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Jack The Ripper: One Autumn In Whitechapel
- GenresNonfiction
431 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2016
17 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 6, 2021
Received this book from the author. Thank you!
Jack the Ripper is one of the most known killers in the world. Never found, never accused. The Ripper's identity remains unknown. The case is a delight for Websleuths and wannabe detectives. And the book "One Autumn In Whitechapel" comes right on time. Have you noticed the recent wave of interest in true crime? Netflix, books, documentaries, old cases brought to light, Reddit pages bursting with ideas, suspects, facts and shreds of evidence. I think a bit of mystery and suspense is what people want these days.
OAIW is a close and very detailed study of Jack The Ripper's case. What I liked the most that the author did extensive research and bases his book on facts, not feelings, or trying to frame somebody just because they seem suspicious. It really can make you feel like a 19th-century detective (or policeman!). There are a lot of maps, pictures, letters and photos. London slums were an unsafe place back then, but the horrors done to the bodies of victims are unimaginable. The author tries to name a new victim at the end of the book, with the help of modern-day profiling methods and techniques. I hope this case will get more attention and will be reviewed with modern-day methods. That would be very interesting to see!
Jack the Ripper is one of the most known killers in the world. Never found, never accused. The Ripper's identity remains unknown. The case is a delight for Websleuths and wannabe detectives. And the book "One Autumn In Whitechapel" comes right on time. Have you noticed the recent wave of interest in true crime? Netflix, books, documentaries, old cases brought to light, Reddit pages bursting with ideas, suspects, facts and shreds of evidence. I think a bit of mystery and suspense is what people want these days.
OAIW is a close and very detailed study of Jack The Ripper's case. What I liked the most that the author did extensive research and bases his book on facts, not feelings, or trying to frame somebody just because they seem suspicious. It really can make you feel like a 19th-century detective (or policeman!). There are a lot of maps, pictures, letters and photos. London slums were an unsafe place back then, but the horrors done to the bodies of victims are unimaginable. The author tries to name a new victim at the end of the book, with the help of modern-day profiling methods and techniques. I hope this case will get more attention and will be reviewed with modern-day methods. That would be very interesting to see!
December 13, 2025
**Content Warnings at the End of the Review**
The last time I was in London, I signed up for a Jack the Ripper walking tour, and my guide was the author of this book, so I bought it as a souvenir. As I was feeling the itch to return to one of my favorite places, I decided it was time to actually pull this book out and see what was between the pages.
One Autumn in Whitechapel is a detailed account of all the deaths that have been attributed to Jack the Ripper and the investigations into who this murderer is. Priestley has done extensive research into these crimes and London during this reign of terror, including pictures of the victims, maps of the city during that time, and sketches that were published in the papers as they covered the deaths. After presenting the world and the crimes, Priestley ends the book with the individual he believes is responsible for the killings.
It is obvious that Priestley did a lot of research for this novel and quoted a lot of original sources for this novel. He quotes numerous police reports and newspapers from the time to give a good idea of what life was like during these murders and what the police had in terms of evidence. I cannot fault the research, but the way that it is presented is a little dry. Compared to some other non-fiction books that I have read, this was less of a story told to the reader than facts presented to them. Priestley did state at the beginning of the book that he did not want to sensationalize these crimes or the deaths of the women, but I feel as if a more narrative spin would have helped present this information.
I think where the book fell apart is when Priestley stopped presenting the facts of the case and started to make his case for who he believes is Jack the Ripper. Priestley repeats himself multiple times, and the information is just given to the reader and not presented as an argument. I think that the information makes a case for the individual that Priestley believes is Jack the Ripper, but a little more time to flesh out the argument and make it more palatable would have taken it even further.
Overall, I think this is a great resource for individuals studying or writing about the Jack the Ripper murders, but not a great novel to just read. I am going to keep it on my shelves as I like to write fiction around this time period, but I wouldn’t recommend it outside of academics. 2.5 stars rounded up to a 3.
**Content Warnings**
Death, Murder, Gore, Rape, Crime, detailed pictures of dead bodies and crime scenes, detailed description of mutilation
The last time I was in London, I signed up for a Jack the Ripper walking tour, and my guide was the author of this book, so I bought it as a souvenir. As I was feeling the itch to return to one of my favorite places, I decided it was time to actually pull this book out and see what was between the pages.
One Autumn in Whitechapel is a detailed account of all the deaths that have been attributed to Jack the Ripper and the investigations into who this murderer is. Priestley has done extensive research into these crimes and London during this reign of terror, including pictures of the victims, maps of the city during that time, and sketches that were published in the papers as they covered the deaths. After presenting the world and the crimes, Priestley ends the book with the individual he believes is responsible for the killings.
It is obvious that Priestley did a lot of research for this novel and quoted a lot of original sources for this novel. He quotes numerous police reports and newspapers from the time to give a good idea of what life was like during these murders and what the police had in terms of evidence. I cannot fault the research, but the way that it is presented is a little dry. Compared to some other non-fiction books that I have read, this was less of a story told to the reader than facts presented to them. Priestley did state at the beginning of the book that he did not want to sensationalize these crimes or the deaths of the women, but I feel as if a more narrative spin would have helped present this information.
