Ripper The Secret Life of Walter Sickert (Audible Audio Edition) Patricia Cornwell Mary Stuart Masterson Brilliance Audio Books
Download As PDF : Ripper The Secret Life of Walter Sickert (Audible Audio Edition) Patricia Cornwell Mary Stuart Masterson Brilliance Audio Books
From New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell comes Ripper The Secret Life of Walter Sickert, a comprehensive and intriguing exposé of one of the world's most chilling cases of serial murder - and the police force that failed to solve it.
Vain and charismatic Walter Sickert made a name for himself as a painter in Victorian London. But the ghoulish nature of his art - as well as extensive evidence - points to another name, one that's left its bloody mark on the pages of history Jack the Ripper. Cornwell has collected never-before-seen archival material - including a rare mortuary photo, personal correspondence and a will with a mysterious autopsy clause - and applied cutting-edge forensic science to open an old crime to new scrutiny.
Incorporating material from Portrait of a Killer Jack the Ripper - Case Closed, this new edition has been revised and expanded to include eight new chapters.
Ripper The Secret Life of Walter Sickert (Audible Audio Edition) Patricia Cornwell Mary Stuart Masterson Brilliance Audio Books
This is a work of nonfiction, not a novel. In it, Patricia Cornwell restates her highly speculative assertion (as previously presented in her two earlier NF books: PORTRAIT OF A KILLER and CHASING THE RIPPER) that Walter Sickert, a famous British painter, was also the infamous Jack-the-Ripper. While she succeeds in demonstrating that Sickert was highly eccentric (but which truly great artist isn't to some extent?) she does NOT succeed in PROVING that he was a murderer, let alone that he was the notorious Ripper. Yes, there is typical and quite interesting -- though questionable -- Cornwellian forensic "evidence" presented, but even that cannot overcome other factors that would tend to make him a dubious suspect if not preclude him altogether. Much of this book is thus sheer conjecture and innuendo, but making the same argument over and over again doesn't necessarily make it any truer with each repetition. That Sickert COULD have been Jack doesn't mean he really WAS (as Cornwell asserts), unless there is solid proof. That level of proof is not here presented.I have read numerous other books about the Ripper murders over a long lifetime, more than a few of which also claimed to identify the "real" Jack; some of them actually made very compelling arguments for THEIR (varied and different) candidates. Rather recently, Russell Edwards in NAMING JACK THE RIPPER used forensic DNA evidence to support HIS candidate; I distrust some of his methodology and I am not recommending his book, but I do tend to be more inclined to believe his choice of perpetrator (someone who was frequently identified in the past by others as well). But being "more inclined" doesn't mean I am in any way fully convinced.
Cornwell's book, while it was fascinating to read, also left me unconvinced; she tries too hard and passionately to be convincing but ultimately isn't. Of course, YOU might decide otherwise -- so by all means GIVE THE BOOK A TRY AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND. After all, it IS well-written, and whether she's right or wrong, or whether you agree with her or not, it's still an intriguing case to read about, ponder, and discuss. In so doing, however, you may ALSO choose to read a more comprehensive work (such as THE COMPLETE JACK THE RIPPER by Donald Rumbelow), one that provides OBJECTIVE and IMPARTIAL information about ALL the possible Ripper suspects. You may be surprised at how your initial predilection for any one candidate (whether Sickert or someone else) might, ultimately, be swayed by examining other strong contenders.
Again, Cornwell's book is worth reading, but, when all is said and done, the mystery of Jack-the-Ripper's true identity still remains unsolved (and maybe -- given corrupted and questionable evidence, such as even exists after all these years -- never will be resolved to everyone's satisfaction).
ADDENDUM: If you are concerned about whether or not this book is worth purchasing (even at its low price) in light of Cornwell's previous ones you may have already read covering this same topic, remember this: If you purchase this as an ebook from the Kindle Store, read it within 7 days, and WITHIN THAT 7-DAY PERIOD decide it is not to your liking FOR ANY REASON, simply call Amazon customer support at 1-866-321-8851 (toll free) to return/remove it for a FULL REFUND. That way you cannot consider yourself gypped if you decide this was a less-than-honest effort to merely sell another book on a subject the author already covered. I do, however, think you will be pleased enough by this book -- whether you agree with Cornwell or not -- to keep it.
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Ripper The Secret Life of Walter Sickert (Audible Audio Edition) Patricia Cornwell Mary Stuart Masterson Brilliance Audio Books Reviews
I have never seen so many "what if's", "Possiblys" and "Could haves" in a book. I like Patricial Cornwell very much but I just couldn't get into the speculation.
