The mystery of Jack the Ripper and their identity is one of the biggest true crime mysteries.

This book takes a new approach to the possible identity of the famous serial killer. Sarah Bax Horton, a descendant from someone who worked in the police force during the Victorian age, makes the case for Hyam Hyams, a Polish jew who lived in Aldgate, very close to the area of the murders. Hyams suffered from several mental health issues, from hallucinations to a growing violent behaviour. According to Horton research, he threatened to rip people up with a knife.

Horton explains that Hyams was in and out of a number of asylums, making the connection that the murders only occurred when he was released from them.

While the book is very well researched and some events seem to be connected, I find it all very circumstantial. The evidence collected at the time was very limited due to the lack of procedures during this period, and hence not conclusive at all. Horton makes a solid case, but for me it’s just another possibility for an identity but I can’t say it’s definitely him. And there will never be forensics studies or evidence to prove that this man was actually Jack the Ripper.

It was an interested read with a fresh approach to this mystery, but it just wasn’t enough to convince me.

The mystery surrounding the identity of Jack the Ripper continues to fascinate people and this book makes the case for his being Hyam Hyams, a resident of Aldgate during the period who suffered hallucinations and became increasingly more violent as his mental health declined. Hyams came from the area of the murders and spent much of his life in and out of asylums - the attacks seem to have occurred during his time outside and stopped when he was incarcerated.

He's not a new name in the suspects and the author, who has an ancestor who worked on the police case at the time, puts forward a comprehensive argument of why he might be guilty. It's not completely convincing though - the sad fact is we'll never know for sure as the investigation at the time and lack of the scientific help we have now means we'll never have enough evidence to be sure.

A good addition to the huge amounts printed on the subject though.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

#OneArmedJack #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley for a free arc
This promised so much. Being fascinated by the horrific crimes of the serial killer Jack the Ripper the premise of this book was intriguing, what were we going to learn that would be revelatory. Basically the book succeeded in a few discussions because it seemed that it was all about creating a story around Hyam Hyams. There seemed to be a lot of circumstantial evidence that was not conclusive to it being this named person. It did not leave me convinced that it was him, far from it to be honest.