Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Wilma McCann
Emily Jackson
Irene Richardson
Patricia Atkinson
Jayne McDonald
Maureen Long
Jean Jordan
Yvonne Pearson
Helen Rytka
Vera Milward
Josephine Whitaker
Barbera Leach
Margeurite Walls
Jacqueline Hill

These women are the known victims of Peter Sutcliffe aka The Yorkshire Ripper. It is likely that there are many more names to be added to this list. These women are all to often unremembered. They are the 'victims of The Yorkshire Ripper' but they were also people, mothers, wives and daughters. Women whose only crime was being out after dark. Women who suffered the most depraved and violent acts and whose memory was trampled on by Yorkshire Police and The National Press who just didn't care.

This book does a good job at telling their story. It is written in chronological order from Wilma McCann to Jacqueline Hill. The author spends more time telling the reader who these women were and less time on 'him'. The crimes, the horror of them and the bungled response from the authorities are not shied away from. This book is frightening, infuriating and desperately sad but it never veers into the untasteful. It is sympathetic to these women and not fascinated with the man who took them.

The book claims that it reveals Sutcliffe 'final secrets' but there was nothing in here I didn't already know about the man but plenty I didn't know about his victims which is to this books credit but also a terribly sad reflection of the way we immortalise the villain whilst ignoring their victims.

It has been 46 years since Sutcliffe murdered Wilma McCann and sadly not much has changed. Women are still chastised for being out after dark, still judged on who they are and what they wear. We are still a society that teaches women how not to get murdered whilst teaching boys to go and sow wild oats and when it gets out of hand defending them with the tiresome 'boys will be boys' narrative. When a woman goes missing and is killed (as sadly happened to Sarah Everard just weeks ago) the first questions are 'why was she out so late?' and 'what did she do?' The language and judgement highlighted in this book are still the same today. I found reading this to be a sad dose of reality. Although this happened all these years ago it could have been just yesterday. A frightening thought indeed.

This book was brilliant and helpful for a blog post i wrote for true crime week on my blog. It was education but still interesting and I read it in one sitting..

This book follows the story of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, from his first non-fatal attacks on women, through to the murder of his first known victim, and to his eventual capture and trial.

The book is well researched, and author gives these involved respect something that has not been often done in the past. There is a clear narrative throughout making it easy to read and understand.

Over the years, I have read a few books about the Yorkshire Ripper case and they all have different things to offer in terms of viewpoint or focus. This is a fairly straightforward re-telling of events, which looks at the mistakes the investigation made and how, had things been done differently, then the case should have been closed much more quickly. Of course, hindsight is a good thing, but certainly there were errors that were made and links that were not. The ‘stone in the sock,’ incident and the fact that Peter Sutcliffe was found hiding behind a hedge, with a hammer, were indications that should have tied in with later crimes, but the connections were not made. However, a card index is not a computer programme, and, linked to the beliefs of some police that the killer was concentrating on prostitutes, meaning they did not tie in an earlier attack on a schoolgirl (who had created an excellent photofit of her attacker), also meant there were failures in the case.

Although there is a brief biography of Sutcliffe, this did not have the depth of “Somebody’s Husband, Somebody’s Son,” by Gordon Burn, for example. This is a fairly short book, which concentrates on key events and does a good job of presenting the evidence clearly and concisely. If you were reading a first book on these crimes, this will give you a good overview. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGally, for review.

This is a very interesting but very scary book. Peter Sutcliffe, The Yorkshire Ripper, remains the most infamous serial killer in British criminal history. This book takes another look at the crime scenes and gives us the real story of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. The truth can now be told with the use of DNA, police reports, newspaper accounts and eye witness testimony. In the past a lot of the information was not clear and now the confusion has been set straight. I thoroughly enjoyed Cobb's book and found it very informative. It follows the timeline of the killings and shows us the ruthlessness of Peter Sutcliffe. We learn how and where he was captured, a peek at his trial and what has since happened to him. I would highly recommend this book to those who are a follower of true crime. I would like to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword Publishers for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Ii voluntarily read this ARC in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine

