A Ripper Book - The Yard

The Yard by Alex Grecian Putnam; May 29, 2012 Jack The Ripper has disappeared into the mist of Victorian London. But Scotland Yard -- shamed and embarrassed over its failure to catch the taunting madman -- must carry on.

In this debut novel by comic book author Alex Grecian (Proof), the Yard is an absorbing launch pad for a new series built around the detectives who are finding their way in the new business of criminology.

 Fingerprinting, saving evidence, comparing notes from different crimes to see if there's a pattern, even something as simple as working in pairs are all novel, untested ideas tried out for the first time. Our heroes include the new kid on the staff, Walter Day; a passionate journeyman cop named Hammersmith and the doctor who has taken it upon himself to be a de facto medical examiner.

At the top is Colonel Sir Edward Bradford, the one-armed man leading his team with grim humor and determined insight into both his men and the dangerous new strain of violent, unhinged murderers spawned by the festering atmosphere of the most crowded city in the world. They're all focused on the brutal killing of one of their own -- a detective found dismembered and crammed into a piece of luggage at a train station.

But other crimes soon weave their way into the narrative, from a little boy abducted by an unhinged lunatic to a pair of slightly mad prostitutes getting their revenge on the police who couldn't capture Jack The Ripper. Grecian's world is also populated by the colorful denizens of the streets from a lumbering gentle giant who dances to amuse to Blackleg, a burglar who can't look away when he stumbles across an innocent boy left stuffed in a chimney to die.

 Caleb Carr's The Alienist is an obvious comparison, thanks to The Yard's attention to detail and mix of historical facts and vivid fictional creations. It's great fun, despite a dramatically over-stuffed finale. Grecian's debut is the promising start of a new series and should be one of the most acclaimed and popular mysteries of the year.

 BOOKS I'VE READ SO FAR IN 2012

 1. The Underneath by Kathi Appelt *** 2. Jack Holmes and His Friend by Edmund White *** 3. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle ** 4. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel *** 5. Death Walks In Eastrepp by Francis Beeding *** 6. Lumious Airplanes by Paul La Farge ***/ 7. The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen ** 1/2 8. Unterzakhn by Leela Corman ** 9. The Child Who by Simon Lelic *** 10. Hinterland by Caroline Brothers *** 11. The Yard by Alex Grecian *** 1/2 12. The Alienist by Caleb Carr *** 13. On The Wings Of Heroes by Richard Peck *** 1/2 14. A Princess Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs * 15. The Gods Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs ** 16. The Warlord Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs ** 1/2 17. Undefeated: America's Heroic Fight For Bataan and Corregidor by Bill Sloan ** 1/2 18. Stoner by John Williams **** 19. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt *** 1/2 20. The 500 by Matthew Quirk ** 21. The Age Of Innocence by Edith Wharton **** 22. The Alienist by Caleb Carr ***\ 23. Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi ** 24. Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household *** 25. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky ** 26. Traitor's Gate by Avi ** 1/2 27. Cogan's Trade by George V. Higgins *** 28. 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson *** 1/2 29. The Twelve Rooms Of The Nile by Enid Shomer ** 1/2 30. Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel *** 1/2 31. In One Person by John Irving ** 32. A Million Heavens by John Brandon *** 33. The Case Of The Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall *** 34. Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man by Walter Stahr *** 1/2 35. The Kings of Cool by Don Winslow *** 36. The Case of The Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall *** 37. Savages by Don Winslow ***

 Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes.

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Rebuilding the East End for the Olympics

Historic picture of
Whitechapel High Street

There was a reason why the East End of London was the hunting ground for Jack the Ripper. It was the most crime ridden area of London; they even had a street nicknamed "do-as-you-please." Unless they were three or four strong, the police rarely walked the East End. It was simply too dangerous.

Sadly, good people, who worked the docks or in one of the many manufacturing warehouses, lived in the slums and squalor of this crime-infested place. Many of them were refugees or fugitives from around the world who had come looking for a better life, London's East End was their boat's first stop, and they simply never made it out. Their language, cultural and social diversity usually meant only more challenges for an already struggling populace. By the late 1800s, the poverty in the East End was as rampant as the crime.

