This book is as close as you will get to taking a tour of East End Victorian London without actually being there. It covers both the physical and social structures of the time and truly puts the crimes and victims in the context of their time. The author’s personal interest in the case is clear and this makes the book a genuine labour of love - it is written with such care.

At the mention of Jack the Ripper, nearly everyone will instantly know who you are talking about. Though his brutal serial killing spree of five women ("unfortunates") lasted ten weeks, eleven women were killed in a span of three years and several may be attributed to Jack the Ripper. Though there were differences in methods, serial killers "find their feet" and come into their own after they grow more experienced. So, who knows? As the author mentions, some are unlikely but others more questionable. What is known is there were the Canonical Five.

Based on personal research and poring over books such as Living London, author Richard Charles Cobb takes his readers through each killing in graphic detail (including photographs) with a focus on the victims' characters which really personalizes thereby making the acts even more heinous. Not only does he include information such as definitions on what constitutes different types of murderers, maps, murder scene layouts and photographs of the areas then and now (when possible) but also discusses London's East End specifically in great detail. It was deemed the most impoverished area of London where crime was rampant and in fear people turned a blind eye. This adds to the fascinating yet awful atmosphere of the murders...was Jack the Ripper seen just before, during or after his acts? This book addresses and answers many questions but in turns asks even more including the most puzzling of all...why did the murders suddenly stop? The author reminds us that the police force had inadequate numbers of officers and there was no such thing as DNA tracing or fingerprinting (though the fingerprinting idea had been submitted and rejected in the era).

So much can be learned about Jack the Ripper by what he did and did not do. I like that the author explored what is known and what is not. It caused me to really think about possibilities. We know some about the what, where, how and when but much less about why except that the victims were all "unfortunates" who were butchered cruelly. The mysteries go unsolved to this day, 132 years later. A few relics are to be found in London but many are lost or destroyed. Amongst the many most interesting to me are the missing Dear Boss letter and the Victorian tiles. The author explains why the Jews in Whitechapel were blamed and that the press drew attention to the dreadful living conditions of that part of London.

While this book is not for everyone (it is graphic) it is eye opening and deeply engrossing. Those who wish to learn more about Jack the Ripper and the women he killed from a psychological perspective, this book is unmissable. The subject matter is certainly not enjoyable but as a person very intrigued by true crime, I learned so much. It is important to remember history, the good and the bad.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this gripping and thought provoking book.