- Hardcover: 512 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st Edition edition (3 Feb 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007100868
- ISBN-13: 978-0007100866
- Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 16.2 x 5.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 513,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, cast an evil shadow over the north of England in the 1970s. Like his Victorian predecessor, Jack, he had a powerful hold on the public imagination as rumours and theories spread like wildfire and the body count of women grew. Ideas as to what could drive a man to kill with such frenzied, perverted ferocity were ten a penny. So it's with some surprise that we find this latest addition to the huge library of books on the subject isn't based on some worthless interview with a madman, and isn't prepared to waste hundreds of pages on baseless speculation. This is, instead, the story of the hunt for Sutcliffe - the quarter of a million police interviews, the painstaking house-to-house searches, the hands and knees search for clues. Of course, much of that work was wasted and fruitless (Sutcliffe was interviewed several times, but vital clues were never pieced together), and many were quick to blame the police - among them Margaret Thatcher, who thought that those in charge shared the Ripper's contempt for women. Bilton (who covered the case for the Sunday Times for many years) uncovers witless blundering, missing files, seemingly blindingly obvious clues ignored and dunder-headed inter-police rivalries that thwarted the investigation and cost lives. He uncovers another dozen attacks (to add to the official toll of 13) that can reasonably be put down to Sutcliffe - including two on men. He also reveals Sutcliffe's killing wear - a V-neck jumper that stretched down to protect the knees and exposed the genitals to enable him to masturbate over the bodies. But for all the police failures, Bilton is remarkably fair with the men involved, portraying them as decent and honest men who were out of their depth and hampered by the failings of a cumbersome system. The sort of computer-based DNA checks we have now would have solved this in weeks. That, of course, is no consolation to the relatives of Sutcliffe's victims, but at least here, Bilton has produced a masterly overview of a police investigation that pinpoints failures with forensic precision and is a fascinating tale of a northern nightmare. (Kirkus UK)
Time Out, March 2003
'exceptional account...a masterpiece that reads as well as any thriller.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent study of this case,
By
This review is from: Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (Paperback)
Michael Bilton has, in my view, produced the best book yet on the Yorkshire Ripper. Bilton takes you through the entire case and each murder individually, highlighting the evidence and events without sensationalising them at all. He does not just accept the recorded version of events but examines thoroughly any errors or discrepancies he sees before coming to a conclusion about the reality of events. For example, he looks into the possibility that one of the Ripper's victims in Manchester may in fact not have been killed by him at all, and comes up with some pretty convincing arguments. He backs all of this up with detail of Yorkshire life and policing, and portraits of the officers involved in the case to provide a thorough study of how events unfolded.The book could have been improved by some interview with the Ripper himself. I can understand why Bilton did not want to do this, but I cannot concur that the Ripper could not tell him anything about the crime of use. It is essential that we try to understand these people and their motivations. Unfortunatly this means given them the attention some of them crave, but it is a worthwhile sacrifice if it assists our understanding of such evil people. Bilton focuses also on the victims and their lives, rather than glossing over them and focusing on the criminal alone as many books of this genre too. He provides a good insight into how the lives of the families and the police officers involved were affected. Whilst undoubtedly the police made mistakes, they are too often turned into the enemy, with little understanding as to the pressure they were under. Bilton looks closely at methods of investigation at the time and the problems this caused in such a massive investigation. A small criticism is that he does tend to be slightly biased towards the police and give them a bit too much benefit of the doubt over their mistakes, which really were far too many whatever the pressure of the investigation. The book is a very thorough study of the case but one aspect I would have liked a bit more of an examination into is the Wearside Jack issue - who the hoaxer might have been and his motivations. This was a crucial part of the investigation and I felt a bit more detail on this would have been useful to put the hoaxer issue into context. However, overall this really is an excellent and important book and well worth a read for anyone with an interest in true crime.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly wicked beyond belief...,
This review is from: Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (Paperback)
This book had me on the edge of my seat and I simply could not put it down! With every single page read, you can feel the tension mounting as police seemed so close and yet so far to catching this maniacal, hammer wielding, serial killer. The book is easy to read and provides an objective, non-biased account of The Yorkshire Ripper case. The author details the facts of the investigation well, including drawing attention to the missed opportunities on the part of the police, but in a non-accusatory way. The author has clearly sought to find his readers answers to the apparent lack of 'police integrity' at the time and his research on the matter enables the reader to sympathize with the CID and understand how primitive their resources still were, even in the 1970s/80s. A well-researched, objective true crime piece, which I'd highly recommend.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping Stuff,
By
This review is from: Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper (Paperback)
This is an excellent book. It tells the story of the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, aka Peter Sutcliffe, in a gripping, objective and very real way. With hindsight the ripper should have been caught several years before he was, and the book highlights in great detail the flaws in the investigation, the various blind alleys that were followed to no avail and most of all how back in the 1970's the lack of the scientific and technologocial processes (DNA and Computers) we take for granted, made this extraordianry manhunt such an onerous endeavour. That being said, some of the decisions made by detectives and the powers that be were woeful and the fact that peter Sutcliffe was actually interviewed 9 times! over the course of his 6 year reign of terror, but nothing was done, beggars belief and highlights the communication flaws and general narrow mindedness/clutching at straws mentality that plagued the investigation. Although I knew what the outcome was, the book raced through at an exciting pace and left me feeling excited, frightened, appalled, angry and stupified simultaneously. Not for the faint hearted, but a terrific read all the same.
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