Review: Crimes, Detection and Death of Jack the Ripper by Martin Fido

Jack the Ripper fascinates so many of us. So many theories and we never (CAN never) know for sure. This work explores the crimes, the social factors and the credibility of the police involved. He provides evidence debunking many theories and explores sources and their reliability. Each victim (and victim eliminated from the Ripper canon) is carefully discussed in detail.  He also discusses evidence that he feels has been disproved or mis-interpreted.  He tries to trace the formation of various theories and the information they resulted from.  He discusses the role of the press and politics as well as clarifying the roles senior officers played. Sometimes the book is a bit dry but the information it contains is very well-researched and thought out. The edition I read was updated from the original after new information had come to light.  His theory of the culprit may be the strongest I have seen, but then we really will never know and that mystery is probably why we find it so intriguing. This is one of the must-read sources out there. Terri

An Interview with Emily Brightwell

INTERVIEW WITH EMILY BRIGHTWELL:

By Pamela James

MM2: Emily how many book have you written? In how many genres?

  Emily:  I’ve written a total of forty four books in three different genres: romance under the name of Sarah Temple, young adult novels under the name Cheryl Lanham and of course my mysteries as Emily Brightwell - to date I’ve done  thirty four books in the “Mrs. Jeffries” series and I’m looking forward to doing more!

MM2: I love Mrs. Jefferies and her cohorts. The Victorian period is one of my favorite periods in history. How much research went into this series? Is there a part of the research that is particularly difficult?

  Emily:  I’m so glad you’re enjoying the series.  The Victorians are a fascinating bunch and I’m always finding something interesting about them.  I do a lot of research and I generally use primary sources like newspapers and journals.  However, there are   occasionally details that are almost impossible to track down - and in that case, I  just keep digging…for instance, in the book I’m currently writing, I’m trying to find out how long evidence of a crime was preserved at the local police station.  Nowhere in the literature can I find out how long a local precinct hangs onto crime scene evidence when there hasn’t been an arrest.  

MM2: Tell us about your latest book? 

  Emily: “Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize” will be published in March of 2016.  This one was a true pleasure to write as it involved characters from India during the Raj, a Ladies Orchid and Exotic Plant Society and of course, a host of back-biting suspects!

MM2: Where is your favorite place to write?

  Emily:  I have an office where I do my writing on a desktop computer, but I’m considering buying another laptop so I can be portable.  I had a notebook for many years and I liked that - being able to take my work anywhere was very liberating and I miss it.

MM2: Give us some backstory on your career and your life?

  Emily: I came to California as a child and grew up in Pasadena.  After I graduated from college, I went abroad where I met my husband.   We eventually made our way back to California and settled in Long Beach.  After our children were born, I decided to get   serious about my dream of being a writer.  I was in International Shipping so I worked during the day and did my writing early in the morning.  After getting published in romance, I tried my hand at my mysteries and found that I loved working in that genre, but don’t get me wrong, I genuinely enjoyed writing romances as well.  Apparently, though, my personality is much better suited to killing people rather than making them fall in love!

MM2: What would Mrs. Jefferies tell us about you?

  Emily:  Mrs. Jeffries would say that the reason I love what I do is because I’m obsessed with justice.  She’d be right too.

MM2: What advice do you have for writers who want to write historical mysteries?

  Emily: Writing historical mysteries is wonderful, but whether it’s Victorian England, medieval France, the Joseon dynasty of Korea or the Incas of Peru, people are always people.  As a species, we are and always have been a mixture of good and bad; kind, cruel, loving, hateful, jealous, or self-sacrificing - it’s precisely because of our human characteristics that writers can create stories that readers love.  Good stories are always about people, the setting and time period is just frosting on the cake.

MM2: Your titles are great so my question is do you get to stay with the working titles or does the editor have you change some of them?

   Emily:  I usually come up with the title, but not always…I must admit, when my editor has given me a suggestion for a title change, it’s always better than the one I’d come up with.

MM2: Now for some fun questions: What is your favorite meal, movie, dessert, place to vacation and do you have a favorite television series?

   Emily:  A favorite meal is tough - I’m a foodie so I’ve rarely met a meal I didn’t like.  I love a great carnitas though, especially when washed down with a margarita or two.  My favorite movie is a romantic mystery, an Argentinian film called “The   Secret in Their Eyes”  As for dessert, I adore cream brûlée and a good bread pudding.  England is a wonderful vacation spot as is the coast of Northern California.  As for a TV series, goodness, there are so many great ones - I loved ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, also, ‘The Good Wife’, ‘Mad Men’ and Masterpiece Mystery (especially Inspector Lewis and the new Sherlock series with Benedict Cumberbatch).

