Tom Wescott

Groundbreaking history and exciting investigative journalism combine in a work jam-packed with newly unearthed finds and fresh insights that pull us deeper into the world of Jack the Ripper and closer to the man himself. Wescott does not promote a suspect but instead comprehensively investigates the murders of Polly Nichols and Elizabeth Stride, bringing to light new medical evidence, crucial new material on important witnesses, and - revealed for the first time - the name of a woman who may have met Jack the Ripper and survived to tell the tale. Also discussed in this book: Charles Lechmere, recently named as a suspect in the Jack the Ripper documentary, Conspiracy: The Missing Evidence, is restored to his proper place in history as an innocent witness. Walter Sickert, the subject of Patricia Cornwell's Jack the Ripper books, was not the Ripper, but is revealed here to have been only one of several artists and poets who may have been acquainted with victim Mary Kelly. Bruce Robinson's Jack the Ripper book, They All Love Jack, controversially endorsed the myth that fruiterer Matthew Packer sold grapes to Liz Stride which were later found on her hand. Around this was constructed an intricate police conspiracy. In Ripper Confidential the truth is exposed and these events are proved beyond doubt to have never taken place. Was Elizabeth Stride a Ripper victim? For the first time, all the myths are cleared away and the facts are looked at in great detail. The contemporary investigators speak out from the past and tell us what they thought of one of the Ripper's most enigmatic and controversial clues - the chalk-written message on the wall in Goulston Street. Did the Ripper write it and what might it actually have said? A comprehensive look is taken at Berner Street witness, Israel Schwartz. Why did he disappear within weeks from the written record? Was or was he not a legitimate witness? This and much more is discussed, and for the first time it's revealed why he did not give evidence at the inquest, why the two best known versions of his story are inconsistent, and - most crucially - that he was not the last person to see Liz Stride with a man who was probably her killer. From the author of the award-winning The Bank Holiday Murders: The True Story of the First Whitechapel Murders

You will never believe in being stone cold dead again. The undead are among us. Run Sixteen tales of the undead, all set in the colder months. Learn the definition of chilling in Tom Wescott's "Coffin Dirt" and James Simpson's "Mit Den Augen Der Toten". Meet dead family members in Neil Davies' "Abandoned" and Sylvia McIver's "Candles Against the Dark" - but be careful - not all reunions are loving. Read tales of ancient undead from D. J. Tyrer and Carl Thomas Fox - and a modern variant from Jason Purdy. Find out what Dickens' Ghost of Christmas Future does once her job is over in "Fear of the Future" by Gareth Barsby. What are zombies like in the winter? Jay Wilburn and Spencer Carvalho will be happy to show you. Interested in adventure? Alex Azar takes you "Under the Hood of Winter". Take a lonely road into fear with Guy Burtenshaw, find unusual allies in the forest with Ryan Tandy, and learn about true survival in Stephanie Stamm's "Phantom Pains". Prefer to stick close to home, where it's safe? Shenoa Carrol-Bradd and Lance Zarimba will make you feel a lot less secure. So, grab a blanket before settling down to read this book... but you might want to keep a firearm handy, just in case. You never know what could happen.

***WINNER*** Indie Reader Award for Best True Crime Book******WINNER***Independent Publisher (IPPY) Bronze Medal Award for Best History Book 2014******FINALIST*** Indie Excellence Award for Best True Crime Book (second place)***Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of London's East End from August through November of 1888 in what is dubbed the 'Autumn of Terror'. However, the grisly ripping of Polly Nichols on August 31st was not the first unsolved murder of the year. The April murder of Emma Smith and the August murder of Martha Tabram both occurred on bank holidays. They baffled the police and press alike and were assumed by the original investigators to have been the first murders in the series. Where they correct? In this provocative work of literary archeology, author Tom Wescott places these early murders in their proper historical context and digs to unearth new evidence and hard facts not seen in over 125 years. The Bank Holiday Murders is the only book of its kind. It eschews the tired approach of unsatisfying 'final solutions' in favor of solid research, logical reasoning and new information. The clues followed are not drawn from imagination but from the actual police reports and press accounts of the time. The questions asked by Wescott are ones first suggested by the original investigators but lost to time until now. The answers provided are compelling and sometimes explosive. Among the revelations are: -New information linking the murders of Smith & Tabram to the same killer(s).-Proof that the police did not believe key witnesses in either case. -Proof that at least one of these witnesses was working with the murderer.-New evidence connecting many of the victims that may lead to their actual slayers.-Information on Emily Horsnell, the ACTUAL first Whitechapel murder victim.-The hidden truth of 'Leather Apron' and its role in unraveling the Ripper mystery.-Proof of a corrupt police sergeant who thwarted the investigation. Was he protecting the Ripper?-Much more. The Bank Holiday Murders: The True Story of the First Whitechapel Murders brings us closer than ever to the actual truth behind the Jack the Ripper story and is sure to appeal to fans of Paul Begg, Stewart P. Evans, Philip Sugden, Donald Rumbelow, Ann Rule, Patricia Cornwell as well as readers of Victorian true crime, true life mysteries and historical cold cases in general.