The author investigated the unsolved mystery of the Borden Murders by reading the trial transcripts, newspapers, interviews, and the statements of witnesses. He invented a surprise solution: Emma did it! I can't believe his conclusion.

His book is worth reading because of all the background information he provides about the case, including some pictures not seen in earlier books. It provides more information on Emma and the aftermath of the trial than in previous books. It tells of the vicious campaign by the Fall River GLOBE against Lizzie, altho the Providence JOURNAL's editorial after the trial was more damning: "if she knows who did it, why doesn't she speak out?". Spieing (p.197) repeats the story of the 1897 confession altho E. Radin's book exposed it as a forgery in 1961, which he admits in his Notes (p.237).

The best books are still Arnold R. Brown's masterpiece (which solved the crime), and David Kent's book of background material. Edmund Pearson's book is not generally available, nor is Edward Radin's (a crime reporter for a major NYC newspaper).

Residing in Fall River, Massachusetts, makes you curious as to whether the house is haunted. If that is true, what kind of recount would the walls tell? No one knows for sure what happened that hot morning of August 4, 1892 in the home of Andrew and Abbie Borden, with the exception of those who were there, but no is alive from that time in history, to tell us. The city of Fall River was divided in half, supporting Lizzie's innocence and those who firmly believed in her guilt. We, are only left to speculate and to judge Lizzie for ourselves. A true American "Unsolved Mystery".

Lizzies father was asleep on the couch downstairs. Lizzies step mother was asleep upstairs in her room. The maid was also resting upsatirs. Lizzie was outside in the hayloft eating pears. It was a hot Massachusetts summers day. This book attempts to discover who really hacked to death the sleeping Borden's on that hot afternoon in Fall River. Was it Lizzie, or was it...? A great deal of historical research has gone into this book, supplemented with actual photographs of the case. Well worth reading...

There are a lot of people who still believe that Queen Victoria's grandson ("Eddy," the Duke of Clarence) was Jack the Ripper. They may have read about that theory in this book. However, much of the "support" this book presents for the theory is hand-waving. There are huge discrepancies -- for example, "Eddy" wasn't in town for most of the murders.

I read this book in high school for a history book report project. I think one reason I got a good grade on the report was because I pointed out that the author tended to ignore or brush aside facts that didn't fit his theory. By the way, I thought of giving this book two stars because it read quickly and because it was the first Ripper book I read. However, the facts were so misused that I cannot do so. If this had been published as a novel, I would have rated it much higher because it was so interesting. As nonfiction, it doesn't work.

If you read this Ripper book and don't read any of the better books, you are depriving yourself. There are much better resources out there. At the very least, visit the casebook dot org site. The realistic Ripper theories aren't as interesting as theories like this one, but at least they make sense.