What do you think?
Rate this book
Voices from an Evil God
The story of Britain's most notorious mass-murderer as related by the author who claims the Yorkshire Ripper spoke to her.
314 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 1991
28 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 21, 2021
After reading Gordon Burn’s Somebody’s Husband, Somebody’s Son, I wanted to gain more insight into Peter Sutcliffe’s perspective of his crimes. Whilst Burns did an excellent job of building a picture of Sutcliffe through the insights of those who knew him, Barbara Jones spent time with both Sutcliffe and his ex-wife Sonia. The dynamic between the couple was something I wanted to know more about considering that this relationship was one which demonstrated some of the better aspects of Sutcliffe’s personality; he was a loving and supportive husband, the compromiser of the relationship. He was the guy that would put up with a lot to keep his wife, who some considered ‘nagging’, happy. He even described it as something that was his duty and came naturally to him.
The chasm between this manifestation of humanity and the part of him that brutally attacked and murdered at least 13 women is one that I found both astoundingly tragic and fascinating. I needed to know more.
Did Barbara’s book fulfil that curiosity? To an extent but I would not recommend this book to everyone for reasons that will become apparent in this review.
Jones recalls how she visited Peter in prison and spent time with Sonia, even holidaying with her in Greece. Her interactions with a podgy Yorkshire man, who would gorge on Jaffa Cakes and lament his situation when she visited him at the secure unit where he was held, were captured with an ordinariness that made it almost unbelievable. Sutcliffe believed he should have been granted clemency based on theological grounds; his actions were inspired by voices that he thought were from God and he was only trying to fulfil his mission in his words. It ‘were a great struggle’ trying to fight these thoughts and not being able to tell anyone. The attempt to justify the actions that led to 13 lives being taken is one that will be met with immediate affront but does it help to plaster such individuals with a label and make no attempt to consider their view? Some would say yes, absolutely, such an individual should not even have a voice. Others, particularly those whose life’s work is concerned with helping people with schizophrenia irrespective of their actions, would disagree. This moral dilemma is one that is palpable in Jones’s writing; there is a sense of wanting to understand but also fearing getting close to the perpetrator of such inhumanity. Jones’s is constantly trying to balance this internal conundrum; of trying to shed light on darkness but distancing herself from it because of the obvious connotations. It was Jones’ vulnerability as a writer in such unique circumstances that made this book not only about the psychology of a serial killer but the struggle of an ordinary person trying to comprehend the worse aspects of humanity. Although I would argue that Burns’ is a better writer, as evidenced by his numerous successful works, his book does not betray a sense of vulnerability. The latter is something that makes this book have the edge although stylistically it did not match up to Burns’ ability to build a narrative that makes it hard to put down.
In terms of the relationship between Peter and Sonia, this book provided a good insight into their dynamic. Sonia spoke of marking books in the attic as part of her teach duties before Peter would come home from his job as a truck driver. He would have a wash while she would sit on the edge of the bath tub whilst the pair would exchange details about their day. Just couple things ay; the juxtaposition of 70s domestic cuteness with such evil lurking just under the surface will never cease to be unfathomable. Despite many allegations that Sonya knew about the murders, the book presents a compelling case against this. Sonya would often be working late herself on the evenings that the murders took place and Peter being the dutiful husband he was perceived as would wash his own clothes. Indeed, if Sonya was trying to hide something, she would not be so forthright with her views of her husband’s behaviour. She expressed sympathy for her husband and stood by him during and after the trial. This was something she saw as her duty considering that Peter had helped her through the mental breakdown that preceded their marriage. Her dogged adherence to principles seemed to override what most would imagine to be a deal breaker: i.e. murder.
Whilst this is incomprehensible, it did convince me that she was not privy to her husband’s murderous alter ego.
On a slightly different topic, there was something else in this book that seemed weird enough at the time it was published (1991) but is even more noteworthy since the advent of Operation Yewtree. The latter investigation, which was publicised in 2012, outed Jimmy Saville as a serial sexual abuser. What is the relevance of that to this book, you may well ask? Barbara recalls Sutcliffe telling her that Saville would pop into his cell at Broadmoor and joke about them ‘being a couple a Yorkshire puds’. The ‘cosy’ scene conjured by this revelation is no doubt even more nauseating and disturbing considering what has since come to light.
