In Whitechapel, London in 1888 prostitutes are being killed and mutilated by an unknown perpetrator, dubbed "Jack the Ripper," and in this excellent novel Bloch delves into the case amid rich period atmosphere. Many of the characters, such as Inspector Abberline and Sir Charles Warren as well as suspects of the time, are taken from real-life -- and there are also guest appearances by the likes of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw -- but Bloch has also assembled his own cast of fictional personalities: Dr. Albert Trebor; hospital probationer Eva Sloane; squeamish American physician Mark Robinson; the weird Dr. Jeremy Hume; and others.
Bloch begins each chapter with descriptions of real-life atrocities carried out on human beings over the centuries. While these are morbidly fascinating, they frankly slow down the book. (Apparently Bloch was trying to show that Jack was a piker compared to some of the murderers of history.) Despite this, the book is creepy and suspenseful, and Bloch has come up with a bizarre but highly interesting and satisfying solution to the murders.
Verdict: One of the best works of Ripper fiction ever! ***1/2.
Is Bloch the author of Psycho? Looks like it worth a read.
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Yes, Bloch is most famous as the author of the novel "Psycho." This is probably a better book.
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