Jack the Ripper: The Celebrity Suspects

Jack the Ripper', the savage murderer of five prostitutes in the East End of London in 1888, is perhaps Britain's most notorious killer, mainly because his (or her!) identity was never proven. 'Rippermania' has driven a 120-year-old investigation to identify this depraved individual, a hunt that shows no signs of letting up, with numerous conspiracy theories continuing to do the rounds even today. In this compilation, Mike Holgate presents a lively look back at the Victorian celebrities who have been linked to the murders either at the time or subsequently. Taking in informants, suspects, accomplices or conspirators, the list is extensive and includes royalty such as Queen Victoria, Edward, Prince of Wales, Prince Albert Victor, King Leopold II of Belgium alongside prominent politicians such as Lord Salisbury, William Gladstone, Randolph Churchill and artists and writers such as Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle and Lewis Carroll. Illustrated with over eighty contemporary pen drawings and portraits, this book is humorous and entertaining and will appeal to anyone with even the slightest interest in the most famous - and most elusive - serial killer in British history.