The monster Patricia Cornwell created (Moved to book club from Novels)

I've always had a fascination with the Ripper and her book was the only thing she has ever written that I liked.

It was the first thing I've ever read by her that was in omniscient. It has to be because it's supposedly non-ficiton.

As to her theory of Sickert, who knows? Sounds as good as suspect that's been plugged since the first murder. We'll never know, but all I can say is she didn't convince me one way or the other that he's the one, despite rambling on and on and on and on about him. Twenty or so chapters of rehashing the same old thing doesn't constitute proof.

Still, it gave a little insight into what life was like back then, though as scarletpeaches pointed out, Cornwell left a lot out, maybe too much about the life and culture of the period.

I think I gave it four stars on Amazon, just because it was the first thing she ever wrote that I half-enjoyed.

scarletpeaches said:

The fact she knows nothing about the time period, customs of the day, the people she mentions or chronology.

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I found Cornwell's version persuasive, psychologically. But I know little about the time period beyond the basics, and am interested to know more. Can you point me to some sources that rebut particulars from Cornwell's book?

Thanks!

It's been years since I read the JtR book by Cornwell, although I might again, just to remind myself of how wrong she got it.

One good resource I can recommend off hand is this Paul Begg book.

Really, it's a matter of reading as much material as you can about the case. I see you're in Cambridge so it should be easy to pick up much reading material.

Also...do you ever watch snooker? I have a raging crush on Neil Robertson, the Aussie player, and he lives in Cambridge I'm told, so could you accost him on the streets and get his phone number for me? Much love.

scarletpeaches said:

One good resource I can recommend off hand is this Paul Begg book.

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Thanks.

Also...do you ever watch snooker? I have a raging crush on Neil Robertson, the Aussie player, and he lives in Cambridge I'm told, so could you accost him on the streets and get his phone number for me? Much love.

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I never watch snooker, but if I hear someone around here speak with an Australian accent I'll tackle him for you...

Cheers. If you helped me get my claws into him, I'd be forever in your debt. Aussie accents do it for me every time.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

The Scarpetta series seriously jumped the shark about ten years ago.

I have an awesome story about her that I just can't share in this medium. Anyone wanna come over and share some scotch?!

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Mmmm, Laophraig! Shark jumping aside, I've always gotten the distinct impression that Cornwell can really bring the crazy.

ETA: I loved the first two books, but as she focused more on character rather than procedure, I lost interest. My brother, a librian, will only say of her behavior when she lectured as part of the visiting artist series his system sponsors "The woman brings the crazy."

As for the Sickert connection, this was my favorite Jack site:

http://www.casebook.org/index.html

An article on Cornwell/Sickert:

http://www.casebook.org/dissertations/dst-pamandsickert.html

Link to the Sickert messsage boards:

http://www.casebook.org/forum/messages/4922/4983.html

Here are some comments from the board archives when the book came out:

http://www.casebook.org/forum/messages/4922/7313.html

Note - I haven't been on it for a while - apparently, they've put most of the archives onto DVD which can be purchased, but they've left enough of the threads so you can get an idea of the debate/pile on.

Sickert seemed to be fascinated by the Ripper & his deeds and, if I could venture a guess, I think he may have 'played' at being Jack, if only out of sheer interest (and doubtless because it inspired his artistry).

Having said that, there appears to be no record at all of any violent act by Sickert, let alone murder; one may as well declare Wilde's friend Frank Miles to be JtR (which some have done...). Cornwell's desire to have Sickert be the Ripper overrides her passion for truly credible evidence...as scarletpeaches wrote, Knight's book was so entertaining that one wished his theory to be correct - I've the feeling that the same holds for Cornwell, regarding her theory.

Jersey Chick said:

Not to mention, niece Lucy - 10 years old in the first book, 21 by the third one - yet no one else aged... grr....

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This is what drove me nuts about them. I can remember getting to the third one and having Lucy be so much older than she just was and no one else aging and flipping through the previous books to see if I'd missed something or if Cornwell had mentioned earlier in the 3rd book that Scarpetta was now in her mid-50s, but there was nothing. It was infuriating.

All time stopped for everyone else.

Except Lucy.

**headdesk**

Er, moving to the book discussion area, cause unless I'm missing something this has nothing directly to do with writing novels

The 1st to 3rd change was also accompanied (at least in The Last Precinct) by a shift to some sort of pseudo-present tense that really threw me off for the longest time. I read a few pages, then had to put the book up for months, before finally reading through the rest. I haven't bought another Scarpetta book since either. Has anyone seen whether her latest switched back?

It's weird, because I read one of her non-Scarpetta fiction books (At Risk) which if memory serves, was also in third person, and it was fine.

I also couldn't figure out the rapid aging of Lucy, and was really confused when I read that Benson was alive (thought maybe I'd mistaken the fact that he'd died in an earlier book).

As mentioned, jumped the shark...

I have read two of her early books and really liked them...can't comment on her newer stuff. I have wanted to read the Ripper book (I love non-fiction books about serial killers, and the Ripper was one of my faves), but now I am not so sure.

This story refutes Cornwell's findings:

Was Jack the Ripper a woman?

The notorious serial killer who stalked London's East End,
butchering prostitutes and terrorising the population, may
not have been Jack the Ripper - but Jill.

An Australian scientist has used swabs from letters supposedly
sent to police by the Ripper to build a partial DNA profile of the
killer. The results suggest that the person who murdered and
mutilated at least five women from 1888 onwards may have
been a woman.

Continues at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/was-jack-the-ripper-a-woman-478597.html

I read everything up to Blow Fly I got 100-130 pages into Blow Fly and put it down. I didn't like the jumping around from one whiny character to another, a Scarpetta novel that seemed to include everybody except Scarpetta.

I haven't read anything of hers since.