In Victorian London, long before the term serial killer was coined, two series of murders played out that have captured the imagination of the whole world. The Jack the Ripper murders and the Thames Torso murders, so similar to each other, took place during the same period in London and have never been solved. In this book, journalist and researcher Christer Holmgren explains why the murders were never cleared up and names the East End carman Charles Lechmere as the culprit behind both series of murders. He was a man who claimed he found Jack the Ripper's first victim, but avoided to give his true name to the police. In the 2014 TV documentary The Missing Evidence -- Jack the Ripper, the case for Charles Lechmere as the Ripper was outlined. In it, a prominent barrister stated that the case would have been good enough to take to court. This makes Lechmere stand out amongst the many suspects named over the years: his is a case where it can be practically demonstrated how he is linked to the murders. More recent research suggests that Charles Lechmere also needs to be held responsible for the Thames Torso murder series, spanning the years 1873-1889. Guided by the help of experts, Holmgren links the cases together, establishes the underlying inspiration behind them, and beckons the originator of the murders out into the light, a century after his death

In Victorian London, long before the term serial killer was coined, two series of murders played out that have captured the imagination of the whole world. The Jack the Ripper murders and the Thames Torso murders, so similar to each other, took place during the same period in London and have never been solved. In this book, journalist and researcher Christer Holmgren explains why the murders were never cleared up and names the East End carman Charles Lechmere as the culprit behind both series of murders. He was a man who claimed he found Jack the Ripper's first victim, but avoided to give his true name to the police. In the 2014 TV documentary The Missing Evidence -- Jack the Ripper, the case for Charles Lechmere as the Ripper was outlined. In it, a prominent barrister stated that the case would have been good enough to take to court. This makes Lechmere stand out amongst the many suspects named over the years: his is a case where it can be practically demonstrated how he is linked to the murders. More recent research suggests that Charles Lechmere also needs to be held responsible for the Thames Torso murder series, spanning the years 1873-1889. Guided by the help of experts, Holmgren links the cases together, establishes the underlying inspiration behind them, and beckons the originator of the murders out into the light, a century after his death.

Using contemporary sources and modern profiling techniques, the authors flag-up a hitherto little-known suspect as London’s most infamous mass-murderer.

Previously published in 2020 by Amberley Publishing.

Jack the Ripper is a gothic tale of Victorian conspiracies, the supernatural, secret societies and the police. Scotland Yard hunted a serial killer shrouded in politics as the mutilator of East End prostitutes. This book uses historic sources and rare official reports to reveal dark and supernatural aspects of the Ripper case.

The gruesome, unsolved murders by the first media-sensationalized serial killer, Jack the Ripper, continue to fascinate after more than 100 years. However, from the beginning the truth has been obscured by a fog of half-truths and misinterpretations. This book aims to clear up the misinformation and myths surrounding Jack the Ripper. The author uses a critical review of the kind that is now used to scrutinize unsolved crimes. He re-checks, re-examines and re-evaluates the facts, conjectures, newspaper accounts, eyewitness reports and official pronouncements. The book includes: descriptions of the locations where the bodies were found; detailed histories of the victims; profiles of key police officials and examinations of police procedures, investigations, blunders and errors; details of prevailing myths about the case; an evaluation of all the chief suspects; comprehensive analyses of the existing literature; discussions of written communications ostensibly sent by the Ripper; and an argument identifying the most likely suspects.

The name 'Jack the Ripper' is instantly recognised throughout the world, yet many people probably don't know that the famous nickname first appeared in a letter or that this was where the whole legend of Jack the Ripper really began. This title poses a controversial question: was 'Jack the Ripper' merely a press invention?