Jack the Ripper
Part of the Mystery Library Series
Natalie M. Rosinsky
Lucent Books, February 2004.
110pp. Illustrated, bib, index.
ISBN 1590184440. Hardcover. Juvenile non-fiction.
Casebook Review: 
Reader Review: 
(67 votes)
Part of the Mystery Library series, published by Lucent Books,
Jack the Ripper by Natalie M. Rosinsky is geared toward the
young-adult crowd. Although the publishers don't mention a specific
target age-group, the book would probably be most appropriate for children
over 12. Parents should understand that the author does include some
graphic details, including wound descriptions and two contemporary
drawings of the bodies of Polly Nichols and Catherine Eddowes. No
mortuary photographs are included. Discussion also includes prostitution
in Victorian times.
Rosinsky covers the five canonical victims first, including abundant
details on police investigation, letters received from "Jack the Ripper",
and intimate testimonies from inquests and witnesses. The text is
well-sourced with nearly 100 foot-notes. A few mistakes creep in (such as
the acceptance of the 17 September "Ripper" letter, which most researchers
believe to have been a modern hoax), but on the whole the text provides a
strong overview of the main facts of the case.
The author next focuses on a wide array of suspects, including Druitt,
Kosminski, Ostrog, Pedachenko, Barnett, Hutchinson, Pizer, Tumblety,
Klosowksi, J.K. Stephen, David Cohen and Sir William Gull. Next is a
chapter, "Does Science Have the Answer?", which provides an in-depth view
at the testing of the Maybrick Diary, the mtDNA evidence Cornwell uses
against Walter Sickert, and the profiling techniques used by John Douglas.
No conclusions are made against any suspect - Rosinsky simply provides the
major evidence for and against each suspect, and allows her reader to
decide their guilt or innocence.
Teen-aged children should have no problem reading and understanding the
text, which is written mostly in simple, easy-to-understand English.
There are occasional extracts from Victorian literature which might prove
difficult for young children to fully comprehend without some adult
guidance. Numerous black-and-white illustrations and photographs can be
found throughout the text.
Mystery Library: Jack the Ripper is well-researched and very
up-to-date. Rosinsky even sources material from such recent books as
Begg's Definitive History (2003) and Cornwell's Portrait of a
Killer (2002) - she even includes contemporary press reports and other
research materials sourced from the Casebook: Jack the Ripper web
site. All-in-all, an excellent, well-rounded summation of the case,
perfect for parents who wish to introduce their children to the mystery of
Jack the Ripper.
