Jack the Ripper Suspects: The Definitive Guide and Encyclopedia

by Paul Williams, R.J. Parker (Illustrator), Peter Vronsky (Editor)

In the autumn of 1888, a serial killer known as Jack the Ripper stalked the East End of London. He was never identified, but hundreds of people were accused. Some were known to the authorities at the time, and others were named by later researchers. The truth about them, and the reasons why they came under suspicion, is often lost in a plethora of opinions and misinformation. For the first time, this book presents the evidence against 333 suspects. They include the publican who painted his dog, the first woman sentenced to the electric chair, the writer of the Red Flag, the man with a thousand convictions, Britain’s oldest Prime Minister, and many others. People from all walks of nineteenth century life, representing many different nationalities and professions. United by a link, however tenuous, to the most famous murderer in history.

Genres: True Crime

324 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2018

Reviews

[Michael Bully · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is important to stress that Mr. Williams concludes '"That it is not possible to identify Jack the Ripper from the list of current suspects. This may change the in the future" . His mission is to take stock of what has been gleaned so far, advising "Serious research cannot deliver results while hindered by the inane. "
I know very little about Jack the Ripper and so having a guide to the 333 suspects was fascinating. I have only seen the kindle version but around 60% of the book concerns a brief summary about each suspect. The author categorises them into chapters , but it must have been quite a mammoth task to offer brief biography, case against them, who accused them, in what year, how much evidence is there.
There are extensive notes, and the author offers quite an awareness of 'Ripperology' and the different arguments put forward over the decades leading up to the latest Internet Forums debates. It is very readable and informative. The accusations concerning the identity seemed to have got quite wacky with Toulouse- Latrec , Robert Louis Stevenson, Madam Blahavatsky , even finding their way into the 333. Though some of the suspects were criminally insane by just about anyone's standards, interesting to see how Irish Nationalists, Anarchists, Freemasons, Jews, were implicated, reflecting what we would now call 'cultural anxieties' of the day.
Then follows a useful alphabetic list of the suspects. And finally the whole array of end-notes .
I am giving it five stars as couldn't stop reading it once started. Has got me wondering if the book would be even better with a little bit more about how the rise of the illustrated magazines and newspapers, not to mention the 'Penny Dreadfuls' stimulated the speculation concerning the Ripper's identity.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What you never knew about Jack the Ripper

Okay, set aside your preconceived notions, put your pet theories and suspects on the shelf and clear your mind. You're about to meet the 333 persons accused or suspected of being Jack the Ripper.

The author neatly breaks them down into categories and explains why they could or could not be the Ripper. I am in awe of the amount of research that has gone into this book.

This is the most comprehensive work concerning Jack the Ripper that I have ever read, and it is very readable. The 333 suspects are whittled down to the bone in an impressive feat of detective work until you can see that your favorite suspect is either eliminated or enters the finals.

If you've ever read a book about Jack the Ripper, you'll want to read this one.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea that Jack the Ripper was possibly the cause (suspect) of several other women’s murders.

I have always been interested about Jack the Ripper.

I find it intriguing that in The Rippers letter he uses the phrase “ha ha” and it amazes me that this term is still used today; from over 100 years ago.
This book is very well written and has a lot of detailed information and facts about Jack the Ripper and his victims.

This is must read for Ripper fans.

[Kathy Mazor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious

[Bradley Harper · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was overwhelming. 333 suspects, my mind went numb after about twenty pages, and I stopped.