Portrait Of A Killer

Synopsis From www.patriciacornwell.com:

"In Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper, Case Closed, Cornwell combines the rigorous discipline of twenty-first century police investigation with forensic techniques undreamed of during the late Victorian era to solve one of the most infamous and difficult serial murder cases in history. Drawing on unparalleled access to original Ripper evidence, documents, and records, as well as archival, academic, and law-enforcement resources, FBI profilers, and top forensic scientists, Cornwell reveals that Jack the Ripper was none other than a respected painter of his day, an artist now collected by some of the world’s finest museums: Walter Richard Sickert.

It has been said of Cornwell that no one depicts the human capability for evil better than she. Adding layer after layer of circumstantial evidence to the physical evidence discovered by modern forensic science and expert minds, Cornwell shows that Sickert, who died peacefully in his bed in 1942, at the age of 81, was not only one of Great Britain’s greatest painters but also a serial killer, a damaged diabolical man driven by megalomania and hate. She exposes Sickert as the author of the infamous Ripper letters that were written to the Metropolitan Police and the press. Her detailed analysis of his paintings shows that his art continually depicted his horrific mutilation of his victims, and her examination of this man’s birth defects, the consequent genital surgical interventions, and their effects on his upbringing present a casebook example of how a psychopathic killer is created.

With her knowledge of criminal investigation and her consummate skills as a bestselling writer, Patricia Cornwell has produced a book that is as compelling as it is authentic and pays due respect to the people whose early deaths spawned one of the twentieth century's least attractive entertainment industries. Portrait of a Killer is also a subtle tribute to the men and women who conduct modern forensic investigations and the technology they use. “When it’s all said and done,” says Cornwell, “the point of all this is to take what we know and apply it to the living.” (from Q&A) "







Normally I would write the review, but I found the synopsis to be pretty accurate. The only thing I did not care for in the book, which might not necessarily be a bad thing, I just found it to be confusing, was how much detail was put into the background of the book. Cornwell was extremely thourough, and the detail just shows that she really did her homework, but some of the detail I found to be in excess, and was kind of confusing where I had to go back and re read some paragraphs to try and understand what exactly was going on. But overall was a very well researched and written book.