Patricia Cornwell

I have been a student of the Ripper murders for a number of years - just don’t use the word ‘Ripperologist’ - and there are many anomalous facets to the crimes which I may (or may not) get round to posting on eventually. But as it so often does, something else odd has happened in our twee Victorian-wannabe (yes) world.

I see that Patricia Cornwell, who wrote a rather ludicrous book alleging that the artist Walter Sickert was the Ripper - this book is unbelievably bad actually and for all the research provides virtually no new evidence of any kind (except perhaps the guest book doodles but more on those another time maybe) - has seen fit to take out full page adverts in two national newspapers in order to deny that she is obsessed with Jack the Ripper!

Now this is funny and could almost be an esoteric teaching story! She apparently spent 10K (GBP) on each ad and all too prove she doesn’t have an obsession! And this in addition to $6M so far alleged to have gone into research into the Whitechapel murders - whether or not this includes the $1M which she is alleged to have spent on a Sickert painting which she then destroyed in a hunt for clues is unclear - as is whether or not that story is actually true.

But this seems more like a cynical publicity stunt (or is it me that’s the cynic?) as it turns out (please God no) that she has a sequel to the Sickert book due out shortly. The worst part is that I know I’m going to have to read it.



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