One-Armed Jack: Uncovering the Real Jack the Ripper

Sarah Bax Horton
Works of: Non-fiction

While on sabbatical in early 2017, Sarah Bax Horton discovered through family history research that her great-great grandfather was a Metropolitan Police sergeant who worked on the Jack the Ripper case. She was inspired to investigate the official Whitechapel Murders files, and to write a book honouring him and his colleagues, the unsung heroes who tried and failed to convict the Ripper.

One-Armed Jack proposes a new prime suspect as the Ripper, and the specific evidence that links him to his crimes. Those six murders are discussed in detail alongside true crime reconstructions of how he met his victims, killed them, and got away. The author pays tribute to everyone who, over the past 135 years, has helped to construct the case against the man who was Jack the Ripper.

This book is an example of where family history research can lead us, inspiring a mid-life career change in someone who previously had only a passing interest in the case. It will fascinate anyone wanting to know more about Jack the Ripper, Victorian policing and East End history.