The Ripper Code

Thomas Toughill applies his detective skills to one of the greatest mysteries, the identity of Jack the Ripper. The result is a book which is as original as it is enthralling. Toughill suggests that Jack the Ripper was a former "friend" of Oscar Wilde and that Wilde dropped hints about this in several of his works, most notably The Picture of Dorian Gray, which Wilde wrote in 1889, the year after the Ripper murders took place. In fascinating detail, the author argues that Wilde's story, that of a privileged man whose life of vice in the East End of London turns him into a murderer, is in fact a coded message about the Ripper's identity. However, The Ripper Code is not just a fascinating voyage through the writings of Oscar Wilde and others. It is also a striking example of original detective work. Here, as in his previous books, Toughill unveils stunning evidence from a hitherto untapped source and uses it to devastating effect in arguing his case. Jack the Ripper aside, Toughill's research into Oscar Wilde will force a major reappraisal of that most charismatic of writers.