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The Thames Torso Murders Hardcover – December 1, 2011
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The incredible criminal career of the Thames torso murderer has gripped readers and historians ever since he committed his crimes in the 1870s and 1880s. The case poses as many questions as the even more notorious killings of Jack the Ripper. How, over a period of fifteen years, did the Thames murderer get away with a succession of monstrous and sensational misdeeds? And what sort of perverted character was he, why did he take such risks, why did he kill again and again?
- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWharncliffe
- Publication dateDecember 1, 2011
- Dimensions6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
- ISBN-101848844301
- ISBN-13978-1848844308
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About the Author
Among his recent publications are lives of Boudicca, Vlad the Impaler, Kit Marlowe, the hero of the Charge of the Light Brigade, Captain William Morris, War Crimes: Underworld Britain in the Second World War and The Cato Street Conspiracy.
He has produced several best-selling accounts of criminal cases, in particular volumes on Derek Bentley, the Wigwam Murder and Jack the Ripper, but he is perhaps best known for his many novels which include the Lestrade and Maxwell series.
Product details
- Publisher : Wharncliffe (December 1, 2011)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1848844301
- ISBN-13 : 978-1848844308
- Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.25 x 1 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,991,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,876 in Serial Killers True Accounts
- #30,508 in Great Britain History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
M J Trow (the 'M' as most people know by now stands for Meirion, a Welsh name few can manage, so he writes as M J, is known by all and sundry as Mei, rhyming with 'my') has been writing for many years, with his first book - The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade - being published in 1984 by Macmillan. More Lestrades followed and then some true crime and somehow it all snowballed so now he has many historical biographies and three other crime series (Maxwell, Marlowe and Grand and Batchelor, the latter two written with his wife, writing as Maryanne Coleman, though her name is Carol, actually!) to his credit. He claims to be retired, but that's just from teaching. In fact he has never been busier and is a sought after 'ghost' these days as well as historian and novelist, with many different subjects' stories having been told through him. He has recently started collaborating on fiction projects (with someone other than his wife, that is) and finds it a really exciting and pleasurable experience.
To relax he ... actually, that's a bit tricky, as he doesn't really ever relax. He has been known to garden, he is a keen cook and artist and likes to travel. This is rather easier these days as he is a popular speaker on cruise ships - in fact his profile picture was taken on a very gusty day in Cape Town, setting off on a long voyage home to Southampton through some of the scariest seas he and his wife have had the pleasure to meet! It really was the calm before the storm, despite being a Force 9 just leaving the Bay.
Family is important and he is very proud of his wife, Carol (aka Maryanne Coleman) for her own books and also the ones they write together, the Kit Marlowe series. His son, Taliesin, known as Tali, is a writer who has written a biography of the Tudor explorer Martin Frobisher as well as collaborating with Mei on several biographies. An exciting series is in the melting pot at the moment and will hopefully be appearing soon; remember where you heard it first. Tali is also a musician, playing various instruments with some acclaimed bands; Gemma Hayes, the Coal Porters, Circulus and currently acid-folk ensemble The Lords of Thyme. He also records and tour-manages. His crystal vocals enhance everything he does and it's just as well someone in the family can sing, as it is the first thing anyone asks a Welshman!
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This is an interesting read when it discusses the history of violence and death near the Thames, as well as the "Thames mystery" torso murders of 1873 - 1874 and the later torso homicides of 1884 - 1889. These unsolved homicides, as disturbing as they were, have since been overshadowed in history by the overwhelming focus on Jack the Ripper. This issue is itself reflected in the author's chapters on Jack the Ripper (thankfully, the author does not attempt to claim that JtR was one of the torso killers) and other, more recent serial killers. Perhaps some will appreciate the comparisons between the crimes, but those discussions did not flow well with the narrative of the torso homicides.
Despite the best efforts of investigators, only in a single case was there an identification of the victim, and the killer(s), regardless of identities and motives, remained elusive. One is repeatedly struck by a tragic sense of depersonalization: in the lifestyles of the victims (as some likely were prostitutes), in the manner of their deaths, and the general use of the river as a dumping grounds - for suicides and for unwanted children and women. Even the manner of procuring "cat's meat", the river side industry made of butchering the overworked horses of London, had the effect of depersonalization on it's workers and may have attracted those who harbored more violent inclinations towards women. The author's theory, as such, is interesting and fits the parameters of what we have come to learn about many serial murderers. Overall, a worthwhile book for those interested in learning as much information as possible about the torso murders.
A word of warning: M.J. Trow spends much of the book NOT talking about the Torso Killer. He discusses other cases (Jack the Ripper, the Green River Killer, the unsolved "Jack the Stripper" murders in the 1960s, etc.), and compares them to the Torso Killer's crimes. I thought this was a good idea. Other readers may find it annoying.
Trow winds up making some postulations about the Torso Killer that make a lot of sense, and some of them are very specific. For example, he believes the killer was a horse slaughterer and/or butcher and thinks he's identified the place where the killer worked (in both the "working for money" sense and in the "killing" sense, since Trow thinks he did the killing and dismemberment at his place of employment), and therefore his employer. There are no lists left of employees from that time and place, so Trow doesn't go so far as to provide any provide any potential names, and he's careful to emphasize that this is just his IDEA, his THEORY, and none of the notions in his theory need be considered to be a fact. But I've never seen a person writing about historical unsolved crimes go so far as to suggest where the killer worked.
I really liked the book actually, thought it was well-written and well-researched. It's not for everybody, but I think fans of historical true crime will like it. Jack the Ripper hobbyists in particular might enjoy it.
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Il examine ici toute une série de meurtres restés impunis qui s'échelonnent en 1873 et 1889 et qui ont pour point commun de n'avoir retrouvé, quasiment à chaque fois, que des torses flottant sur la Tamise.
S'agit-il du même criminel ?
Et si oui qui et pourquoi ?
Intéressant, même si l'auteur, pour meubler un peu (l'ouvrage ne fait que 180 pages), délaye la sauce plus que de mesure.
The first couple of chapters give the sort of description of the Thames one might find in Jerome K Jerome. The writer then wastes no time on getting onto his favourite subject, Jack the Ripper. In the notes there are references to some of the books he has written on Jack which if you haven't read them might induce you to do so. At the start of the book there is a very helpful drawing of the Thames indicating where the body parts were found. The second half of the book was very good, but we are told very little about the Torso murders, simply because nothing is known about them and they were upstaged by Saucy Jack.
So I would recommend it as a valuable list of the body p0arts and where they were found (some in the foundations of Scotland Yard would you believe), but beyond that, the Thames Torso Murders are as big a mystery as ever. And it is one of only two books on the subject.
A sadly overlooked mystery. Just who was the Torso murderer? We have plenty candidates for Jack, but who was this guy?