"On the Trail of Jack the Ripper" by Richard Charles Cobb is a meticulous and gripping exploration of one of history's most enduring mysteries. Delving into the gruesome crimes that shook Victorian London, Cobb navigates the labyrinthine alleys of Whitechapel with a historian's precision and a true crime enthusiast's passion. Through original police reports, unseen images, and state-of-the-art photographs, Cobb reconstructs the chilling autumn of 1888 when Jack the Ripper terrorized the East End. Beyond the infamous five victims, the book also considers other potential victims linked to the elusive killer.

Cobb's attention to detail extends beyond the crimes themselves, providing a comprehensive history of the victims, the police investigation, and the enduring impact on the cityscape. With a blend of historical accuracy and modern insights, the book takes readers on a haunting journey through the past and present of Jack the Ripper's London.

For true crime aficionados, armchair detectives, and anyone fascinated by the enigma of Jack the Ripper, Cobb's meticulous research and vivid storytelling make this book an indispensable addition to the exploration of one of the world's most captivating cold cases.

This is a must read for any true crime lover, especially those intrigued by Jack the Ripper. It was short, but definitely full of lots of history of Whitechapel and JTR. What I found interesting is that due to advances in forensics and understanding of killers and their MO it's possible that JTR had more victims than originally thought. This includes one before the reported victims. The pictures are great to see of what Whitechapel looks like current day. I would recommend this definitely if you love true crime.

I have read many books on the subject of the Jack the Ripper murders and this is one of the best summary books on the topic I have read.

It is a relatively short read but packs in details that I have not seen in any one book. For any new reader interested in Jack the Ripper murders it will provide the thirst for wanting to dig deeper into the subject matter, whilst those more knowledgeable will find it like me, as an excellent summary read with key facts described.

What makes the book additionally interesting is not just the old photos/sketches of the murder areas of the time but also photos taken of the murder scenes in 2021. Most are now unrecognizable of what they would have looked like, but there are a few small areas and public houses of the area that still exist today.

Highly recommended.

Hey book lovers! I have an announcement to make…

Y’all are so good to me, always loving up on my reviews and I promise you, I read every last comment and it warms my little black heart.

I have been dipping my toes in different genres and love the palette cleanse but you know me, thrillers are my jam.

I am going to be selective with the books I choose to request in order to fully support each review I put up and not rush through anything.

This book right here lit up my world!

This was my first by Richard Charles Cobb but this man made an imprint on my soul and I will forever be a fan!

I’m obsessed with Jack the Ripper so the title alone made me interested. Had I known what the content would do to me, I would have requested a medic be on stand by.

On the Trail of Jack the Ripper is what nightmares are made of. Never in my wildest dreams (or night terrors) could I have imagined what this book holds .

Glittering across the pages is a story that will plunge you right into the mind of a madman.

No need to spoil it anymore, buy the book.

Then come join my support group.

Teaser:

For 132 years the ghastly and horrific murders committed in London's East End by the infamous 'Jack the Ripper' have gripped and baffled the world. The Ripper commenced his series of atrocities at the end of August and continued freely until the beginning of November 1888 when inexplicably the murders stopped… In all, five women were brutally murdered and savagely mutilated in the most unimaginable way. The killing spree centered in and around the impoverished rabbit warren of alleys and rookeries of Whitechapel. The invisible killer was never caught despite the very best intentions of the police and thousands of would be detectives following the grim proceedings.

Since those dark days of murders committed by gaslight, the mystery of Jack the Ripper has become the ultimate cold case among crime historians and arm chair researchers worldwide, with a multitude of books, plays and dramas all hoping to solve what London's finest Victorian detectives failed to do…

Given the space of time much has changed and the crime scene locations and landscape in which the Ripper and his victims would known would be in many parts unrecognizable to them. Equally to the modern day Londoner or visitor the locations would be very much largely unknown… until now.

True Crime and Social historians, Richard C Cobb and Mark Davis, return to the Whitechapel of 1888 to see what remains from this dark time in London's history and to take the reader on a step-by-step tour of the modern world of Jack the Ripper, giving a detailed history of the victims, the crimes and the police investigation. We also look at other victims (outside the accepted five ) which may have been killed by the same man.

