About the Book
From award-winning criminologist R. Barri Flowers and the bestselling author of Dead at the Saddleworth Moor, Prostitution in the Digital Age, and The Sex Slave Murders, comes the gripping historical true crime book, The Dreadful Acts of Jack the Ripper and Other True Tales of Serial Murder and Prostitutes. The renowned Ripperologist taps into his expertise on serial murderers and sex trade workers in offering an in-depth look at four noteworthy cases in which the two worlds collide frighteningly. Jack the Ripper, the infamous and unidentified Victorian serial killer of at least five prostitutes in the dangerous section of London, known as Whitechapel, in 1888. The Ripper, who slashed and horribly mutilated his sex worker victims, set the tone for diabolical, vicious, serial slayers to follow for all time. Aileen Wuornos was an American prostitute, who doubled as a serial killer in murdering seven johns in Florida between 1989 and 1990. She claimed they tried to or succeeded in raping her during the course of prostituting herself. In the process, Wuornos ended up being apropos for this book as a sex worker and serial predator. Kendall Francois was an African American serial killer, dubbed the "Poughkeepsie Killer," who strangled to death eight streetwalker prostitutes in Poughkeepsie, New York, between 1996 and 1998. Francois used his own residence as a horrifying house of homicides and burial ground. The Edmonton Serial Killer represented one or more mostly unidentified serial killers who targeted and murdered dozens of prostitutes in the city of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, between the mid-1970s and the early 2000s, and possibly beyond that. The sex trade worker victims were often picked up in the city's red-light district stroll, murdered, and dumped in various killing fields in rural areas around Edmonton. The book will also chronicle the infamous and colorful 19th century New Orleans prostitute and serial killer, Mary Jane Jackson, and modern-day American serial killers of prostitutes, Walter Ellis, nicknamed the "North Side Strangler," and Vincent Johnson, dubbed the "Brooklyn Strangler." Included is a bonus true crime short on Douglas Clark and Carol Bundy, a serial killer couple who targeted prostitutes on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California; as well as excerpts from two fascinating historical true tales of child murder, serial murder, and jealous rage. For fans of true crime tales and literary criminology, this gripping volume written by someone with the verisimilitude that the subject matter merits will surely hold your attention from start to finish.
About the Author: R. Barri Flowers is a well-respected, award-winning criminologist and bestselling author of more than 100 books, including enthralling true crime and criminology books, as well as gripping mystery, suspense, and thriller fiction, and young adult mysteries. True crime titles include The Sex Slave Murders, Murder During the Chicago World's Fair, Murder of the Banker's Daughter, Murder of the Doctor's Wife, Murder at the Pencil Factory, Killers of the Lonely Hearts, Dead at the Saddleworth Moor, The Pickaxe Killers, and The "Gold Special" Train Robbery. Criminology titles include Prostitution in the Digital Age, Runaway Kids and Teenage Prostitution, Sex Crimes, The Dynamics of Murder, Murders in the United States, Street Kids, and College Crime. Mystery and thriller titles include Before He Kills Again, Dark Streets of Whitechapel, Dead in Pukalani, Dead in Kihei, Deadly Defense, Fractured Trust, Killer in The Woods, Murder in Maui, Murder in Honolulu, Murdered in the Man Cave, Murder of the Hula Dancers, Murder on Kaanapali Beach, Persuasive Evidence, Seduced to Kill in Kauai, State's Evidence, and Justice Served. The author received the prestigious Wall of Fame Award from his alma mater Michigan State University's renowned School of Criminal Justice. As a much sought after expert on true crime, R. Barri Flowers has appeared on the Biography Channel, Investigation Discovery, and Oxygen television series. Follow R. Barri Flowers on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Goodreads, and LibraryThing. Learn more about the author and upcoming projects in Wikipedia and www.rbarriflowers.com.