BOOK REVIEW: "The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper's Victims"

I was so glad to see this book, as it focuses on the victims of the crimes as opposed to the perpetrator.  It was a well-written reporting of facts told as a story for each victim in the order of her death.

Even without dramatic flair, the abject poverty in which these, and other East Londoners lived is made tragically clear. The trajectory of these women's lives could have been so different if not for, as the author states, "the fickleness of fate - unemployment, abandonment, homelessness, or the death of a parent, husband or child".

The book is meticulously researched and there are pictures and documentation of the places referenced. Pictures of the victims post-mortem are also included. The historical backdrop of the political and social climate of London at the time is really brought to life.

I highly recommend this book as a commemoration to those poor women who had the misfortune to cross paths with a killer. Their lives were important, and these are their stories.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Net Galley and Pen & Sword Publishers for an ARC in exchange for my review.