Using the original police reports, state of the art photographs, unseen images and diagrams, they present the truth about what actually happened in the autumn of 1888 and what remains of Jack the Ripper's London today. They also focus on the ever changing face of London's End End, giving the reader a real sense of how the past meets the present in arguably London's most vibrant and cultural quarter… where the shadow of the Ripper is never too far away.

I am obsessed with anything having to do with white chapel, jack the ripper and the Victorian era. I think this is one of the most believable and comprehensive story yet. The pictures are wonderful and really add something special to this book.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I am fascinated by tales of Jack The Ripper and all the various theories and assumptions. The author states clearly that the mystery has never been solved nor will it ever. The things that might have helped from modern day were not available and too much of whatever evidence is left has been too tainted to do much good. Yet, the first serial killer manages to hold interest 130 years later.

The author does a bang up job, going through the canonical five that everyone knows and also looks at others that were, at the time considered one of his works, but have been eliminated by many other studies. One of the things that he does is show the progression of his mania. No serial killer ever started at the top. Like any other “talent”, it must be honed. It certainly makes the argument that the earlier murders were committed by Jack.

He also does a thorough job of taking the reader through the reality of the time and allows the reader to overlay modern London with what it was like in 1888. Any remaining glimpses are highlighted. The fact that the author is one of the many guides who take tourists through the streets of the crimes makes him an excellent source and a riveting story teller. There are many books out there but I would recommend this highly as it has a different skew. Five purrs and two paws up.

As a fan on true crime I devoured this book! For 132 years, the ghastly and horrific murders committed in London’s East End by the infamous ‘Jack the Ripper’ have gripped and baffled the world. The Ripper commenced his series of atrocities at the end of August and continued freely until the beginning of November 1888 when inexplicably the murders stopped…In all, five women were brutally murdered and savagely mutilated in the most unimaginable way. The killing spree centred in and around the impoverished rabbit warren of alleys and rookeries of Whitechapel. The invisible killer was never caught despite the very best intentions of the police and thousands of would-be detectives following the grim proceedings.

I have read many books within the true crime category and also about Jack the Ripper himself (if indeed you think he is a man), but this book still had something to offer. I was particularly interested in the way that the author talked about the geographical detail both past and present and I feel that those who have attended a Ripper tour would get a lot out of this (unfortunately I have not). The author also covered all of the murders that might have been the Ripper killings rather than the usually assigned victims, he also offered interesting arguments as to why these maybe associated with the Ripper. The author had a very engaging style but did not wax lyrical about their theory of who the Ripper actually was, the book was balanced throughout and really stuck to the facts and had clearly well researched the subject. I enjoyed the author's writing style so much that I am currently reading his works on the Yorkshire Ripper which I am very much enjoying. Certainly, recommended for those interested in true crime but also the geographical history of Whitechapel.

On the Trail of Jack the Ripper by Richard Charles Cobb is a look at the historic Whitechapel killer.
There is not a lot of new material here on the killer but what is interesting is that the author looks at the fact that most serial killers don't spring full formed, and they also don't just stop unless something makes them. The author looks at some of the killings in the area preceding the 5 notorious murders and at some of the killings after the last killing of Mary Jane Kelly by Jack the Ripper in 1988. The biggest drawback is the fact that time makes even the most well-reasoned deduction into unverifiable conjecture.
Richard C. Cobb also looks at London today and super imposes the London of 1800's over it looking at the crime scenes and how much has changed and stayed the same
Overall, I found this to be a very intriguing look at the victims and some of the principal characters involved in the hunt for Jack the Ripper.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #Pen&Sword, and Richard Charles Cobb for the ARC of #OntheTrailofJacktheRipper.

I really liked this book. The story of Jack the Ripper always interested me. I didn’t/couldn’t put it down. There was so much information to take in. I can honestly say I devoured this book from beginning to end. The author did an amazing job writing this book.

On the Trail of Jack the Ripper by Richard Charles Cobb was an interesting read of the work of Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror in Whitechapel in London. I enjoyed the fact it did not focus on who Jack the Ripper was but on where he operated his murders. I really enjoyed it.

With thanks to the author, publishers en & Sword, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This was a very interesting work on Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror in Whitechapel in London in 1888. In addition to the accepted ‘Canonical Five’ victims, the book also covers several other murders in the months before and after that may or may not also be the work of Jack, some of which I had not known about previously. I also learned that the final of the five accepted victims likely originally came from my home town of Limerick in Ireland, again something I had never known before!

