Sarah Beth Hopton

So far the only and most thorough source on the Hampstead Murderess, the postulated "Jill the Ripper", Mary Pearcey. It took Hopton ten years of research and work to get this published and it fits well in the Jack the Ripper canon. This disproves that crazy theory quickly, of course, and focuses on the actual crime she was convicted of committing, which was the murders of her lover's wife and baby. The book is quite detailed, and is just a hint confusing in the beginning by fleshing out tangents that could have been brought in later, or maybe set up in a different way, but overall this book is excellent. It was quite a complicated affair, with estrangement and strangeness. A very odd story, but Hopton manages to wrangle the narrative in and we get a solid history of the unfortunate incident. The murders, the incarceration, the trial and the verdict are all covered here, and you get a sense of sympathy of the charged. Pearcey seems to have had "spells" (seizures), and in Victorian England, that can be disastrous, especially when you throw love affairs and crime in the mix. A victim of the times, for sure. Hopton manages to speculate innocence and guilt, I feel that she believes Pearcey was guilty, or at least heavily involved but with help. Excellent photos as well. A necessary book for Ripperologists, 19th century crime buffs, and judicial studies.… (plus d'informations)