Ironically, it took the actions of the world's most infamous serial killer — Jack the Ripper — to expose an underbelly of society that was thriving and growing bigger every day. Jack the Ripper's gruesome killing spree terrorized all of London. Massive newspaper coverage detailed every aspect of these most brutal of murders — as well as the victims' pathetic lives. For months, the people of London were fed steady doses of information about Jack the Ripper and life in the East End.

Shamed into action, the politicians and the wealthier citizens of London, including Queen Victoria, began a movement to do something about the poverty, the crime and the disease in the East End. In the eyes of Victorian England, Jack the Ripper personified the evil festering outside the walls of their great city, and someone needed to do something! Unfortunately, when the killings stopped, the outrage dissipated. Other problems became more pressing, and, let's face it, change is just so slow!

As research for his book, popular British author Jack London decided to live penniless in the East End, and 20 years after Jack the Ripper's killing spree, he told of his experiences. The book was entitled "People of the Abyss," and it was considered one of his best works. In great detail, he told a compelling story about how the culture of poverty had taken on a life of its own in the East End. Arguing the need for effective and urgent reform, London's "People of the Abyss" was very widely read. Yet, nothing really changed for those stuck in the abyss.

www.TheNewsStar.com

Wikipedia: Jack the Ripper

Suspicion feel on many dubious street
characters around Whitechapel as to
the identity of Jack the Ripper

"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. 

The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the media. The letter is widely believed to have been a hoax, and may have been written by a journalist in a deliberate attempt to heighten interest in the story. 

Other nicknames used for the killer at the time were "The Whitechapel Murderer" and "Leather Apron".

Attacks ascribed to the Ripper typically involved female prostitutes from the slums whose throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. The removal of internal organs from at least three of the victims led to proposals that their killer possessed anatomical or surgical knowledge. 

Rumours that the murders were connected intensified in September and October 1888, and letters from a writer or writers purporting to be the murderer were received by media outlets and Scotland Yard. The "From Hell" letter, received by George Lusk of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, included half of a preserved human kidney, supposedly from one of the victims. 

Mainly because of the extraordinarily brutal character of the murders, and because of media treatment of the events, the public came increasingly to believe in a single serial killer known as "Jack the Ripper".

Extensive newspaper coverage bestowed widespread and enduring international notoriety on the Ripper. An investigation into a series of brutal killings in Whitechapel up to 1891 was unable to connect all the killings conclusively to the murders of 1888, but the legend of Jack the Ripper solidified. 

As the murders were never solved, the legends surrounding them became a combination of genuine historical research, folklore, and pseudohistory. The term "ripperology" was coined to describe the study and analysis of the Ripper cases. 

There are now over one hundred theories about the Ripper's identity, and the murders have inspired multiple works of fiction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper

Jack the Ripper grisly series to snare up €8m for capital

The grisly murders took place more than a century ago but the story of Jack the Ripper continues to fascinate. 

A new drama about the notorious serial killer who stalked the streets of London's East End in the late 1800s is being filmed in Dublin by the BBC. It is expected to generate €8m for the economy. 

 For the latest part of the shoot, Clancy Barracks in Islandbridge has been transformed into Victorian London. Filming began in March at the Georgian buildings, which have been augmented with constructed film sets created by production designer Mark Geraghty to recreate the Whitechapel area of the East End. 

BBC America is behind the eight-part drama. 

The BBC hopes the show will rival the success of 'Sherlock', which attracted eight million viewers in the UK. The production has created more than 250 Irish cast and crew jobs since filming began. 

 Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan, who was given a tour of the 'Ripper Street' set yesterday, said the production vindicated the Government's decision to retain tax breaks for film and television productions.

 "The section 481 tax breaks played a major role in this production company coming to Ireland," he said.

 "This is a major injection of investment for Dublin and for Ireland. We forfeit about €70m in tax through section 481 and certainly we get a great return for that.

