It’s not everyone’s favourite subject but let’s consider Jack the Ripper for a moment. I’m not going to go down the path of rhetoric so often written, i.e. ‘most famous unsolved murders’ and all that, I’m going to say this: Having had a longtime interest in the case like thousands of others, I used the tragedies as the basis for ‘Deviant Desire’, though I changed Whitechapel to Greychurch, and so on, and my ripper set about doing away with rent boys rather than women. That’s how the whole Clearwater Mysteries series started, and now, twenty-three books later, I am starting on the sixth book in the second follow-on series and the Clearwater world of Victorian London continues (though now, Whitechapel is Whitechapel).
The Victorian East End lives in fear of the Ripper and his mission to kill rent boys.
The Ripper casts a long shadow in the fearful streets of the Victorian East End as he preys on vulnerable rent boys. Among them is Silas Hawkins, a nineteen-year-old struggling to survive the harsh realities of life on the streets with his best friend, a Ukrainian refugee, Andrej.
Little does Silas know his fate is about to take a dramatic turn when he meets Archer, a captivating and affluent young viscount.
That’s still not the point of this Saturday morning ramble, the point is, to point you towards an experience. Should you be in, or find yourself in, London, with an interest in the Ripper history, you might like to take a guided walk through the streets that remain and learn all kinds of things about the past and the murders. I’m a follower of Russell Edwards, Ripperologist and author of the book ‘Naming Jack the Ripper: New Crime Scene Evidence, A Stunning Forensic Breakthrough, The Killer Revealed. I have the book on my shelves and it’s a fascinating read.
After 125 years of theorizing and speculation regarding the identity of Jack the Ripper, Russell Edwards is in the unique position of owning the first physical evidence relating to the crimes to have emerged since 1888. This evidence is from one of the crime scenes and has now been rigorously examined by some of the most highly-qualified forensic scientists in the country who have ascertained its true provenance. With the help of modern forensic techniques, Russell’s ground-breaking discoveries provide conclusive answers to many of the most challenging mysteries surrounding the case.
Mr Edwards takes tours which you can read all about and book on his site, the Jack the Ripper Tour, and he also has a Facebook page.
I reckon Mr Edward would be one of the few people to catch all the JtR references in ‘Deviant Desire’ because many of them are very subtle. So subtle that now, seven years after writing it, I’ve forgotten most of them. They are there, though, from an easy-to-spot double event to the changing of location names – Mitre Square becomes Bishop’s Square, for example. Mind you, an expert like Mr E will probably baulk at the way I threw the clues and story together and what I did with the sacred story. Ah well, I set out to write a work of fiction, and gay fiction at that – a gay love story actually, which turned into a mystery that led to the second book which tells us why my Ripper was never caught, and by book six of the series what finally happened to the evil man… But that’s another story.
Anyway, this was a post to point out this tour which, were I in England, I would take. I used to live two miles away at Dalston Junction and would often wander down that way on a Sunday for the markets. Maybe I will go if I ever find myself back in town. Meanwhile, a reminder that this is the last weekend when all these murder, mystery and thriller books will be on promo (until next month when Book Mojo are running another which I will join in with). So, for all you mystery and murder novel fans, give them a look and some love.
