Pen and Sword publishing has the best historically true books. Investigating Charles Lechmere is a horror story! Every single murder committed by Jack The Ripper is explained in full gory detail in the book! Neil Norman had done extensive research on this. He certainly has convinced me! Highly recommended reading if you are a history buff!

I was initially really intrigued to read this book as I have always been a fan of true crime narratives however the book seemed to drag a fair bit.
The accounts of the victims of Jack The Ripper seemed to cover most of the book with the backstory Charles Lechmere taking a back seat except in small snippets in the book. This, in turn made this an average read for me- whilst it was factual it was quite slow paced and repetitive throughout the bulk of the book.
Thankyou to NetGalley and Pen and Sword publishers for an early arc of this non- fiction book.

I've read a couple other books about Jack the Ripper so I was somewhat already familiar with the list of victims. And perhaps that was why INVESTIGATING CHARLES LECHMERE seemed to drag for me.

The first half of the book focused on the victims. The description of each victim's death was repeated almost word for word in the police reports so there was a lot of repetition.

The second half focused on the suspects ... and there were a lot. The descriptions of a dozen suspects were too long.

I became uninterested and while it's not the author's fault that each victim had similar circumstances to the others, the writing seemed to be just a list of facts, facts and more facts.

However, I think this would be a great read for those who have taken deep dives into Jack the Ripper. They may at least learn new information about the list of suspects.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen and Sword for an e-copy of INVESTIGATING CHARLES LECHMERE: WAS HE JACK THE RIPPER? to review.

I rate INVESTIGATING CHARLES LECHMERE: WAS HE JACK THE RIPPER? three out of five stars.

I would greatly recommend this book to everyone who likes past criminal history.Very well researched with an up to date analysis on the rippers mindset and why he could get away with the murders knowing the area and the beets of the local police.I personally believe Charles cross lechmere was the ripper. Thanks a good read.

The Whitechapel murders, attributed to Jack the Ripper, involved 11 women, although there's debate about whether all were killed by the same person.

*The Canonical Five:*
- *Mary Ann Nichols*: Found dead on August 31, 1888, with her throat cut and abdomen mutilated.
- *Annie Chapman*: Murdered on September 8, 1888, with severe injuries to her abdomen and throat.
- *Elizabeth Stride*: Killed on September 30, 1888, with a cut throat, but no abdominal mutilation.
- *Catherine Eddowes*: Also killed on September 30, 1888, with severe injuries to her abdomen and throat.
- *Mary Jane Kelly*: Found dead on November 9, 1888, with extensive mutilations to her body.

*Other Victims:*
- *Martha Tabram*: Stabbed 39 times on August 6, 1888, with wounds focused on her throat, chest, and lower abdomen.
- *Emma Elizabeth Smith*: Attacked and raped on April 3, 1888, with a blunt object inserted into her vagina, leading to peritonitis.
- *Rose Mylett*: Found strangled on December 20, 1888, with some investigators believing it was an accidental death or suicide.
- *Alice McKenzie*: Murdered on July 17, 1889, with a severed carotid artery and multiple cuts.
- *Pinchin Street Torso*: A headless and legless torso found on September 10, 1889, with extensive mutilations.
- *Frances Coles*: Found dead on February 13, 1891, with throat cuts, but no other mutilations.

One of the many suspects discussed is Charles Allen Lechmere/Cross (5 October 1849 – 23 December 1920), an English carman (delivery) who became involved in the unsolved Whitechapel murders after he reportedly found the body of Mary Ann Nichols, the first of Jack the Ripper's 5 canonical victims.However, he became a potential Jack the Ripper suspect, largely due to him providing authorities with an alias surname and circumstantial inconsistencies in his testimony. His London home and work routes intersected with where the victims were found dead.
Lechmere may have murdered Nichols and begun mutilating her body when he suddenly heard the sound of Paul's footsteps; he then rapidly pulled down her clothing to cover up her wounds and portrayed himself as a discoverer who happened upon the body.

