I absolutely love this book! I re-read it at least once a year. Is it 'The Final Solution' to the Ripper mystery? Probably not. I read somewhere that Stephen Knight himself more or less admitted as much shortly before his untimely death. But until Jack the Ripper is definitively identified, this theory, extreme as it is, is at least as valid as any other. It is shocking to me the way that this book and Stephen Knight himself has been attacked by Ripper "experts" who then go on to present their own unsubstantiated theories as fact - and until proven, they are all just theories, for better or worse. So how can I enjoy this book so much if I am not convinced of its authenticity? Well, it has charm. It tells of romance, escape, a great vision of an artists colony and the atmosphere of a dark and dangerous East End. As a stand-alone story it makes for a great read, and the "Ripperoligists" who so enthusiastically denounce it as damaging should remember it is the popularity of this theory that sparked the imagination of the public and kept their theories profitable!