Shirley Harrison left off and puts a case for a family tree leading to modern times.