The drawings of the crime scenes help to give some context to the description of each murder, while the photos showing how each location has changed since those times was really interesting, particularly those that still bear some resemblance to how they would have looked then and whose photos were taken at night and in black and white. I also appreciated some of the author’s recommendations of documentaries to watch to see video footage of some of the locations before the were demolished, a few of which I have managed to track down on YouTube and Vimeo.

A quick but very informative read! Recommended!

Very graphic detail to scenes and victims. I felt as if I was actually there in some instances. Very intriguing and presented a bit differently than other Jack the Ripper books. I enjoy a good true crime but one that actually takes these victims and their murders and psychologically grabs ahold of your thoughts and visions with the gruesome details Is a plus for me ! Enjoyed this Jack the Ripper story as opposed to many I have read in the past.

This book outlays Ripper’s horrific crimes that occurred in London’s Whitechapel in 1888. The five confirmed victims were named as the ‘Canonical Five’, however, the author argues that like any serial killer, Jack the Ripper must have practised his craft on others. Therefore, in this book the author mentions other potential victims, how they were killed, and the similarities to Ripper’s ‘Canonical Five’, which in my opinion was a real strength of this book.

The second strength was the inclusion of photos of modern London showing where the Ripper’s crimes had occurred. Looking at them, it’s hard to imagine that such horrific violence could have happened there.

The author mentions at the beginning of the book that ALL Ripper victims were prostitutes – something that irked me, as there is no evidence to that claim. I’ve read a wonderful book by Hallie Rubenhold “The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper”, in which she stipulates that only two of Jack’s victims were prostitutes. In those times, a lot of poverty-stricken people couldn’t afford to sleep in a doss house, therefore they slept rough on the streets. Rubenhold argued that Ripper attacked his victims while they were asleep, given the reclining positions of their bodies.

I feel that the narrative of all victims being the same fallen women, has put me at odds with this book straight from the beginning (which is a shame, as it’s well researched).

Excellent book covering the murder sites then and how they look today.you are transpoy back to 1888 and how the area and people were and how they coped with life then.thoroughly recommy this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. The book was informative, interesting, and well written.

I thought I knew all that I needed to know about the infamous Jack the Ripper. However, this story introduced more information that I was unaware of. I appreciated the photos and drawings to help me envision the brutal slayings. I loved gaining additional context and information that was not previously provided (at least, to me). This was a nice, quick read. I highly recommend to true crime fans and those who may want an additional prospective of one of the most notorious serial killers.

I can't read enough about JTR! It's just one of the true crime cases that live rent free in my head! I mean....how can it not?! It's crazy, how many theories, controversies, mysteries, and madness there is related to JTR, and there's a reason why even after decades we are still reading n writing books about him. Mind boggling to think that in one of the cases the body was still warm when they found it meaning JTR must be so near but he still never got caught! He was one lucky POS!

Anyways coming to the book review lol! This is truly what the title suggests. It's like following JTR through time and place. The original crime scenes, where they are located now, and what remains of that dark time even today. And yeah, the best part is the photos (crime scenes, victims, morgue photos, maps, old and current places and locations, other morbid memorabilias etc. I remember going to shady websites looking for these back when i first read about JTR.

All that and it is still very concise. Pretty sure there is more info (facts not fluff) packed in here than many out there, and in such a way that it never gets boring. I for one actually found something new in these pages, even though I read n watch everything JTR that i come across. The best part is how the author has pointed out the exact locations in modern buildings which were once the most grisly of crime scenes. This is a must read if you're as obsessed with this case as i am.

Thanks so much Netgalley, author, and publishers for approving me for this book, for some reason i always get declined for true crime books 🤧. Imagine my happiness when I got the email! :))

Just another Jack the Ripper nothing special most of the same again the trouble is now there are so many books on the subject basically they all the same I would recommend the A to Z as the best read and then make your own mind up of who,you think might be jack

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a true crime author, and addicted fan of the genre. I was looking forward to reading this book. Having read lots of books about Jack the Ripper and the differing opinions on who the murderer was. While we will never know for certain unfortunately.

I found this book fascinating, and a good read. I particularly enjoyed the psychology behind the book and the documentary way in which it was written.

Recommended.