📖 Publication Day Book Review ~ One Armed Jack : Uncovering The Real Jack the Ripper by Sarah Bax Horton

 

Michael O'Mara Books
31 August 2023

My thanks to the publisher and Alison Menzies for my copy of this book

This highly revelatory book, based on original research and completely new analysis, presents a compelling new suspect as the most notorious serial killer of all time. Using a different analytical approach, for the first time, Sarah Bax Horton identifies a named perpetrator as Jack the Ripper by linking eye-witness accounts of the killer’s distinctive physical characteristics to his official medical records. It argues that his broken left arm, which left him unable to work in early 1888, was one of his triggers to kill as part of a serious physical and mental decline caused by severe epilepsy.

This new perpetrator fits the profile as stated by the police of the day: a local man of low class of whom they became aware after the final murder, when they launched an unsuccessful surveillance operation against him. As has never been done before, the author – an experienced former government researcher with specific expertise in research and analysis – formulates a complete analysis of the killer and his methodology, including how he accosted his victims, where he took them to their deaths, his unique modus operandi of a blitz-style attack, and how he escaped from each crime scene without detection.

Each of the six murders – from Martha Tabram to Marie Kelly – is discussed and reconstructed as perpetrated by this man, with his escalating violence clearly demonstrated.

📖 My Review..

Profiling 'Jack the Ripper' is as fascinating today as it was during that fateful period in the East End of London when the horrific murders were taking place. This account looks in considerable detail not only into the character of 'One Armed Jack' who very much fits the description given by some witnesses but it also brings into sharp focus each of the murders and the subsequent inquests which took place. In using considerable research a profile emerges of a man who could very much be responsible and the author does a convincing job in putting forward her findings so that a realistic picture of a violent, and unstable, criminal emerges in precise detail.

I found the book fascinating and very quickly became immersed in what it was like to live in the squalid conditions around Whitechapel in the 1880s. The women who plied their trade as sex workers eking out a meagre existence for a few pennies and a tot of gin never stood a chance against a man who was hellbent on murder. It was interesting to have the Victorian policing methods brought to life and to read witness statements gathered at the time and presented at each of the the inquests of the murder victims. Whilst the police methods were as good as they could be at the time, I did wonder just what those Victorian police officers would make of our modern day forensic science teams.

The author writes well and puts forward her analysis with great attention to detail so that by the end of the book I was convinced by her argument that this man could be responsible. Over one hundred and thirty-five years later we still have a morbid fascination for the events which took place in Victorian London and the names of the unfortunate victims of Jack the Ripper will never be forgotten.

About the Author

Sarah Bax Horton is a former civil servant who worked for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for over twenty years. She has an MA honours degree in English and Foreign Languages from Somerville College Oxford. Her interest in genealogy and a family member related to the Jack the Ripper case inspired her to research the lives of the personalities involved.

Twitter #onearmedjack

@OMaraBooks

Book Review ~ End of Innocence by Zoë Apostolides

Mardle Books
18 August 2022

Truly Unforgotten #1

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

End of Innocence is the first in a non-fiction series ('Truly Unforgotten') exploring UK cold cases.

This book focuses on the 1978 disappearance of Genette Tate. The 13-year-old schoolgirl vanished while out delivering newspapers on her bicycle in the Exeter countryside; no trace of her was ever discovered. With new and rarely seen comments from family, police and inside the courtroom, the story links her case to the earlier abductions of April Fabb (also 13), Christine Markham (9) and Mary Boyle (6). 

None of these unsolved cases was assumed to be linked until 1990, when a man was apprehended having just kidnapped a six-year-old girl. That man was Robert Black, a notorious murderer about whom relatively little has been written. Black was eventually charged with four murders and sentenced to life, though the true number of his victims was very likely far higher. Police were preparing to charge Black with Genette Tate’s abduction and murder when he died in prison in 2016.

My Review ..

End of Innocence sees the start of a new crime series which explores infamous and unsolved cold cases. This first book explores the history behind the unresolved disappearances of young girls spanning from the 1960s, the 1970s and right up until the 1990s, all of which may be attributed to the notorious child kidnapper, and murderer, Robert Black.

Without sensationalisng the tragedy of the disappearances of so many young lives the book relates the facts which were available at the time and the police responses to complex investigations which left them baffled. Without the use of modern day technology the investigations relied on 'good old policing' methods, namely door to door conversations and a heavy reliance on witnesses and with paper trails which stretched endlessly it was never easy to correlate information. Although most of these crimes were committed in broad daylight no-one saw ever what happened until a major breakthrough in 1990 when an competent witness saw an abduction take place, and at long last Robert Black was apprehended.

