Whenever I go to a library, I do two catalouge searches. One for 'ripper', and one for 'sherlock'. Imagine my pleasure when up on the database screen came "Lestrade and the Ripper"!
This lengthy novel pits Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, sometimes rival of Sherlock Holmes, against The Ripper himself. Overall it is an enjoyable read, with about the best ending a JTR novel can possibly have.
M Trow is guilty at times of inaccuracies, e.g. the two shiny fathings, but he is more accurate than some 'serious' students of the JTR crimes I could mention.
The best part of this book is probably the last third, where Lestrade investigates each of the most famous suspects, from Leather Apron to Gull, and debunks each theory one-by-one, in a most humorous fashion. My personal favourite is Lestrades visit to Michael Ostrog, but I wont give that away...
If you can take having your pet theory destroyed by a 19th century fictional character, this is a great read. |