This book is an embellishment of Cornwell's previous book on the same topic- her thesis that artist Sir Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper. The original was an informative account of the notorious London murderer, whose identity remains unknown, and contained some interesting circumstantial suggestions that Walter Sickert was the culprit.
This book describes her subsequent attempts to prove her theory. It adds more circumstantial hints and even some extremely tenuous 'evidence' but it is really a hotch potch of anecdotes, a patchwork history of contemporary lives, and innuendo. She may believe passionately in her idea but it's time for her to drop it. Walter Sickert deserves better than to be maligned without a shred of proof.
I enjoyed her first book, but found this one strangely offensive. Cornwell's obsession isn't worth the read.
Cornwell's work on the Ripper is entertaining - not in the manner of a master detective putting the pieces together. More in the manner of an eccentric aunt who comes to family get-togethers once every few years and, after drinking a few glasses of wine, will tell you exactly who killed Kennedy and why with the authority of someone who was there even though she wasn't born at the time.
Cornwell's entire case is subjective and her facts are mostly insinuation.
In fact, her book should be taught in classrooms as a classic example of how to create propaganda. She conflates Sickert and the Ripper constantly - not even separating the two in the most basic sense of the persona of the Ripper vs the persona of Sickert. Often she'll use the name Sickert when referring to the Rippers actions and call Sickert the Ripper when referring to Sickert's known actions. It was a little confusing at times.
Facts about Sickert are placed next to possible activities of the Ripper - one example that made me laugh out loud is a bloody bakers knife that might have been from a Ripper crime next to "Sickert loved to bake". That sounds like evidence to me. Jeez.
Its hard to say how she came to her conclusions about Sickert's inner life and relationships. Quotes about him are usually completely decontextualized - in one section a whole sentence is made out of multiple one or two word quotes. She does have a good explanation as to why she doesn't quote more extensively (the people who control these sources wouldn't give permission). I'd be more inclined to believe her version of these stories but her whole perspective of Sickert seems to be colored by the intense emotional response she had to his paintings. I looked at many of the paintings she references and I have to say I do NOT see what she sees.
Suddenly everything is evidence of guilt, even stuff that was common (Sickert was intrigued by the Ripper, snubbed Oscar Wilde after his imprisonment and owned a red kerchief) and a few things that contradicted. Sickert didn't regularly date or mark location on his letters. SNEAKY. Sickert regularly made dated drawings that showed exactly where he was. Oh slipped up! He could have been near some Ripper killings. Sickert was a germophobe. Ripper probably killed in a manner that would make it easier to avoid bodily fluids. Ripper wrapped body parts in newspaper. Sickert wrapped paintings in newspaper. Sickert had multiple art studios. No one knew their locations so now they're bolt holes. Maybe they're near the murders? Who knows? Sounds incriminating to me. Ripper might have worn disguises. Sickert had a habit of wearing disguises. I mean, really?
Supposedly she showed her evidence to an officer who said she had enough for a search warrant. I'd like to know what evidence that was, because I see no evidence.
There are a few interesting points she makes. Its probable that Sickert (or someone close to him) wrote a couple of "Ripper letters". This isn't really surprising - based on what I've read about the time period Ripper letters were the Twitter parody accounts of the time. I've read at least one contemporary account (that unfortunately I don't remember the source for) that casually mentioned a relative who wrote Ripper letters and then watched for them in the papers. Its only significant because Cornwell has decided that most of the Ripper letters are "real". Her evidence? A handwriting expert that determined that most of the letters were written by the same person imitating different hands. Bizarrely in the book she actually points out at some length that handwriting isn't a science but still uses this determination as authorative. She doesn't appear to worry about or discuss any letters that she can't directly examine except for the From Hell letter (which is the most likely to be "legitimate" due to the included kidney).
It does appear there were more Ripper killings that commonly acknowledged though I don't agree with all of the killings she places under that umbrella (usually due to the killings closeness to where Sickert might have been) and it does seem likely that some of the Ripper letters might have been written by other killers who were either copycats or triggered into fulfilling murderous desires after reading the detailed newspaper accounts. But her conclusions that all of them are legitimate is a stretch.
There's also a strange undercurrent of anti-intellectualism. She lists off the many languages Sickert knew as if they were evidence. She claims very basic rhymes in Ripper letters are "too clever for an illiterate." Whenever she hits an investigative dead end she treats it like a purposeful act of the Ripper - as if he predicted her investigation and the kind of technology we'd have today.
