The Ripper murders had a huge impact. Though not the first serial murders they were the first to create a worldwide storm of media attention and the first in which the killer was given a nickname. The term ‘Ripperology’ was coined for the study of the murders. Suspects have included the eminent Victorian doctor Sir William Gull, royal gynecologist Sir John Williams and the painter Walter Sickert. Conspiracy theories abound, involving Masonic, Jewish and other connections. Hundreds of books have been written about the murders, and several films made but the Ripper’s identity remains a mystery. But perhaps no longer.
Jack the Ripper: The Hand of a Woman is the result of extensive research by author John Morris and his late father. Starting with the many unresolved questions about the murders they concluded that they could be answered if Jack was in reality a woman. But who could she be? The story of their researches includes many twists and turns as they reach an all too plausible conclusion, naming a suspect and answering the question of why the murders started, and just as suddenly stopped.