End of Innocence is an interesting and well put together dossier of one man's alleged crimes, the dedication of those investigative teams, up and down the country, who never gave up hope that one day they would be able to offer some sort of resolution to those grieving families who never came to terms with the devastating loss of a beloved child.

About the Author..

Zoë Apostolides has worked as a journalist for 10 years covering lifestyle, literature, art and education for the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph and others. She has ghost-written several memoirs and biographies and combines this with editorial work as a literary agent with a particular interest in crime, horror and narrative non-fiction across all genres.

Twitter@MardleBooks 

📖 Blog Tour ~ Murder by the Sea by David Howard and Robin Jarossi

Mardle Books
7 July 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book and the invitation to the tour

There is something sinister about a British seaside town. On the surface they’re all funfairs and breezy promenades. Yet dig a little deeper in the sand and you soon uncover an underworld of murder, madness and mayhem… 

Murder by the Sea is a companion book to the long-running true-crime documentary series on CBS Reality. Since 2018 the programme has examined some of the most extraordinary murder cases in Britain’s seaside towns. From Blackpool to Bournemouth, Southport to Pembrokeshire, people love to be beside the seaside, but away from the piers, the arcades and beautiful beaches lurks some dark secrets. Ten of the series’ most powerful and shocking cases feature in Murder by the Sea (Vol 1).

From serial killers to a 1950s poisoner, from cruel husbands to an unusual murder by a mother and son, these are the true stories of wives, couples and families who had the misfortune to encounter a killer in their everyday lives. With complete access to the extensive interviews conducted by the TV production teams with detectives, forensic psychologists, witnesses and relatives, Murder by the Sea features exclusive additional material and insights that could not be included in the original episodes.

Stephen Akinmurele – Blackpool serial killer who preyed on retired women.

John Cooper – serial killer and rapist who terrorised Pembrokeshire and eluded police for two decades.

Paul Longworth – Southport boat club commodore who tried to disguise the murder of his wife as a suicide.

Pierre Legris – Bournemouth bigamist who bludgeoned to death a woman who thought she was his second wife.

Malcolm Green – notorious Cardiff murderer who killed a prostitute and his best friend.

Louisa May Merrifield – the Blackpool Poisoner hanged in 1953 for killing her employer.

Mitchell Quy – murdered and dismembered his wife in Southport and taunted police for failing to locate the ‘missing person’.

Robert Mochrie – former civil servant who murdered his whole family in Barry.

Mathew Hardman – the teen who disembowelled an elderly woman on the island of Anglesey because he wanted to be a vampire.

Penny John and Barry Rogers – mother and son who murdered Penny’s mother in Pembrokeshire.

TV series Murder by the Sea has been commissioned twice a year since 2018 because it has won a devoted audience and high viewing figures, reinforced by frequent repeats and occasional ‘bingewatch months’ on CBS Reality. Having covered cases from around the UK, from Scotland to the South Coast, Wales, the North East and even the Isle of Man, the factual series has nationwide appeal. Its success is built on reviewing chilling cases with the assistance of experts and former detectives to reveal the murderous motivations of husbands, family members and psychopaths, and how they were eventually caught. Away from the ice creams and seafront arcades, the series exposes the dark side of locations that are meant to be idyllic.

Brand new series 7 launches in September 2022 with another in January 2023.

📖 My Review..

I'm not an overly enthusiastic reader of true crime because to be honest I'm scared of reading about those evil individuals who inflict such torment, and torture, on their victims and I haven't watched the TV series Murder by the Sea but something about this book title intrigued me especially as the seaside is one of my favourite places to visit and here in the UK we have hundreds of miles of beautiful, unspoiled, coastline. However, having said that, there is sometimes something a little bit sinister about a seaside town, maybe it's the thought of so many people, each with their own stories to tell, who pass through the towns all year round.

Murder by the Sea looks in depth at ten of the most chilling murders which have taken place in those seaside resorts we all know and love. Both Blackpool and Southport are just a short drive away from me and yet I wasn't familiar with any of the three cases which took place in these towns and which are mentioned in the book. Sometimes these stories of murder are just snippets in a local news item but as this in-depth study reveals there is usually a lot more to discover about these complex, and rather sensational, murder investigations.

With impeccable research and a fine eye for even the smallest of detail, the authors have done a great job of presenting the factual evidence of these heinous crimes. Crimes which have fractured families and shattered the peace of small seaside communities who are still reeling from having a killer in their midst.

Perfectly possible to read with no prior knowledge of the crimes, Murder by the Sea works as an adjunct, or introduction, to this True Life TV crime series.

🍷Best read with...a stiff drink, or maybe even two..

About the Authors

Authors DAVID HOWARD is a documentary film maker and founder of the television production company Monster Films. A recipient of the Royal Television Society Award for journalism, his award-winning films include Interview With A Murderer (Channel 4) and Dark Son (BBC). He is the creator and director of the series Murder by the Sea. This is his first book. ROBIN JAROSSI is a freelance journalist and the author of The Hunt for the 60s’ Ripper. He is also an on-air contributor to true-crime documentaries on the BBC and CBS Reality, including Murder by the Sea.

Twitter @MardleBooks #MurderbytheSea

@MonsterFilmsUK

@RobinJarossi

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Book Review ~ A Special Place in Hell by Christopher Berry-Dee

Ad Lib
March 2021

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Sunday Times bestselling author Christopher Berry-Dee is the man who talks to serial killers. A world-renowned investigative criminologist, he has gained the trust of murderers across the world, entered their high security prisons, and discussed in detail their shocking crimes. The killers' pursuit of horror and violence is described through the unique audiotape and videotape interviews which BerryDee conducted, deep inside the bowels of some of the world's toughest prisons. 

Christopher Berry-Dee has collated these interviews into this astounding, disturbing book. Not only does he describe his meetings with some of the world's most evil men and women, he also reproduces, verbatim, their very words as they describe their crimes, allowing the reader a glimpse into the inner workings of the people who have committed the worst crime possible - to mercilessly take the life of another human being.

My Thoughts..

I'm not an enthusiastic reader of the true crime genre but after watching a recent TV programme about the psychiatric hospital Broadmoor I found myself dipping into this book which has been so kindly sent to me by Ad Lib publishers and Mardle Books. I have to be honest and say that this one has lingered on my shelf since March as I wasn't too sure if I wanted to read it.

Any way into the book I go which seems a rather incongruous choice of reading on a beautiful summer afternoon. Going into the minds of a bunch of killers isn't really a fun way to spend time but it did becoming morbidly fascinating, even though I have to admit to skipping some sections as I had my fingers over my eyes. 

Criminologist, Christopher Berry-Dee has spent time analysing some of the world's most evil men and women and so doesn't shy away from recounting their stories, their words, their lack of morality and blasé indifference at taking away another person's life. Of the ten 'killers' mentioned in this book I was only familiar with two of them, one being Peter Sutcliffe, the depraved serial killer, who terrorised the streets of Northern England in the late nineteen seventies. I lived, and worked in Leeds, at the height of Ripper mania and remember only too well, the sheer terror that this evil man instilled into the hearts of women as they went about their daily lives. I will never forgive him for making my early years in a wonderful city fraught with danger.

This is definitely not a book for the faint hearted, and certainly not pleasant reading if you don't find getting into the minds of seriously disturbed individuals interesting. However, in A Special Place in Hell, the author shares his thoughts about ten of the most heinous serial killers/mass murderers who fully deserve their special place in hell, and all credit must go to the author for writing with dispassionate ease about some quite horrific subjects. That there are more killers out there who have the potential to be the worst of the worst Christopher Berry-Dee readily admits but I don't think I want to  read about them.

If you like true crime, and are not easily shocked, then A Special Place in Hell is a well written and interesting account of ten of the world's most evil serial killers.

About the Author

Noted writer and criminologist, Christopher Berry-Dee's recent books include Talking With Psychopaths and Savages, the UK's best selling true-crime title of 2017, and Talking With Female Serial Killers. He is the country's No. 1 true crime author.

Twitter @AdLibPublishers

@MardleBooks

Book Review ~ Poisoned at the Priory by Antony M Brown

Mirror Books
23 January 2020

Cold Case Jury #4

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Balham, 1876. When the newly-wed barrister Charles Bravo ingests a rare poison, all evidence suggests suicide. But in one of the most infamous inquests of all time, a coroner finds it to be an unlawful murder. So what really happened that day? 

With dramatic reconstructions of four main theories on how Bravo may have died, this fourth book in the popular 'Cold Case Jury' series picks apart the notorious case that gripped Victorian Britain - and continues to spark debate to this day.

Why did Bravo refuse any help, even when going through agonising pain? Was his wife, with her scandalous past, to blame? Or perhaps it was her ex-lover, jealous of her newfound happiness… or another sinister hand, moving silently?

What did I think about it..

I think what's so intriguing about this cold case crime is that since the unsolved death of newly wed barrister Charles Bravo in 1876 so many people have tried to figure out just whether a murder had indeed been committed, or whether the victim was,an alleged suicide.

In Poisoned at the Priory there's a comprehensive breakdown of the alleged crime, along with transcripts from witnesses and descriptions of exhibits used in the subsequent inquests, all of which add up to a meticulous examination of the clues and facts as they were presented to the Victorian jury. Also at the time of the inquest into Charles Bravo's death there was an unprecedented interest with all the popular newspapers carrying items of scurrilous gossip and dubious facts. The author puts forward a very comprehensive case, explaining the situation in intricate detail so that the lives of Charles Bravo, and his new wife, Florence, are opened up to scrutiny, and the scattered clues which ooze piece by piece help to bring their individual stories to life. So many times I thought I had the perpetrator, if there was one, into the frame, only for another theory to be put forward so that by the end of the story, there are still at least four possible solutions. However, I have come to my decision...and when you come to your decision head over to Cold Case Jury and leave your verdict!

Poisoned at the Priory is the fourth book in this Cold Case Jury series and whilst I haven't read the previous three books, something I plan to rectify as soon as possible, each of the books are complete standalone and describe, in great detail, a different unsolved crime in each book. 

Recommended : Yes, if you enjoy reading True Crime and following clues to make up your own mind ✔

Cold Case Jury Collection:

The Green Bicycle Mystery: The curious death of Bella Wright

Death of an Actress: A true story of sex, lies and murder on the high seas

Move to Murder

About the Author

Antony M. Brown's books are perfect for the armchair detective. He takes a cold case crime from British history, paints an intricate picture of the main characters while weaving in social history, and presents the reader with different scenarios leading up to the murder. He displays the evidence - both original and anything that has since come to light - and ends with his personal opinion of the likely outcome. The reader is then invited to give their own verdict via his website and become a member of the Cold Case Jury.

Antony's previous titles Move To Murder, Death of an Actress and The Green Bicycle Mystery are all standalone cases of unsolved British murders.

Website

Twitter @TheMirrorBooks

MirrorBooks

Review ~ The Feather Thief by Kirk W Johnson

Hutchinson
26 April 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

This book really took me by surprise as I had no idea that bird feathers were such a valuable commodity, and, as such, are open to thievery on really a grand scale. That's just what happened in the summer of 2009 when twenty year old musician, Edward Rist broke into the Natural History Museum at Tring in Hertfordshire and stole a huge assortment of wild bird specimens which had been collected centuries before by some of the very first naturalists.

I expected the book to mainly concentrate on this audacious theft, which of course it does in some detail, however, the early part of the book concentrates on the obsession with collecting natural specimens, initially for curiosity and then for scientific research purposes, but also in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for use by the fashion industry. I was shocked to learn that by 1900 some two hundred million North American birds were killed every year in order to satisfy the need for bird feathers for use in the millinery trade, and, as bird numbers depleted so the net worth of their precious feathers increased.

By the time Edward Rist had his fascination for bird feathers, their usage had become consistent with  the world of salmon fishing, where intricate flies, made from original and highly prized rare bird feathers, exchanged hands for large sums of money. The chapters which detail the Tring Heist are absolutely fascinating, and as the reasons for Rist's theft becomes apparent, so the strange and very secret subculture that exists around fly fishing comes vividly to life. I was astonished to learn of the lengths that some people are prepared to go in order to obtain the feathers they crave, and I was equally disturbed to find out that large sums are paid for extremely rare bird feathers. 

The book is an absolute page turner, beautifully written by a man who was determined to see this story told, and he does so with real flair, and fine attention to detail, so that even if you know absolutely nothing about birds, like me, or indeed fly fishing, like me, you can't help but be drawn into this fascinating true crime story. There are also a number of very interesting photographs and illustrations which help to put the subject into context.

I read The Feather Thief constantly surprised, and more than a little upset at the thought that so many billions of beautiful birds have died to satisfy our whims and fancies. I will never look at displays of bird feathers in quite the same way ever again.

About the Author

Kirk Wallace Johnson is the author of To Be a Friend is Fatal and the founder of the List Project. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among other publications. He is the recipient of fellowships from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the American Academy in Berlin, and the USC Annenberg Center. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, son, and daughter.

Website

Twitter @KirkWJohnson #TheFeatherThief

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