The Night of the Ripper

A fantastic and authentic fictionalisation of the Jack the Ripper investigation that perfectly highlights the brutality of the crimes and the bungling incompetence of the police. The accurate portrayal of society and attitudes of the time makes this hard to believe it was written a century after the events and so much is covered in what is a packed 200 pages.

Given the brutal sensationalism of the actual murders, Bloch allowed himself equal measure when writing the fictional side of the story, and the result is a seamless blend of what was real and what was not. He also accompanies many of the chapters with epigrams of known (extremely) brutal murders to highlight the bloodthirsty nature of mankind throughout history.

The novel cameos and show more constant twists to muddle who could have done it, make this well worth investing time in, although it does get very grisly in places...

No mention of Rigel IV though.. show less

Average run of the mill Jack the Ripper novel. The historical facts were well presented, but the fictional characters were some what predictable. Nevertheless, it was a fun quick read.

Unfortunately a bit dull, especially for a writer like Robert Bloch. A shame as the story had a lot of potential, just didn't hold my interest.

I like the little blurbs heading each chapter. This book is perhaps not the best take on Jack the Ripper, but it is fun.

Older book but worth finding.

Durante cien años, el símbolo más terrible de la muerte tenebrosa ha sido Jack el Destripador. En esta obra se trata de desvelar el misterio que rodeaba su figura. ¿Quién fue Jack el Destripador? ¿Sería acaso el Duque de Clarence? ¿Un médico perversamente especializado en anatomía? ¿Un policía? Desde que el malvado Destripador aterrorizó a las prostitutas del Londres victoriano, la identidad del asesino ha continuado siendo un misterio.