The Complete Jack the Ripper

By: Donald Rumbelow

Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart

Fully updated and revised, Donald Rumbelow's classic work is the ultimate examination of the facts, theories, fictions, and fascinations surrounding the greatest whodunit in history.

Laying out all the evidence in the most comprehensive summary ever written about the Ripper, this book, by a London police officer and crime authority, has subjected every theory - including those that have emerged in recent years-to the same deep scrutiny.

The author also examines the mythology surrounding the case and provides some fascinating insights into the portrayal of the Ripper on stage and screen and on the printed page. More seriously, he also examines the horrifying parallel crimes of the Düsseldorf Ripper and the Yorkshire Ripper in an attempt to throw further light on the atrocities of Victorian London.

©2013 Donald Rumbelow (P)2018 Tantor

great job!

all around perfect audiobook. it kept my attention and I loved the narration! i just loved it

fantastic story

I found this book quite. interesting. I would recommend it. a great read all around.

Better than expected

Certainly offered some theories that were new to me and seemed very thoroughly researched. Didn’t find it dry at all, which says something about the quality of author’s storytelling and the excellent narration.

A Bit Difficult to Follow

I think this one is probably better read than listened to. It’s a bit difficult to follow in audio format. At times it’s hard to distinguish between the author’s voice and that of someone being quoted, a contemporary account, etc. I would imagine quoted passages are probably indented or italicized in the text, but that doesn’t come across in the audio. Maybe it’s just a shortcoming of the medium. For me, it makes for a confusing listen at times.

In terms of the content, everything that’s directly related to the murders is interesting and well done. I had less interest in the detailed backgrounds of certain suspects, especially suspects that seem unlikely or even outrageous. There are also sections dedicated to similar murders, like the “(insert city here) Ripper.” I had little or no interest in these sections. Also, the conclusion is quite brief.

Overall, if you’re interested in this subject, there is something for you here. Parts of it are certainly worth a listen/read. But if you aren’t interested it similar but unrelated cases, there’s quite a bit to skip as well.

Some interesting things I’ve not read/heard before

Author has a wealth of knowledge…maybe too much! If you get can past the chapter he spends the entire chapter explaining each and every profession in White Chapel at the time broken down into hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly (something that other authors manage to express simply by saying “it was a poor area) it is intriguing.