I remember this case so was fascinated at being given the chance to read this

This has been extremely well done. Really well researched, the individuals involved are treated with respect
Putting forward the details of the case has been particularly well done. Completed in date order, there is a clear narrative throughout. Easy to read and understand

It seems strange to say I enjoyed it but I certainly found it a satisfying read

This is a very interesting account of the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. It is written with sensitivity and respect to all the victims and is well researched. The attacks by Peter Sutcliffe are detailed in chronological order and the book is easy to read. Police errors are well documented, as is each murder site. A great insight into police work at that time, without the benefit of forensics and computers. A very interesting and informative read. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

On the trail of the Yorkshire Ripper covers the murder of 13 women and the attack on several others in and around the Leeds/Bradford area of England in the seventies to early eighties. It gives an insight into the police work at that time and terrible frustration they must have felt before the age of computers to compile hundreds of thousands of pieces of information. They had no real way to cross check little bits of info so things got missed in a case of this magnitude. The book does a great job of pointing this out and the author offers his opinion on a number of issues. Good book - recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Yorkshire Ripper murdered 13 women and attacked a number of others before he was caught and locked away. There were missed opportunities and misdirections within the search.  

The book covers the trail of Peter Sutcliffe's attacks in chronological order, in addition to the attacks the book covers the police work. The book is very well researched piecing together a lot of information from a number of different sources giving a full picture. 

Sadly at the time, the police missed a lot of facts - perhaps if forensics were more advanced at the time it would have been solved quickly - resulting in missed opportunities to save lives, these are all highlighted throughout the book.

Normally I wouldn't enjoy books that aren't from survivors or have a direct relation to the event however this was so well researched. I wasn't alive at the time but I as I live in the area it is something I have heard about growing up but not something I have read about before.

My two only minor criticisms are some of the languages could be better chosen as we move forward. The author has clearly visited each site while researching the book however, I don't think it was needed to name the businesses, it might have been better to say 'a car garage' rather than a specific business name.

Overall it was a good read and is very well written, one I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the cases. I look forward to reading future books from the author should he cover other UK cases.

The title says it all really. This book covers the story of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, from his first non-fatal attacks on women, through to the murder of Wilma McCann, his first known victim, and to his eventual capture and trial. At the time he was one of the most prolific serial killers in the UK and Cobb’s book tells how Police blunders may have let him go on killing long after he should have been stopped.

First things first, I loved it. My only tiny complaint would be that I felt the writing was quite clinical and didn’t have enough emotion for me considering the subject matter. I get that it was about the search for the Ripper but I felt like it would have benefitted from a little more emotion in connection with the victims. The formatting on the eBook was also a little off but this may be because it was a pre-publication copy so I’ve allowed for that in my star rating at the end.

The level of detail that Cobb has gone into is astounding. He paints a very vivid picture of what the places would have been like at the time when the women were murdered and what it is like at the time of him writing this book. It really gave me a feel for what it must have been like for those women.

I loved that Cobb included statements from survivors and from family members of the women Sutcliffe killed as well as excerpts from Sutcliffe’s confessions. I liked that it doesn’t seem like Cobb has visited Sutcliffe to get material for the book; I don’t agree with giving people like him a chance to go over their crimes and revel in what they have done.

I was aware of the Wearside Jack hoax and that it diverted resources and attention away from areas that might have meant Sutcliffe was caught sooner but I hadn’t realised quite the extent of this. It’s sad to think of how many women could have been saved had it not been for that stupid prank and the ineptitude of the Police involved. It’s maddening to read of all the missed chances.

I recently read Colin Sutton’s book, “Manhunt” about the hunt for the man who killed Amelie Delagrange and at one point when he’s got his team checking what seems to be a never ending list of white vans he mentions having read a book about the Yorkshire Ripper and a list of tyres that needed checking and how the team gave up three quarters of the way through and the Ripper’s vehicle was in the last quarter. Cobb details this missed opportunity and it was nice to see that link.

It was sad to see the public perception of the prostitutes that Sutcliffe killed and it’s also interesting to note that although it’s often said that he only killed prostitutes that’s not strictly true. Yes, many of his victims were prostitutes but not all were and it’s probably more accurate to say he went for easy targets, killing women who were accessible due to high risk activities or life styles.

