Jack the Ripper: CSI: Whitechapel [Hardcover]

This is about as good an introduction to the Jack the Ripper case as you're ever going to see. Written by two of the foremost experts on the Whitechapel Murders, it is not only satisfyingly complete, but beautifully laid out.

This is not a "suspect" book. In fact it scrupulously steers clear of advancing any particular suspect, and I feel is all the better for that...What it actually comprises is an exceptionally clear account of not only the murders themselves and the investigations, but also a whole mass of pertinent and helpful background information to the area, the times, and their mores and customs.

With regard to presentation, to use an old cliche and say that it is lavishly illustrated, would in this case be something of an understatement...not only is there a positive wealth of photographic images, there is a whole collection of especially commissioned and highly atmospheric illustrations by Jaako Luukanen. The overall effect is...well...stunning.

Personally I'm always suspicious of five star reviews, but I award this book such an accolade without the slightest hesitation. I'd honestly suggest that if you only ever buy one book about the Whitechapel Murders, then make it this one...I'm pretty sure you won't regret it

I was very impressed with this book and would rate it as one of the best books on the subject of Jack the Ripper. The book deals, in detail, with the crime committed by the elusive 'Jack' and also a couple of other possibly related murders taking place some time later to the Mary Jane Kelly incident. In addition to the murders, the book goes into great detail about the poverty of the area of the East End of London in 1888 and the working conditions and strikes which took place at that time, perfectly illustrating how difficult it was to make a living and survive the ever-changing, ever-expanding city.
But the text is only a small detail of this book. Throughout, the book is lavishly illustrated with engravings and photographs which, in some cases, are beautifully atmospheric and draw the reader even more into this dark period of history.
This book is highly recommended for Ripper enthusiasts, people interested in period history, or simply as a great book to include on a shelf or on a coffee table.

It's the spelling errors and so forth that prevent me from awarding this very nicely-produced book five stars. There aren't a great many of them, but it is irritating when they do crop up, as the book, with its impressive CGI artwork, is otherwise a very welcome addition to the field.

The excellent CGI artwork almost transports the reader back to those dark and misty streets of gaslight, privation and vice. One really gets a sense of what it must have been like and also how such conditions were conducive to Jack's crazed killing spree.

This book would serve as a good general account of the Whitechapel murders for those new to them, and I thought the authors were right to highlight the attack on Annie Millwood - in my opinion quite possibly a precursor to the savagery that would unfold from August onwards that same year. There aren't many who point to this attack as evidence of Jack's first tentative foray into serial murder, but, as with the suggestion that magistrates' court records ought to be examined in an effort to discover Jack's formative offences (such as arson and cruelty to animals), I think that Millwood's assailant was quite possibly Jack the Ripper. Having said that, the Whitechapel killings is obviously not a clear-cut affair. For example, was it the case that, whilst Jack the Ripper was killing prostitutes, another future serial killer, Severin Klosowski (aka George Chapman), was residing at nearby Cable Street? Well, it does seem a little hard to believe that two sadistic killers were present in such a small locale (leading some to think that Chapman probably *was* the Ripper), but then we must also acknowledge that the Thames Torso murders were happening around the same time, and were probably unconnected to the Ripper's crimes. Thus, we should be wary about making confident assertions about the case.

So this book is, as I said, a welcome and novel addition to the field. Its CSI approach to the killings, the historical tidbits concerning pubs and the typography of the area, all serve to bring the reader closer to the crimes and to the period in general. It's just a pity that the work is slightly marred by the lack of proofreading.