NetGalley ARC | One-Armed Jack: Uncovering the Real Jack the Ripper

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

While I am not convinced of the author's conclusion, this was still a highly interesting read. First though, let's be clear: plenty of authors over the years have identified who they think Jack the Ripper is. Nor is Hyam Hyams a new suspect by any means - I have read his name many times in various readings and websites dedicated to unmasking the most infamous serial killer of all time. She is not the first person to try to identify a killer, and she will not be the last.

However, I appreciate Horton's approach and it does makes sense - though she does what so many others do as well, only keeping the evidence that fits her theory and dismissing anything that doesn't fit the pattern as being wrong or irrelevant.

Horton has background as a government researcher so her skill in researching and analyzing information is useful here. She takes a deep dive into eye-witness accounts of the man/men who were in the area at the times of the murders who could have potentially been the killer, and compares it with Hyams medical records. She makes much use of witness statements that described a man with distinct physical characteristics and makes the connection to Hyams, whose left arm had been broken and not healed properly. She makes the case that this injury, which made it impossible for him to work throughout 1888 was a trigger that sent him on a murderous rampage. She adds that both the physical ailment of the broken arm and the mental ailments caused by his epilepsy contributed to his ensuing violence.

Horton attempts to use the evidence to explain the hows and whys that have dogged us for nearly 140 years. She resconstructs each event, explaining how Hyams was able to accost his victims, get them to another location, and how he attacked them and then escaped undetected. They are certainly interesting theories, but hardly as conclusive as the author would have you believe. The point I certainly agree with is that whoever Jack was, he escalated in his attacks and grew more and more violent in his destruction of his victims' bodies.

Side note: the author includes Martha Tabram as a Ripper victim, so discusses six murders instead of the typically accepted five.

I am not convinced, though the author does make a decent case. Ultimately, I have finally accepted the fact that we will simply never know the Ripper's identity. Maybe this is why no matter what book I read that claims to have determined who he was, I will never completely buy in. Part of the issue here is that the author has a lot of circumstantial evidence. She has theories and fits in evidence where it seems to make sense, but then dismisses evidence that does not, but never explains why it can be dismissed. There were also times Horton contradicted herself, yet I still enjoyed the book due to the focus on the transcripts of witness statements and their testimonies at the inquests.

My issue with the crime scene reconstructions is that they are purely speculation even though the author seems to imply this is how things pretty much went. It's very true that each murder could have happened exactly the way the author purports. But it's also entirely possible that she is way off the mark. We will simply never know. It is frustrating when any author claims to have conclusively solved this perplexing case. I also struggle when authors atempt to apply thoughts or feelings to anyone when there is not concrete evidence to support what they're claiming.

One thing the author did extremely well is bringing Whitechapel to life. We are completely immersed in the environment where these women worked and lived and ultimately, died horrific deaths. There's so much information here about the various locations, and one feels like they are there in the moment with the police, trying to catch a killer before he strikes again. There are familiar street and pub names, ones that anyone familiar with the Ripper will recognize. You are walking the streets with the inhabitants of Whitechapel as they go about their days, in most cases just trying to survive.

Overall I can say I would recommend this one for anyone interested in seeing more clearly how Hyam Hyams could be a viable candidate as Jack the Ripper. Horton is not the first to submit this name for consideration, but she makes enough of a case here that he can be considered.