Overall, this book was a fascinating insight into a very dark and incomprehensible aspect of human nature. As someone interested in forensic psychology, I found it an informative read but would I recommend it to everyone? Definitely not; the content is disturbing and will not be of interest to everyone.
The chasm between this manifestation of humanity and the part of him that brutally attacked and murdered at least 13 women is one that I found both astoundingly tragic and fascinating. I needed to know more.
Did Barbara’s book fulfil that curiosity? To an extent but I would not recommend this book to everyone for reasons that will become apparent in this review.
Jones recalls how she visited Peter in prison and spent time with Sonia, even holidaying with her in Greece. Her interactions with a podgy Yorkshire man, who would gorge on Jaffa Cakes and lament his situation when she visited him at the secure unit where he was held, were captured with an ordinariness that made it almost unbelievable. Sutcliffe believed he should have been granted clemency based on theological grounds; his actions were inspired by voices that he thought were from God and he was only trying to fulfil his mission in his words. It ‘were a great struggle’ trying to fight these thoughts and not being able to tell anyone. The attempt to justify the actions that led to 13 lives being taken is one that will be met with immediate affront but does it help to plaster such individuals with a label and make no attempt to consider their view? Some would say yes, absolutely, such an individual should not even have a voice. Others, particularly those whose life’s work is concerned with helping people with schizophrenia irrespective of their actions, would disagree. This moral dilemma is one that is palpable in Jones’s writing; there is a sense of wanting to understand but also fearing getting close to the perpetrator of such inhumanity. Jones’s is constantly trying to balance this internal conundrum; of trying to shed light on darkness but distancing herself from it because of the obvious connotations. It was Jones’ vulnerability as a writer in such unique circumstances that made this book not only about the psychology of a serial killer but the struggle of an ordinary person trying to comprehend the worse aspects of humanity. Although I would argue that Burns’ is a better writer, as evidenced by his numerous successful works, his book does not betray a sense of vulnerability. The latter is something that makes this book have the edge although stylistically it did not match up to Burns’ ability to build a narrative that makes it hard to put down.
In terms of the relationship between Peter and Sonia, this book provided a good insight into their dynamic. Sonia spoke of marking books in the attic as part of her teach duties before Peter would come home from his job as a truck driver. He would have a wash while she would sit on the edge of the bath tub whilst the pair would exchange details about their day. Just couple things ay; the juxtaposition of 70s domestic cuteness with such evil lurking just under the surface will never cease to be unfathomable. Despite many allegations that Sonya knew about the murders, the book presents a compelling case against this. Sonya would often be working late herself on the evenings that the murders took place and Peter being the dutiful husband he was perceived as would wash his own clothes. Indeed, if Sonya was trying to hide something, she would not be so forthright with her views of her husband’s behaviour. She expressed sympathy for her husband and stood by him during and after the trial. This was something she saw as her duty considering that Peter had helped her through the mental breakdown that preceded their marriage. Her dogged adherence to principles seemed to override what most would imagine to be a deal breaker: i.e. murder.
Whilst this is incomprehensible, it did convince me that she was not privy to her husband’s murderous alter ego.
On a slightly different topic, there was something else in this book that seemed weird enough at the time it was published (1991) but is even more noteworthy since the advent of Operation Yewtree. The latter investigation, which was publicised in 2012, outed Jimmy Saville as a serial sexual abuser. What is the relevance of that to this book, you may well ask? Barbara recalls Sutcliffe telling her that Saville would pop into his cell at Broadmoor and joke about them ‘being a couple a Yorkshire puds’. The ‘cosy’ scene conjured by this revelation is no doubt even more nauseating and disturbing considering what has since come to light.
Overall, this book was a fascinating insight into a very dark and incomprehensible aspect of human nature. As someone interested in forensic psychology, I found it an informative read but would I recommend it to everyone? Definitely not; the content is disturbing and will not be of interest to everyone.
September 28, 2024
A pretty wild story! The author built a fairly trusting relationship with Sonia Sutcliffe in order to tell her own tale, and from there Jones even got to know her husband, the Yorkshire Ripper. But she soon learned just how strange things can get in this family. A fascinating sideline on a dreadful story. I came away more disgusted than ever at how everyone fell for Sutcliffe's lies, but there is so much more going on here. This one is well worth your time.
December 18, 2021
Not brilliant
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews