Chasing the Ripper (Kindle Single)

I love Patricia Cornwell and have read many of her books. I read the previous book she did on this topic and found that one quite interesting. Perhaps because I had read the first book (the name escapes me), I just didn't get the point of this one. While it did provide some additional detail as to why She feels as though she has identified the Ripper, it just didn't seem enough for another entire book. I feel as though the book was written as a message to her critics, as if she was defending her stance instead of telling a story to her beloved audience. That said, I still love her and for readers out there who didn't read the first book or whom feel compelled to read everything on this topic, you may enjoy this book more than I.

This book is rather disappointing. Or perhaps I expected too much. The author very plausibly presentl a theory on the identity of Jack the Ripper. Unfortunately, as good as the theory may be it presents no hard evidence as proof to back it up. The author has apparently suffered some criticism for an earlier book on the same subject. She defends her theory well but I question the need for this book. I am surprised that feelings run so high after all this time. For dyed in the wool Ripper fans this book may be of benefit, but for the casual reader like myself it was not very satisfying.

This booklet (very short) did nothing more to encourage my own theories about the Ripper murders. The picture Miss Cornwell describes at the end of her book should have been included. In fact, pictures would be great to show us as readers why she was so convinced that Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper. I was fortunate enough to view some of his paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of art and they were ghastly. I was hoping some new evidence had come up, but this is more drumming up of the evidence previously presented. She is still one of my all time favorite authors. This is just not her most interesting work.