The mysterious murders of several prostitutes in London's East End in 1888 still exist as some of the most famous unsolved crimes of all time. The purported villain was known as "Jack the Ripper." Yet, Jack was never discovered. His identity was never brought to light, and authorities were left scratching their heads in wonderment. How could such a monster get away undetected-even to this day? Perhaps he didn't. Perhaps Jack the Ripper was actually known by another name: Dr. Thomas Neill Cream. Cream was hanged for the murder of a number of prostitutes, yet his method differed greatly from that of the Ripper, so no one made the connection. Cream used poison, while Jack the Ripper slit the throats of his victims. But then why, just before Cream was hanged, did he whisper, "I am Jack"? Following ten years of research, Shirley Goulden presents what she considers to be the truth of Jack the Ripper's identity. She believes that despite a claimed alibi, Dr. Cream truly was the infamous murderer. Firsthand accounts and evidence of a prison pay-off speak to Cream's guilt. Was the most famous escaped serial killer actually caught? Or did a monster still walk the streets of London long after the last drop of blood was spilled?

Jen Templeton Jay is a wealthy New England socialite when she leaves home to become a writer. To help her screenwriting career, she moved to California and made the acquaintance of charming film director Dem Dmitri. Dem is married, however, and their affair does not materialize ...until they met again at a museum in London, where Jen is researching a Georgian romance novel. Free from his wife's proximity, Dem starts an affair with Jen. Meanwhile, Jen has begun to write. Her novel will be historical romance, and it will feature British socialite Elizabeth Ollernshaw Cullen, who just happens to fall in love with a penniless actor named Jack Kincaid. Back in real life, Dem leaves Jen brokenhearted. Unable to hide from the truth in her fiction, Jen tries to kill herself and wakes up in a London clinic. On the road to recovery, she seems to be doing well-except she hears things, like the sound of rustling leaves, when no leaves are rustling. Meanwhile her novel continues to grow, set in the current location of the London clinic-once known as the Marylebone Pleasure Gardens, where ladies promenaded in skirts that sounded oddly of rustling leaves. Perhaps Jen's failed love story can be healed through the love of her characters-or perhaps not.

Jen Templeton Jay is a wealthy New England socialite when she leaves home to become a writer. To help her screenwriting career, she moved to California and made the acquaintance of charming film director Dem Dmitri. Dem is married, however, and their affair does not materialize ...until they met again at a museum in London, where Jen is researching a Georgian romance novel. Free from his wife's proximity, Dem starts an affair with Jen. Meanwhile, Jen has begun to write. Her novel will be historical romance, and it will feature British socialite Elizabeth Ollernshaw Cullen, who just happens to fall in love with a penniless actor named Jack Kincaid. Back in real life, Dem leaves Jen brokenhearted. Unable to hide from the truth in her fiction, Jen tries to kill herself and wakes up in a London clinic. On the road to recovery, she seems to be doing well-except she hears things, like the sound of rustling leaves, when no leaves are rustling. Meanwhile her novel continues to grow, set in the current location of the London clinic-once known as the Marylebone Pleasure Gardens, where ladies promenaded in skirts that sounded oddly of rustling leaves. Perhaps Jen's failed love story can be healed through the love of her characters-or perhaps not.

The mysterious murders of several prostitutes in London's East End in 1888 still exist as some of the most famous unsolved crimes of all time. The purported villain was known as "Jack the Ripper." Yet, Jack was never discovered. His identity was never brought to light, and authorities were left scratching their heads in wonderment. How could such a monster get away undetected-even to this day? Perhaps he didn't. Perhaps Jack the Ripper was actually known by another name: Dr. Thomas Neill Cream. Cream was hanged for the murder of a number of prostitutes, yet his method differed greatly from that of the Ripper, so no one made the connection. Cream used poison, while Jack the Ripper slit the throats of his victims. But then why, just before Cream was hanged, did he whisper, "I am Jack"? Following ten years of research, Shirley Goulden presents what she considers to be the truth of Jack the Ripper's identity. She believes that despite a claimed alibi, Dr. Cream truly was the infamous murderer. Firsthand accounts and evidence of a prison pay-off speak to Cream's guilt. Was the most famous escaped serial killer actually caught? Or did a monster still walk the streets of London long after the last drop of blood was spilled?