Portrait Of A Killer: A Penny
Dreadful Review
I
would have to say that the most famous cold case is that of the Jack the Ripper
murders in the 1880s. The identity of the savage killer has been hotly debated
for more than a hundred years. In Portrait
of a Killer, internationally famous mystery author Patricia Cornwell weighs
in on this debate with her conclusions.
Ms.
Cornwell applies modern detecting techniques, handwriting analysis, modern
psychology, and other extremely convincing methods to pin the murders on a
particular someone. I shan’t reveal the identity of the gentleman in question,
saying only that he is well-known for his art which contains some disturbing
subtext as Patricia Cornwell points out.
Her
application of modern methods to this case is fascinating reading, and she
certainly knows how to make an argument. After reading the book, it boggles the
mind how the man in question never came under suspicion in the original
investigation. Patricia Cornwell’s skill as the weaver of fascinating mystery
is never in question. The first several chapters are stunning, clever, and
frightening. Unfortunately, after she finishes the narrative of the Ripper
murders, the book trails on for much longer than is needed.
In
conclusion, the first bit of Portrait of
a Killer is a Must Read, but skip the end. It doesn’t add any new
information. I give this book three and a half gears out of five. It is a
fascinating work of true crime, and ought to be read by anyone fascinated with
the late Victorian era.
Your Correspondent From The
Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather
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