THE BANK HOLIDAY MURDERS - THE TRUE STORY OF THE FIRST WHITECHAPEL MURDERS

According to modern day consensus Jack the Ripper only killed five prostitutes, despite the official police reports stating he killed nine, not five, whilst some these unfortunate women were none so... coff-coff... 'unfortunate'... so to speak. Now for more information about Jack,  please check out the following interview I did with my mate Tom Wescott, who wrote a book entitled...


The Bank Holiday Murders: The True Story of the First Whitechapel Murders


1) What are your own origins, Tom? Plus what path did you take in life prior to getting to were you are today?   I was born in Missouri (yes, I'm American) but moved to Oklahoma at a young age. At about the age of two or three I became interested in monsters and KISS. By middle school, these outre interests expanded to real life monsters, namely serial killers.

However, Jack the Ripper did not interest me at all as I was originally into more contemporary cases, such as Bundy, Manson, and later Dahmer. I didn't become interested in the Ripper until the late 90s, when I was in my 20s, and picked up a book in a used book store. After that first book, I was 'chasing the dragon', buying every book I could. Inevitably, I let the dragon go and began chasing the Ripper himself.

2) What inspired you to write ‘The Bank Holiday Murders’?   What inspired it were the discoveries it contained. Pretty much the entire book challenges the accepted gospel surrounding the early Whitechapel murders of Emma Smith and Martha Tabram, and the threads of evidence I follow lead right into the murders of Nichols and Chapman. 

3) In your own words how would you describe this tale?   Challenging and revelatory. If you've read the best books on the case, and then read mine, you'll find some -- or maybe even many -- of your entrenched views challenged. Perhaps even shattered. For the sake of clarity, I'll mention this is a non-fiction book, so not so much a 'tale' as it is a journey of research and discovery.

4) What song would you say best represents this project and why?   'We've Only Just Begun' by the Carpenters, because I believe we've only just begun to scratch the surface of the true Ripper mystery. The Bank Holiday Murders is the first diamond to the glass.

5) If you could get a celebrity – apart from Jack – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Oprah Winfrey, because at least in America, women will buy any book she recommends. One tweet from her and I could retire.

6) What have you learnt about yourself through this endeavour? And were their any unforeseen obstacles you had to contend with along the way?   Not only were there no unforeseen obstacles in the writing and publishing of the book, but there were far fewer obstacles than I anticipated. The book has won three awards in its first few months, has been reviewed enthusiastically, and has sold more than I expected.

So no complaints here. 

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   Two things: a very thick skin, which is necessary if you plan to contribute to the boards and journals over a period of years without losing your sanity, and also a genuine enthusiasm for the subject and for discovery; not only my own, but also and perhaps especially the discoveries of others.

8) If ‘The Bank Holiday Murders’ had a motto, what would it be?   It already has one in its subtitle, which is, 'The True Story of the First Whitechapel Murders'. Now if that ain't enough to make you want to buy the book, then you're not a Ripperologist.

Well. You heard the man, folks. Are you a fan of old 'Saucy Jack' or not? If so, please check out Tom's official website, facebook, and twitter pages for more information. Go on. What's a slash and a click between friends.