THE HUNT FOR JACK-THE-RIPPER'S KNIFE

Jack-the-Ripper's knife has a life of its own...

Who was the man behind the knife?

There have been many theories put forth regarding this fiend's true identity, with many plausible thesis furnished, but none have been overwhelmingly convincing. There is no real "smoking gun," but there are several compelling clues that point towards various suspects.

Original image attribution: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wanted_poster.jpg

The story is well-known, so I sought an alternate approach to my own little "Jack-the-Ripper" short story, focusing on the murder weapon used by the world's first well-known serial killer.

In "Bloody Olde Knife," a short story in my anthology "No Place For Mercy," Jack's identity is hinted as being that of an American who traveled to England and was present in the Whitechapel area in 1888. This story intimates that "Jack" committed more than the five murders currently accepted as "canon" regarding the infamous serial killer.

Others have suggested that Jack-the-Ripper may actually have been an American, or that he traveled to America shortly after the last Ripper murder to ply his bloody trade in the New World. American Doctor Francis Tumblety, a quack and charlatan, was considered a prime Ripper suspect by British Police Inspector John G. Littlechild. The inspector was not assigned to the case, but he was acquainted with the authorities who were.

In fiction, too, the Ripper has been portrayed as an American. In the "Knife in the Darkness" episode of "Cimarron Strip," starring Stuart Whitman, a young Tom Skerrit plays a visitor to Cimarron who turns out to be Jack-the-Ripper.

In "Bloody Olde Knife," it's suggested that Jack's knife possesses a supernatural control over its owner, compelling the individual holding that knife to murderous intensity. The actual murder weapon in the 1888 serial killings was never recovered, of course, so I have focused my story on its discovery and the release of its power that will usher in a new wave of Ripper Murders beginning in Jackson, Michigan, and ending who knows where?

The first Ripper Murder of the 21st Century will begin a new killing spree from this vicious predator, unless we can stop him. The search is on for the murder weapon -- a knife -- the knife that took the lives of several prostitutes in Whitechapel in 1888.

Jack-the-Ripper's "bloody olde knife" is somewhere in Jackson, Michigan, last seen outside the historic train depot.

The search is on to find this hellish implement before it compels its user to strike again.

Do you dare accompany me on a hunt that may end in murder?