Changes

|title=Jack of Jumps

|author=David Seabrook

|reviewer=Sue Magee

|summary=An exhaustive an interesting look at the murder of eight prostitutes in London between 1959 and 1965 is marred when it strays from fact into speculation about the identity of the murderer and points a finger at a living person who could be identified from the wealth of detail provided.

|rating=3

|buy=Maybe

|borrow=Maybe

|pages=400

|publisher=Granta Books

|isbn=978-1862079281

}}

Some true crime has never been far from the public consciousness. There are quite a few people still trying to solve the Jack the Ripper murders nearly a hundred and twenty years later. Other crimes have slipped from the public memory despite the fact that they were equally horrific and it's difficult to understand why, given the similarities. One such case is the murder of eight prostitutes in a relatively small area of London between 1959 and 1965. The bodies were all naked when they were found and they came to be known as 'the nude murders'. It was also inevitable that the killer would be known as 'Jack the Stripper'.

Whilst the book was factual I found it enjoyable - if 'enjoyable' is the right word with regard to so much gruesome and grubby detail - but once it strayed into speculation I felt as though I was reading the worst excesses of tabloid journalism. It's a pity that a few pages should mar an otherwise good book.

{{commenthead}}