The Hunt for the 60’s Ripper
"...this book is meticulously researched."
Synopsis:
In 1888 the East End of London was stalked by a man who mutilated and murdered five prostitutes. Such was his notoriety that he soon earned the nickname of 'Jack the Ripper'. But in the 1960s another serial killer stalked the streets of London - this time in Bayswater, Notting Hill and Shepherd's Bush. Though he became known as the 'Nude Killer' he has not garnered the notoriety of the Ripper, though he murdered, not five, but seven (possibly eight) prostitutes that operated in that area. And just like Jack the Ripper, he was never caught.
This is the story of the investigation into the murders, led by Detective Chief Superintendent John du Rose. It remains the largest murder investigation ever carried out in the UK, and is a harrowing story which mixes dogged police work, determination, unanswered questions, gross mistakes, missed opportunities and, at the end of the day, failure.
The first victim (though she was not initially connected with the serial killer), was 21 year-old Elizabeth Figg, whose body was discovered on June 17 1959 at Duke's Meadow in Chiswick. The last victim, Brigit O'Hara, was discovered in Acton on February 16 1965. And that's where, inexplicably, the killing spree ended.
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Review:
The author, Robin Jarossi, is a journalist, and as befits a journalist, this book is meticulously researched. He visited every crime scene, and examined every document he could find that was connected to the case. In addition, he sought the advice and experience of modern-day detectives to gain an insight into how the murders were investigated in the 1960s compared to how it would be investigated today. So who was the Nude Killer? Robin Jarossi offers tentative clues as to who it might have been, though he admits that we will probably never know. He also examines John du Rose's dubious statement that he knew all along who the culprit was. No one knows why the murders stopped. Possibly the killer died, or he may have moved away. Possibly even he overcame his bloodthirsty urges. Whatever the reason, Jarossi offers the intriguing possibility - that the Nude Killer might even be alive today.