I think where the book fell apart is when Priestley stopped presenting the facts of the case and started to make his case for who he believes is Jack the Ripper. Priestley repeats himself multiple times, and the information is just given to the reader and not presented as an argument. I think that the information makes a case for the individual that Priestley believes is Jack the Ripper, but a little more time to flesh out the argument and make it more palatable would have taken it even further.
Overall, I think this is a great resource for individuals studying or writing about the Jack the Ripper murders, but not a great novel to just read. I am going to keep it on my shelves as I like to write fiction around this time period, but I wouldn’t recommend it outside of academics. 2.5 stars rounded up to a 3.
**Content Warnings**
Death, Murder, Gore, Rape, Crime, detailed pictures of dead bodies and crime scenes, detailed description of mutilation
June 28, 2023
Essentially DNF and found myself skipping large sections and skimming just to reach the end. The level of detail in this book is incredible, making it a great choice for those who have a genuine interest in knowing every single small aspect or are researching the case in-depth. However, for someone with a more casual interest in true crime, it was a bit overwhelming and at times boring. The writing style was occasionally frustrating, and there were noticeable lapses in proofreading and editing throughout certain sections. The author has another, smaller book that would likely be more enjoyable for a casual reader like myself, but unfortunately, I opted for this one instead.
Read
October 17, 2022Following a gripping tour around Whitechapel by the author himself I knew I just had to buy his book. From the start I was totally gripped. It’s informative, entertaining, and at times, frightening. The author’s passion for the subject is clear from the very high level of detail. You can’t help but become totally immersed and enthralled. Would completely recommend it
September 20, 2025
Highly recommended read! M. P. Priestly methodically lays out the Whitechapel impoverished setting, the victims immediately prior movements, the crime scenes and investigation. For narrative style serial killer stories there are any number of fictional thrillers. This reads more like a well thought out documentary that is focused on facts. Priestly doesn’t try and force conjecture into gaps but does sparingly offer possibilities. He also describes other crimes in the area during the time that adds to the desperate feel of Victorian era slums of London. The community was both scared and enthralled. With a million newspapers a day this went viral. Amongst the story of violence and evil, Priestly found a way to be clinical. At times he offered small seemingly insignificant details. Perhaps the most touching part of the book was following the victims all the way through to their funeral. He describes an instance that members of the community payed for a respectful internement. Thousands followed the procession for miles to the burial site. Ripperoligists claim anywhere from the canonical 5 victims to a possibility of eleven that are known. This book focuses on eight. May Martha, Mary Ann, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine, Mary, Alice and Frances rest with God in peace.
December 3, 2023
My husband and I did the Jack the Ripper Tour in London, which was very fascinating! The author of this book leads the tour himself and at different landmark sites of the crimes, shares the stories of what happened. By his own research and investigation, he combines news, his analysis and a lot of detail not known to the general public it seems. In general very fascinating and this is right up my alley. I must admit the book itself I did struggle to read. It was a great purchase directly from the author (he even signed it before we left) and I enjoyed being able to support the author. I recommend for anyone with an interest in this but also lots of patience to pace through it. If you have a chance to do the tour, wear comfortable clothing and shoes as it's a lot of walking but it's so worth it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2020
A very thorough look into the Jack the Ripper murders. The effort made by the author to gather all possible resources for this book is clear - examples of newspaper articles surrounding the murders are incredibly interesting as well as the authors investigations into his personal suspect of the identity of Jack the Ripper. I also attended a Jack the Ripper tour lead by the author around 2 years ago when I arrived in London and found the tour incredibly interesting. I appreciate that the author dedicated the book to the women who lost their lives so horribly and doesn’t disregard them as society seemed to due to their status.
November 25, 2018
An exhaustively researched look into the Ripper murders. Priestley presents a wealth of information taken directly from sources current to the Ripper murders. These include police and court reports, as well as various newspapers. He does present his own suspect, but only after nearly 400 pages of information on the murders and, unlike many books, other things which were happening in Whitechapel at the time. A fascinating read and a must have for any Ripper fan.
December 5, 2023
While I'm a big true crime fan, I'm not usually a non-fiction reader however, after doing the Jack the Ripper tour in London with Mick, both my boyfriend and I agreed that we needed the book!
It's taken me a little while to get through it but purely because there's just so much information in this one! From the get go you can tell the amount of research and time that's been put into writing this.
The chapters are split between each crime and gives an account of what happened and what was done following each murder - there are maps, images and quotes throughout to build a very in-depth image of the scenes and the context of each case.
The last two chapters introduce a new suspect
for Jack the Ripper and personally, I also agree that it is a strong case and feels plausible!
Jack the Ripper is a case that has fascinated me for a long time and while I've never really learned all that much about it, after this book, I've definitely learned so much!
10/10 recommend this one and looking forward to getting M.P. Priestley's next book!
It's taken me a little while to get through it but purely because there's just so much information in this one! From the get go you can tell the amount of research and time that's been put into writing this.
The chapters are split between each crime and gives an account of what happened and what was done following each murder - there are maps, images and quotes throughout to build a very in-depth image of the scenes and the context of each case.
The last two chapters introduce a new suspect
for Jack the Ripper and personally, I also agree that it is a strong case and feels plausible!
Jack the Ripper is a case that has fascinated me for a long time and while I've never really learned all that much about it, after this book, I've definitely learned so much!
10/10 recommend this one and looking forward to getting M.P. Priestley's next book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews