The Trial, Imprisonment and Death of The Yorkshire Ripper (Hardback)

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Drawing on previously unreleased Home Office files, this true crime book delves into the aftermath of Peter Sutcliffe's reign of terror as the Yorkshire Ripper, examining his trial, his mental illness defense, and his life as a prisoner. It scrutinizes the police investigation, including the focus on the hoax letters and tape that derailed the case. The book is engrossing and easy to read.

NetGalley, Andrea Romance

The book is extremely well researched, easily read without legal jargon and chronologically follow the events it covers. It is factual, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusion.

NetGalley, Victoria Worsfold

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This book, along with the first book, is an excellent telling of the history of the Yorkshire Ripper. So many lessons learned, in hindsight, does not take away the pain and fear of the victims all these years later. I found it appalling the care Sutcliffe was given in the last months of his life during the Covid crisis considering what he did to all of his victims. Guess that says something about me. As hard as this story is to read, I highly recommend it.

NetGalley, Janet Watkins

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

‘I was reluctant to kill. I know it is wrong to kill, but when you have a reason, it is justified and right.’

Another great true crime book by Chris. I love this man’s work and will aways recommend his books to the world.

I didn’t know a lot of about Peter’s later life, so I found this to be quite interesting to learn.

Imagine if this man had been stopped sooner?

‘Prostitutes should be exterminated. They corrupt men. It affects their lives’.

NetGalley, Georgi Lvs Books

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Having read the previous book this was something I had hoped for. This is a subject who is well written about but often the victims become a side note. This had a more human feel to it and covered more areas and it was lovely to have it all in the one place. Clearly well researched as always this was engaging and interesting despite the subject matter. I felt i learned more about the ripper and his victims as a whole than i had ever before. This is perfect for anyone who wants to know more and offers a balanced view of complex issues such as voices in your head. Thank you netgallery, publisher and author for this cracking 5 star read. It dealt with a difficult killer in a balanced and informative manner.

NetGalley, Josephine Jarman

As a true crime nut, I loved this book. It was so informative and I really appreciated the level of detail about the trial and how everything worked with it behind the scenes. I didn’t have any knowledge about how the trial went, or the discussion of whether he had the mental capacity to be tried fairly or not.
This was a good read and it demonstrates how much time the author has put into researching the case and it is clear they have spent a lot of time and care collecting information and putting together this book. It was really informative and detailed!

NetGalley, Megan Crockford

Compelling and detailed without being sensational. Chris Cook walks you through the trial and aftermath of the Yorkshire Ripper in a way that’s easy to follow but still chilling. It’s heavy subject matter, but I appreciated how the book focused on the legal process and the impact of the crimes rather than just the lurid details. A strong choice if you’re into true crime that actually explains how the justice system dealt with one of Britain’s most infamous cases.

NetGalley, Sarah Higginbottom

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Chris Cook has written a book about the crimes of Sutcliffe and this book picks up on what happened after his arrest; the trial, imprisonment and eventual death. It also considers reports into the investigation and lessons learned…or not. There are numerous books about the so called Ripper and it’s unlikely that the true extent of his crimes will ever be known. As always, it’s the name of the perpetrator rather than the victims that’s remembered, but Cook references the victims with sympathy and makes a good job of showing the diverse range of individuals and locations where the crimes were committed. It’s difficult to imagine the horror experienced by the deceased. It’s appalling to realise that judgements were made about most of the women. They were believed to be prostitutes and that erroneous belief hampered the whole approach to the investigation and clouded judgement of most involved.

I believe Sutcliffe was a manipulative individual, capable of fooling medical experts and using his guile to achieve the outcomes he wanted after his arrest, Much of his trial focussed on his mental state and he’d engineered this with skill. Cook considers this carefully and methodically in reviewing the arguments put forward at trial and Appeal and presents a convincing picture. At a personal level, I had no sympathy for Sutcliffe and believe he received some measure of retribution from other inmates. He remained smug and elusive and kept many secrets about other crimes. Again, Cook references other unsolved murders and there’s much food for thought in the details. His approach is not judgemental and he leaves the reader to consider and question the way reviews etc were conducted. I felt it was clear that Sutcliffe was still pulling strings after his incarceration, particularly in reviewing to his assets and bankruptcy.

This is a rewarding read with information that’s new to me. I have read a few books about the case and investigation and consider this author to be informed and meticulous in his research and references. There’s a bibliography and source material referenced and an interesting range of photos and pictures related to the case. Well written and a worthwhile addition to any true crime collection.

NetGalley, Anita Wallas

Comprehensive and well researched, this book offers details of many aspects of the killer, his victims, his crimes, the investigation and the trial. Importantly, it also analyses where processes fell short and what happened after the judicial processes were complete. There are some really interesting pieces of information about the police inquiries and the various medical analyses of Sutcliffe’s state of mind which make you reflect on the outcomes of the trial and what might have been. The book does not explain what drove Sutcliffe to kill, but it does offer an unprecedented level of detail about the case. A must for people interested in this disturbing and dark piece of of history.

NetGalley, Louise Gray