Jack the Ripper, people have had a fascination about him for many years. This is the best of Cornwell's books. She researched this case and gives her readers an authentic view of what probably happened in London in 1888. Her personal knowledge of forensic science enabled her to identify the author of the Ripper's letters. I have read and seen many ideas of who the identity of Jack the Ripper was. Cornwell has the best answer to this old question. This book is so much better than "The Last Precinct." By Ruth Thompson the author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River

The Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early SettlersNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil WarQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelHaintsTravelersWriting as a Small Business

Cornwell did her homework on this one didn't she? I can't even imagine how her mind must go continueously, especially with this type of book. All the research she must have had to do to get the information needed to get this novel out. We all know that JTR exsisted and I think that Cornwell came mighty close to closing the case. Closer than anyone else I have read about. I believe people don't want this case ever closed, and I bet this was one of the most difficult books she has ever writen. Can you only imagine all the hours of research that went into this book. I commend you Ms. Cornwell for JTR. This was a very hard book to put down once you started reading it. Who really knows who JTR really was, but I think Cornwell's theory is pretty much right on it, great job Cornwell!

Try as I might, I can't give this a one. A one is the book I threw across the room or tried to return to Borders. I actually consumed this book voraciously (in about 2 sittings). It was readable. It was interesting. It was creepy. Hey, any book that gives you in depth analysis of the life and habits of "strumpets" can't be a total failure. I also learned all about poor houses -- it gave me a lot less respect for Ebeneezer Scrooge. Granted, there are probably more stunning and edgy social commentaries on Dickensian London (Jack London, Charles Dickens himself), but I'm guessing Cornwell's is going to be the most digestible for the casual reader.

It was also (in places) laughably bad. Bad in it's insistance that the killer had been nailed by the flimsiest of evidence. Bad in it's meandering and chronological schizophrenia (other reviews suggest this was intentional; I can't help but agree). Bad that in a world where children die in the third world from treatable illnesses and malnutrition, someone would have the ego and the folly to spend 6 million dollars on apprehending a killer who's, uh, dead. It's the only thing I can't forgive Cornwell for.

It also falls into, IMHO, the category of being so bad it's good! When someone has the audacity to write and publish such whimsy as fact, there's inherent fun in picking it apart, laughing at it, going on the internet and checking the true facts. I certainly don't want to give Cornwell snaps for her ability as a historian or writer of non-fiction (both of which are atrocious), but nor do I wish to dissuade people from reading the book, which is an experience unto itself, an exercise in critical thinking, a morality play on personal pride, and for all that, a great experience all around.

Put aside the Doestoevsky and hell, even the Truman Capote. Take this "True" Crime Farce to the beach and enjoy every goofball word. You'll be entertained, and you'll probably even learn a thing or too, though not anything about Jack the Ripper.

"Portrait of a Killer" purports to have finally uncovered the identity of the enigmatic Jack the Ripper. Sure enough, Patricia Cornwell had me convinced that Walter Sickert, a contemporary painter, was indeed the Ripper. . . . at least while I was reading the book. Cornwell's book reads more like a thriller than a legitimate investigate. For being a page turner, I give this book 4 stars. Cornwell is very compelling in her argument, & I truly did believe that Sickert was the Ripper while I was reading this book.

The problem is that all of her evidence if circumstantial. Taken together, the evidence (if fact) does make Sickert look like an ideal candidate for the Ripper. Unfortunately, there are several other candidates for the Ripper who are just as compelling. Cornwell does not mention these, so Sickert seems like a foregone conclusion. I've done a fair bit of reading on Jack the Ripper, including visiting the murder sites on a trip to London, & I just don't believe that Cornwell has finally unearthed his identity. I don't think anyone ever will.

I thought this was well done. The author proves rather well the guilt of a very very ugly and dispicable person.