Could Charles Lechmere—the man reported to have discovered Polly Nichols’ body—be Jack the Ripper? This book presents him as a new suspect in the infamous 1888 Whitechapel murders, challenging long-held assumptions and offering a fresh perspective on one of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

Compelling and meticulously researched, this book presents a brilliant overview of the Ripper case and the people involved. It includes a run-down of the popular suspects and offers reasons for counting Lechmere among them.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I was curious and this is a good true crime. I don't know if the all the hypotesis work but it's an entertaining read
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Investigation Charles Lechmere : Was He Jack The Ripper?
Thought-out the years there have been different suspects brought who was thought to have been or might have been Jack the Ripper from members of the Royal family to even famous authors, but this is the first time that I"ve ever read a book where some one has asked was and could Charles Lechmere have been Jack the Ripper . And I have read quite a lot about Jack the Ripper, And I do have to say this author did an amazing job on bring his case to life by the way he brought all of the information about the people , the case and the time period to life . And while I did enjoy it this book , there is still a part of me that saying we're still not sure if he really is Jack the Ripper.

Theories about the identity of Jack the Ripper are legion & a plethora of suspects have been proposed over the decades, but is there a suspect who has been overlooked all this time? Charles Lechmere (aka Cross) was a carman who was on the way to work in the early hours when he discovered the body of the first canonical Ripper victim, Mary Ann Nichols. Lechmere, along with another witness who happened along the way shortly after, alerted a police officer on his beat nearby & gave evidence at the inquest, but the fact he gave an incorrect name & that the timings were fuzzy was never picked up on. Could the Ripper have been in-situ at the first murder & hidden in plain sight all along?

First of all this is a intriguing theory & the book is written in a very accessible way for those not familiar with the murders. It gives brief synopses of the five canonical victims, considers other possible victims, & either excludes or rules in the usual suspects. All this takes up 80% of the book, & Lechmere is not really discussed in any detail until almost the end. This could be because there is scant information about his life apart from the usual birth/marriage/death, but it just seems strange that the subject of the book would only appear in, at most, 20% of the book. It is very readable though & the theory is worth considering. 3.75 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pen & Sword, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I was excited for the opportunity to read INVESTIGATING CHARLES LECHMERE - Was He Jack the Ripper by Neil Norman. I love true crime, and like many have always been fascinated by the mystery surrounding the notorious Jack the Ripper. The book has a straight forward easy to read narrative approach, which I liked. But as I read, some parts seemed almost….too casual. I don’t know how to explain it more succinctly. Instead of a well researched informative narrative text, it came across in some parts like a very casual writer piecing things together. Some sections would be repeated almost word for word, and there were a lot of basic grammatical error… But to me, it read more like a very lengthy blog post.

I do appreciate the effort and research that Norman put into writing the book. But it lost some of the topic authority for me based on the style of writing.
I’m still giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ since I recognize that writing style is a personal preference.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a solid read for anyone new to and interested in Victorian England, and of course more specifically, the Jack the Ripper mystery.

I will preface this by saying that, while I am obsessed with everything Victorian, I actually knew next to nothing about the case other than general timeframe. While I love mysteries, and occasionally do dip into true crime, it's not usually a genre that attracts my attention for some reason. So I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to enjoy this book.

That ended up being not an issue at all! While the title mentions 'Charles Lechmere', one of the key suspects, he doesn't actually take center stage until perhaps the last 30 pages or so. Instead, the book does a wonderful job introducing the readers to each of the victims followed by each of the suspects before digging deeper into analyzing Jack the Ripper's methodology and the titular person.

Despite my limited prior knowledge, I will say the author does present a compelling case, while still acknowledging areas where investigations regarding other suspects might still lead to different outcomes. It felt like a fair and balanced presentation overall.

Because of the length of the book, it is on the shorter side around 200 pages or less, some sections -- particularly those about some suspect profiles -- felt a little too brief. A few times I found myself wishing for more detail regarding why certain suspects were dismissed. But, also, going too deep might've hurt the book's pacing especially as they weren't the focus. Honestly, the fact that I wanted more probably just means the book succeeded in sparking my curiousity.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. As heartwrenching as it was to read about the victims, the book sheds light on the dark side of Victorian London and is a good introduction for any budding Ripperologist.