MM2: What would you like to say to your readers?

   Emily:  I’m so grateful my readers continue to like the series and I sincerely hope I never disappoint them.

MM2: What are your future writing and traveling plans?

  Emily:  Future writing plans include more “Mrs. Jeffries” and hopefully, if I have time, a three book mini-series set in WW1..but we’ll have to see about that.  For travel, my husband and I are going to try to get to Hawaii this fall.

MM2: Take us thru a typical writing day?

  Emily:  I get to my desk by 8:30 and then put in four to five hours of writing…I don’t edit as I write, but do a whole draft of the book before I start the editing process.

MM2: Today if there were two of you. What would you have the other you do and what would you be working on?

  Emily:  The other me would be working on the WW1 mini-series while I worked on the next “Mrs. Jeffries”- which, by the way, has a working title of “Mrs. Jeffries Saves the Season”.

MM2: You have great characters so what would Inspector Witherspoon like to add to this interview?

  Emily:  Inspector Witherspoon would like to tell you that though he is one of nature’s gentlemen, he can also be a pretty tough guy when the chips are down.  Plus, one of these days, he is going to kiss Lady Cannonberry!

MM2: Lastly leave us with your favorite writing quote?

  Emily:  It’s a quote from the wonderful writer, Octavia Butler, who is sadly no longer with us.  “You don’t start out writing good stuff.  You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually, you get better at it.  That’s why I say one of the most

valuable traits is persistence.”
 

Review: Dead for a Spell by Raymond Buckland

The Lyceum Theatre is finishing a run of Hamlet starring Henry Irving and getting ready to produce Othello when one of their actresses vanishes and is later found dead.  At Theatre Manager Bram Stoker's request, stage Manager, Harry Withers begins investigating apparent occult themes in the crime.  What they find is Evil and if Mr. Stoker is correct, there will be another murder which they need to prevent.

I really enjoyed the setting and characters.  It felt historically rich and drew me in.

Bram Stoker is a great choice for a sleuth I think.  He was an unusual man with interests in the occult and supernatural.  Not to mention, theatres are always a great place to find unusual and interesting characters.  I thought the touches Mr. Buckland added to give the book the Victorian feel were wonderful.  I enjoyed when Mr. Stoker took Harry as his guest to the Beefsteak club.  Harry's anticipation and enjoyment was engaging.  Small touches are what made this book thoroughly enjoyable.

Terri

Review: The Thames Torso Murders by MJ Trow

• Print Length: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wharncliffe (August 24, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0091WB4ZI

The interesting thing about these murders is very few people even know about them. The Ripper crimes totally obscured any coverage or interest. Yet they really are just as gruesome if not more so, since only parts of dismembered bodies were found and most have not been identified. MJ Trow has written some very excellent books on the subject of the Ripper and I was curious to see how he presented this. I was put off a bit by the VERY detailed history of the Thames and its London districts. Too mu The interesting thing about these murders is very few people even know about them. The Ripper crimes totally obscured any coverage or interest. Yet they really are just as gruesome if not more so, since only parts of dismembered bodies were found and most have not been identified. MJ Trow has written some very excellent books on the subject of the Ripper and I was curious to see how he presented this. I was put off a bit by the VERY detailed history of the Thames and its London districts. Too much - information overload. And yet, probably very useful in a deeper understanding of some facets of the case. (Not to mention all the references remind me of current Sherlock locations....) The sad thing is that most of the historical documents and information has been lost (more so than even the Ripper case) so even with the obviously painstaking research done here, it will not be possible to really know much more about this series of murders. But it is interesting and it also tells us about another serial murder loose in London during Victorian times, overlapping with the Ripper's crimes. Terri

Review: The Yard by Alex Grecian

Title: The YARD

Author: Alex Grecian

When I write my yearly top ten books that I love...The YARD will be among the ten.

This book takes place in Victorian London right after Jack The Ripper conveys his message of terror.

Now there has been  murder squad formed by Scotland Yard. Walter Day heads the murder squad and the first order of business is one of their own has  been murdered and left in a trunk for dead. One by one murders happen and people disappear. With the help of forensic pathologist Dr. Kingsley, the two men hunt clue-by-clue and take London apart to find who is murdering their own and many more.

I loved this book. While there are some unsettling moments they are well worth the bile in the stomach. It has to be in this historical cozy in order for us to understand the what, when, where and why of the story.

From page one you are drawn into the story and the characters.

A side note (I loved the dancing man), don't miss this moving and extremely riveting mystery. ********** ten stars.

Pam