Jack the Ripper: Through the Mists of Time
Peter Hodgson
Minerva Press, 2002. Softcover. Illustrated.
Casebook Review: 
You won't find any new information on the Ripper in this book. There
are no bombshell discoveries, no radical new interpretations or
intricate theories. Everything that's covered in this book has been
said before. And yet Hodgson's Jack the Ripper: Through the Mists
of Time feels fresh and generally entertains the reader - not so
much from its content, but rather from its presentation. Reading
Hodgson hardly feels like reading at all. Its more like spending a few
hours with a friend over pints at the corner pub, chatting about all
things Ripperish.
Hodgson begins with a fictional short story of his own - which didn't
really work for me - about a time-travelling experiment to unmask the
Ripper. From there he opens on a very basic non-fictional overview of
the crimes, and a review of the literature surrounding the case.
Hodgson covers non-fiction, fiction, film and theater treatments, with
separate chapters focusing on Holmesian adaptations and the
controversial Diary. I particularly enjoyed his fiction and film
review chapters, where Hodgson gave brief overviews of each piece
followed by his own personal ratings. The author retained throughout a
most pleasant, convivial tone, free of pedantics and criticism, that I
found particularly refreshing. His prose became somewhat more
disjointed in later chapters when Hodgson reverted back to the facts
of the case, unfortunately, and readers familiar with the Ripper case
might find these a bit more tedious. Ultimately, Hodgson suggests that
Thomas Cutbush is one of the more likely suspects, but of course he
wouldn't be surprised if the Ripper's true name was not to be found
among the current long list of candidates.
I should make note that Hodgson includes an original pencil-portrait
of Mary Jane Kelly, based on her profile in the infamous photograph of
her in Miller's Court, which seemed eerily familiar to me. I'm not
sure what exact methods were used to create the image, but it seems to
be an excellent conception based on the photograph and various witness
descriptions - perhaps the best I've ever seen.