Jack the Ripper revealed?
“Investigating Charles Lechmere” is comprehensive summary of the canonical Ripper cases, and similar crimes discounted as his work. This establishes the author’s credentials as someone who has undertaken an almost forensic study of the crimes; the victims, the nature of the injuries, a psychological profile of the killer, and an analysis of the suspects and their whereabouts when the crimes happened. The author draws up a full list of suspects and makes the arguments for and against their identity as the gruesome Jack. And finally, presenting the case for Charles Lechmere as the guilty man.
I am no Ripperologist – more someone with a general interest in the late 19th century – and so I was surprised how many of the suspects were identified in the later part of the twentieth century – hence – enter the subject of this book, Charles Lechmere.
It is no spoiler (given the title of the book) that the author believes Charles Lechmere was indeed the Ripper. So who was this man?
Lechmere was a cabman (the 19th century equivalent of a white van man) who knew the streets of London like his own hand. He lived in Whitechapel and familiar to many of the women on the streets. His job involved being abroad at night, allowing him to move around without suspicion. And the kicker is, he found one of the bodies. And that’s where it gets interesting, because piecing together and reviewing witnesses’ statements at the time, it seems likely the victim was still alive when Lechmere ‘discovered’ her. It’s entirely plausible that may have pretended to find her to cover his tracks. Added to that he gave a false name…and the circumstantial evidence starts to build a strong case.
An absorbing read that makes a strong case. See what you think!

I have always been fascinated by true crime and I think a big part of that started when I learnt about Jack The Ripper at school, it fascinates me how someone could do something so horrific and no one have any idea who he is or why he did what he did. So when I saw this book I knew I needed to read it and review it and I am so grateful that I got the chance too.

The book is really well written and is informative without being overpowering with the information, It definitely gave me lots to think about while I was reading it and afterwards.

"Investigating Charles Lechmere: Was He Jack the Ripper" by Neil Norman is an insightful book that details the gruesome murders of London's notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper. A man who has made his mark on not only the world of criminology but also in pop culture, the biggest question remains: who was Jack the Ripper? Norman explores the possibility of Charles Lechmere, a man with a mysterious presence, as being the man to hold such title.

This book is an interesting source for those who want an in-depth account of the murders executed by Jack the Ripper. A common theme throughout that Norman highlights is the suffering and alcoholism that many of the Ripper's victims suffered from, and he makes it a point to note that such events were an effect of the times. While I enjoyed the information, it was given in extensive, bulky paragraphs that lost my interest and made me have to reread the pages several times. There isn't a lot of personification in this novel, as Norman tells the story through facts, rather than stepping into the shoes of these victims and exploring the setting at an interpersonal level. I enjoyed his investigation into Charles Lechmere, but it felt like an afterthought, and I wish that there would have been more focus on his life and connection to the women who fell victim to the Ripper's crimes.

There are numerous books about Jack the Ripper and his identity remains a mystery. Neil Norman presents a compelling case for Charles Lechmere as the perpetrator. As with most compelling cases, we’ll probably never know the truth, but if you enjoy true crime or Ripper books, this is a must. It’s well written in that the scene is set well with detail of the area, the times, the police and the social climate. There’s good context to the victims as well. So often secondary to Ripper stories, the reader can place the victims from the detail given. The author also explores other possible victims and the investigation. Looking back, the police action was woeful but the benefit of hindsight has done little to resolve the mystery. I like this book for the social context and the sympathetic treatment of the victims. There are insights into many aspects of the case and food for thought. A fascinating series of photos at the end, including one of Lechmere and some interesting pictures of the Whitechapel area. An extensive index, bibliography and other source material is food for further reading. Fascinating and well argued.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early review copy.

A must read if you are a fan of true crime and especially a fan of all the mystery involving what has to be one of the biggest true crime stories in the world: Jack the Ripper.
A very interesting view on the victims, possible suspects and according to the author the true identity of the ripper.