Jack the Ripper

The House of Mystery radio show has been on the air for ten years, broadcasting in over a dozen cities in the United States, including KKNW 1150 A.M. Seattle/Tacoma, and KCAA 106.5 F.M. Los Angeles | 102.3 F.M. Riverside | 1050 A.M. Palm Springs. I started the show to find out as much information on the world's mysteries in fields like Crime, Science, Religion, History, Paranormal, and more. Like most people, the stories and rumors I've heard, books I've read, or documentaries I've watched would seldom provide one direct answer to a question. Throughout my time recording interviews, I would seek out people who had researched a subject enough to have written a book, developed a documentary, or were involved in the event or topic enough to have the knowledge I was seeking.

The strange thing I found was that in most cases, there was a popular or mainstream idea of what happened or was reported at the time of the event. But then most of the favorite writers who had books or shows about the event often disagreed with the current theory. They would go as far as to accuse the media of faking the story and hiding the truth from everyone. An example would be the JFK Assassination. There is a common theory reported by different government agencies and news media that most people in America accept as the truth. However, ever since the release of the original Warren Report on the assassination, hundreds of opposing theories have been promoted by authors and researchers. In this series, each volume focuses on one of the conspiracies discussed on the show. Each book lays out the case details, reviews the official reports, and then follows up with each of the alternative theories presented during the interviews with the person or people reporting on them. There will be no committed answer at the end of the book. The House of Mystery Interviews series does not attempt to solve the case. Instead, it provides a concise review of the crucial and fascinating points learned during the show's interviews. The book is an excellent reference for other researchers and a good overview for those unfamiliar with the case.

In Volume 1 of the series, the focus is on the infamous Jack the Ripper, or Whitechapel murders from 1888 in London, England. We have interviewed well over 20 authors/researchers of the Whitechapel Murders on the show. The guests found in this book represent a particular type of research in the case. Some are Suspect Researchers (i.e., those having a specific suspect they believe is responsible for the killings). Their work lays out all the information supporting their theories. We had researchers who took a more scientific approach, as is the case with Michael Hawley, and then others who provided a list of all the suspects and the main elements of why each one was a suspect Also included in this book is what I refer to as "Spectacle Books" written about the case. For INTRODUCTION instance, the theory that the American H.H. Holmes was Jack the Ripper after a distant relative made the accusation; and the theory surrounding Catherine Eddowes's shawl, which some researchers claim to have Jack the Ripper's DNA on it. Discussion about the essential question concerning the actual number of victims is also included. Were there only five? We also include a researcher who examined the crime scenes and recounted their opinion of the murders.