The Complete Jack the Ripper - Donald Rumbelow 1975 *****

Rather sadistically, I am very interested in Jack the Ripper and the reign of terror cast over the East End of London in the late 19th Century. It seems to me that if anything could be called 'a perfect murder' then this whole ghastly business could.
Rumbelow has created a wonderfully intricate and fascinating book detailing all the murders in their goriest and gruesome sense. He describes the eyewitness accounts (of which there are only few) and the reaction to the crimes as witnessed by the police and Whitechapel community.
He also delves into the history of the area, the former lives of the victims, and the subsequent downfall of the Scotland Yard force when they shamelessly destroy vital evidence that would've helped the investigation immensely.
Most of all, the author reveals which of the victims he firmly believes is NOT a Ripper victim, and the reasons why.
An excellent book, well thought out, exceedingly well documented and painstakingly researched.
A must read.

Started 20th October
Finished 25th October

Death of a Gossip - M.C. Beaton 1985 ****1/2

Every time I have been in the library, I always end up passing the M.C. Beaton books. I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to reading books in the wrong order and could never find the first one in the series. But this weekend, after suffering from a long and tiring tooth extraction I took myself along to the small library in my Dad's village to cheer myself up. And I found this! The first book in the series. And devoured it hungrily. It had everything I wanted, murder, crime, wholesome and well round characters, and was very easy to read. Definitely what you want to read when you are feeling under the weather. Hamish Macbeth is the modern day version of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot put together, with a ferocious crop of red hair and a dry wit. We meet him for the first time in the fictional village of Lochdubh in Scotland, investigating the murder of a ghastly woman named Lady Jane, who crashes a friendly fishing club and quickly becomes the most unpopular person they have ever met. I am off to find the next book. Praise for M.C. Beaton, you have gained another fan.

Started 26th July

Finished 29th July

The Temptress - Paul Spicer 2010 ***

Interesting account of the mysterious death of Lord Erroll in Kenya's decadent "Happy Valley" in the 1940s. The book is really more centred around Alice De Janze, a beautiful American heiress who marries a Count and becomes entangled in a number of affairs but does go into some detail about the death of Lord Erroll and how he relates to Alice. The book chronicles Alice's early life, her depression, and then later on, her passionate and obsessive relationship with a man she ends up trying to murder. 

It's well written and informative, although I did every find it hard remembering all the different people and their relationships towards each other.