Murder and Madness: The Secret Life of Jack the Ripper

A veteran forensic psychiatrist focuses his considerable talents on the case of Jack the Ripper and not only identifies the killer conclusively but also probes his motives. By the author of Confessions of Son of Sam. Tour.

Forensic psychiatrist Abrahamsen ( Confessions of Son of Sam ) caps a 10-year investigation by "solving" the 1888 Jack the Ripper murders. The 80-year-old Norwegian American, who has testified in the Leopold and Loeb, Lee Harvey Oswald and Son of Sam cases, methodically pieces together a "documentary theory" based on evidence "overlooked by previous investigators," including previously unreleased files from Scotland Yard. Abrahamsen asserts that Jack the Ripper was actually two men, Prince Albert Victor Edward (Prince Eddy) and James Kenneth Stephen, Prince Eddy's tutor; his theory centers on misogyny, which he claims motivated their killings of five East End prostitutes. Questionable postulations about homosexuality and transvestism weaken this book, and details of a police cover-up of important evidence are also likely to stir debate. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Who was Jack the Ripper? If the answer is not yet known, it is not for lack of study. The murders in Victorian London have been exhaustively examined, but it is close to impossible to reconstruct a century-old crime. Abrahamsen, author of Confessions of Son of Sam ( LJ 3/15/85) and an expert witness in the investigations of the Leopold and Loeb case and Lee Harvey Oswald, is as qualified as anyone to speculate. As the book evolves, however, his theory does seem to be entirely speculation. The author definitely puts a new twist on an old suspect, and the book makes for interesting reading. Unfortunately, he uses facts that support his purpose and discards those that don't. He accepts the testimony of a controversial witness but discounts a crucial part of her statements that conflict with his theory. He also makes some grand leaps in logic, such as labeling a man a pedophile because he was described as "a hero among the smaller boys." In the end, the book fails to convince, but the theory remains intriguing. Recommended for large crime collections and collections focusing on serial killers.
- Lois Walker, formerly with Winthrop Coll. Lib., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.