Cornwell appears to dislike Sickert intensely. I'm sure she would crisply say that she dislikes Sickert because she dislikes murderers. She handwaves away all arguments against her beliefs as people defending Sickert for their own reasons. I've heard some cynical views of why she's so intense on this issue (she did buy a lot of Sickert art and memorabilia before publishing her first book) - I tend to think she's a true believer.
I'm not going to say Sickert was an angel - if her account is to be believed (and I'm not sure it is) it sounds like Sickert was a deeply unpleasant man who had his share of secrets. I suppose this book doesn't DISPROVE anything and Sickert has been linked to the Ripper murders before. But men have been cold to their wives, told wild third hand tales about famous murderers, and had strange habits without being murderers throughout human history. Even her most compelling evidence requires accepting a lot of assumptions.
Anyway this is an entertaining book - even a thought provoking one. If you enjoy conspiracy theories as thought experiments this might be up your alley.
Surprisingly poor investigative reasoning from someone who ought to know better. Ms. Cornwell is so wedded to her theory that she is completely blinded to its flaws. On nearly every page there's an "aha" moment that turns into a "wha?" moment, thanks to the lack of evidentiary support for her logical leaps. There are much finer and less biased accounts out there - don't waste your time and money on this one.
This is a work of nonfiction, not a novel. In it, Patricia Cornwell restates her highly speculative assertion (as previously presented in her two earlier NF books PORTRAIT OF A KILLER and CHASING THE RIPPER) that Walter Sickert, a famous British painter, was also the infamous Jack-the-Ripper. While she succeeds in demonstrating that Sickert was highly eccentric (but which truly great artist isn't to some extent?) she does NOT succeed in PROVING that he was a murderer, let alone that he was the notorious Ripper. Yes, there is typical and quite interesting -- though questionable -- Cornwellian forensic "evidence" presented, but even that cannot overcome other factors that would tend to make him a dubious suspect if not preclude him altogether. Much of this book is thus sheer conjecture and innuendo, but making the same argument over and over again doesn't necessarily make it any truer with each repetition. That Sickert COULD have been Jack doesn't mean he really WAS (as Cornwell asserts), unless there is solid proof. That level of proof is not here presented.
I have read numerous other books about the Ripper murders over a long lifetime, more than a few of which also claimed to identify the "real" Jack; some of them actually made very compelling arguments for THEIR (varied and different) candidates. Rather recently, Russell Edwards in NAMING JACK THE RIPPER used forensic DNA evidence to support HIS candidate; I distrust some of his methodology and I am not recommending his book, but I do tend to be more inclined to believe his choice of perpetrator (someone who was frequently identified in the past by others as well). But being "more inclined" doesn't mean I am in any way fully convinced.
Cornwell's book, while it was fascinating to read, also left me unconvinced; she tries too hard and passionately to be convincing but ultimately isn't. Of course, YOU might decide otherwise -- so by all means GIVE THE BOOK A TRY AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND. After all, it IS well-written, and whether she's right or wrong, or whether you agree with her or not, it's still an intriguing case to read about, ponder, and discuss. In so doing, however, you may ALSO choose to read a more comprehensive work (such as THE COMPLETE JACK THE RIPPER by Donald Rumbelow), one that provides OBJECTIVE and IMPARTIAL information about ALL the possible Ripper suspects. You may be surprised at how your initial predilection for any one candidate (whether Sickert or someone else) might, ultimately, be swayed by examining other strong contenders.
Again, Cornwell's book is worth reading, but, when all is said and done, the mystery of Jack-the-Ripper's true identity still remains unsolved (and maybe -- given corrupted and questionable evidence, such as even exists after all these years -- never will be resolved to everyone's satisfaction).
ADDENDUM If you are concerned about whether or not this book is worth purchasing (even at its low price) in light of Cornwell's previous ones you may have already read covering this same topic, remember this If you purchase this as an ebook from the , read it within 7 days, and WITHIN THAT 7-DAY PERIOD decide it is not to your liking FOR ANY REASON, simply call customer support at 1-866-321-8851 (toll free) to return/remove it for a FULL REFUND. That way you cannot consider yourself gypped if you decide this was a less-than-honest effort to merely sell another book on a subject the author already covered. I do, however, think you will be pleased enough by this book -- whether you agree with Cornwell or not -- to keep it.
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