I’d definitely recommend this to any lover of true crime as it is extremely well written and definitely steers clear of hero worship or glorifying Sutcliffe’s crimes.

I gave it 4 1/2 stars.

I really enjoy true crime and as I child growing up in the late 70's early 80's this resonates with me. I did know most of the information provided in the book, but it was still goo to recall it in one book. I would have liked more about what he is doing now in prison and what became of his wife etc. Some mentions but not much.

An excellent, informative read on a very difficult and harrowing subject. The research done was first class and the writing is extremely respectful towards the victims and their families. Highly reccommend this book especially if you are not fully aware of the extremities Sutcliffe went to in fulfilling his gruesome fantasies. Thank you for letting me read this. I will definitely be looking up this author from now on.

An excellent read. This book was exciting and I didn’t want to put it down
I really enjoyed how the book was put together and the writing style was very good
Very highly recommended book

An interesting and in places harrowing read about the Yorkshire Ripper. I remember some of the murders and Peter Sutcliffe being caught. This book tells about his victims and some of his possible victims and how he was eventually caught.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

On the Trail of the Yorkshire Ripper was an excellent book.

It is well written, researched and is easy to read. The Author is mindful of the fact that some victims are still thankfully alive. It follows the attacks in a chronological order. Explaining what happened at each attack and giving directions as to where you would find each site now, hence being on the trail.

It explains how the police failed in charging Peter Sutcliffe much sooner due to many factors. (Sadly lots being Police error.)

An excellent book and one which I would go back to again. I enjoyed the Authors writing style and would read other books by him as well.

Thanks to Netgally and Pen and Sword True Crime for the ARC. The Review is my own opinion.

I thought that this book, On the Trail of the Yorkshire Ripper: His Final Secrets Revealed was excellent, it was a completely additive read and I flew through the pages.

I love reading books on true crime and this was a very detailed book that covered the horrific murders and attacks of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe.

I read the book spread over a few evenings and I have to say that the book was superb. The writing style was perfect and I really enjoyed the length of the chapters and how the book had been set out.

It was full of detail and the author really brought what happened to life, it was horrific and I can’t even image what it would have been like to have been around at that time (his reign of terror was before I was born), no-one was safe on the streets as his attacks and murders towards the end of his campaign showed. These attacks are tragic and harrowing.

It is 5 stars from me for this book – very highly recommended!!

A interesting and informative book about the Yorkshire Ripper. A book that was respectful to the victims. Well written and easy to read.

When the Yorkshire Ripper was on the loose I was a young child living in the North West of England. This case fascinated me especially knowing how frightened women were and I desperately wanted him to get caught. Being young and impressionable I thought that the police would catch him quickly and lock him up in prison forever, that obviously didn’t happen. Throughout the years I have watched countless documentaries and read books and news articles about this case, and I have to say that this is one of the best books that I have ever read on the subject. I have gained lots of new information when I thought I knew everything there was to know.

The book is written in a straightforward way and so is easy to read. The author is very respectful to all of the victims whether still alive or dead. Throughout the book we also get to know from Peter Sutcliffe’s POV what happened with each victim. The thing that manages to make me angry every time I read or watch anything about this case is the amount of mistakes the police made. Throughout this book I became aware of other mistakes they made that were new to me.

Whether you think that you know all there is to know about this case or just know the basics I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed reading this book, which covers, in chronological order, the attacks of the Yorkshire Ripper. The book sells itself as being 'On The Trail' of the ripper, this seems to relate to a description of the scenes of the attacks and where they can be found now. I dare say that, they would suffice as a guide to find the sites (if one were so ghoulishly minded) but, apart from this, the book adds little to the canon of literature surrounding this killer.

For a complete read, I would recommend Gordon Burn's excellent 'Somebody's Husband, Somebody's Son' for insight into Peter Sutcliffe and his strange and sometimes strained relationship with his wife Sonia.

Michael Bilton's 'Wicked Beyond Belief' also adds depth to the enquiry and its failings.

Anyway, this book feels like a good primer to the subject and does give a flavour of the emotions that surrounded this entire case.