 "I think in 2010 the figure mentioned, the value, would certainly have been well over €300m, so we are getting a really good return for what we are ceding in taxation," the minister said. 

 The series stars British actor Matthew Macfadyen as a detective leading the hunt for the Ripper. 

 The drama also stars 'Alcatraz' star Adam Rothenberg, 'Twilight' star Myanna Buring and Jerome Flynn of 'Game of Thrones'. 

 The series is being made by London based Tiger Aspect Productions, which also filmed 'Murphy's Law' and 'The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse' here; Lookout Productions and Irish-based company Element Pictures are also involved. 

 James Hickey, chairman of the Irish Film Board, said the fact that 18 Irish films funded by the IFB were to be released this year showed the industry was in a good state despite the recession.  

They include Neil Jordan's latest film 'Byzantium', starring Saoirse Ronan, which is set in an English seaside town but was filmed in Wicklow and Dublin.

 - edel o'connell

 Irish Independent

 www.independent.ie

New book Jack the Ripper: The Hand of a Woman links killings to Welsh woman

Tabernacle Morriston

IT was the unlikeliest of revelations that linked a little-known Welsh village with the most notorious killer in British history.

But parishioners say they are less than convinced that Jack the Ripper was in fact Lizzie Williams, daughter of wealthy and renowned local tin magnate Richard Hughes.

In his new book Jack the Ripper: The Hand of a Woman, author John Morris claims he has proven “beyond reasonable doubt” that Lizzie was behind the infamous Ripper mass murders.

Lizzie grew up in Ynystawe, near Swansea, and her family worshipped at the Tabernacle chapel in nearby Morriston. Her father donated the land for the chapel at a greatly reduced price but lost his money in 1888, ending up in Swansea bankruptcy court. This, John believes, was the catalyst for Lizzie’s murderous 19th century campaign.

Her husband, famous doctor Dr John Williams, allegedly took the final victim Mary Jane Kelly as a mistress after Lizzie turned out to be infertile – a legitimate motive for the brutal murder, John claims.

David Morgan, a member of the chapel, said the story was “intriguing” but was dubious about its legitimacy.

Mr Morgan, who is also secretary to Tabernacle’s choir, said: “It’s intriguing, and not what you expect to hear. I’m not convinced but it’s certainly interesting.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the chapel, but I’m going to tell the choir at our next rehearsal. A lot of them are members of the chapel too, it’ll be interesting to see what people make of it.”

Villager Yvonne James, 52, said she hoped “speculative myths” wouldn’t have a negative effect on the area’s reputation.

Yvonne, from Clydach Road, said: “I don’t know how to react to this book. It’s shocking, yes, but it’s another conspiracy theory about who this person was and there have been many.

“Things can have a big effect if people believe them and take them seriously. The likelihood is we will never know, but yes if this is true it’s a ground-breaking discovery.

“I don’t think anyone will start talking about the area being cursed, it was a very long time ago. It won’t bring the community to its knees.”

Author John told the Wales on Sunday: “Five years ago, my father was researching Dr John Williams independently for an article when a local author named Dr Williams as the Ripper.

“He suggested that Dr Williams had enjoyed an affair with the final victim, Mary Jane Kelly, then he killed her for reasons that were extremely vague.

“My father refused to believe that Dr Williams could possibly be the killer and, after all, what motive could he possibly have had?

“But as we discussed the case, my father realised that there was someone who had a reason to kill the doctor’s mistress – his wife, Lizzie Williams.”

John admitted he was initially sceptical the murders could have been committed by a small-town Welsh woman – but soon discovered there was no conclusive proof in the police witness statements, inquest testimony and medical reports the killer was a man.

“It was quite a revelation,” said John, who practised law in Swansea but now lives in Ireland.

“So when we began to look more closely at the murders, we found that there were clues which suggested a woman was involved, but because the killer was always considered to be a man, the clues were always ignored or pushed to one side.”

Dr Williams’ great great nephew Tony Williams, his only known living relative, previously published a book alleging Dr Williams himself was responsible.

www.walesonline.co.uk