Review by Asiita -- Cold Serial: The Jack the Strangler ...

[Asiita]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Cold Serial: The Jack the Strangler Murders" by Brian E. Forschner.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Cold Serial: The Jack the Strangler Murders, written by Brian E. Forschner, is a 220 page true crime account detailing the stories of the women and girls who were victims of a series of horrible crimes, and the suffering and confusion that their families experienced during the investigations into what happened.

This book is a very compelling read. I found it to be rather horrific, and very eye opening to what the women in the 1900s went through. Especially the five women and girls who are the reason this book was written. Normally I would not read something like this, but I chose to do so because these women seem to have been forgotten and I wanted to learn about what they went through so that I could understand them better.

What the author did by writing this book is a wonderful thing, in my opinion, and telling the stories of these women and girls puts a little life back into them so that people can learn and understand what they and their families went through during the early days of police investigations. It is bringing this piece of North American history back into the light, and reminding us all of the struggles and challenges that the police have faced over the years, as well as others. And also of how, with enough time, patience, and hard work, justice can be done and progress can be made.

What I liked most is that it is so well written that you feel as if you were there with the families, experiencing the horror of the discoveries, frustrations of the investigations and the hiccups along the way, as well as relief and hope when new leads are discovered. It also leads one to do some research into the history of criminal investigations and the crimes that have marked world and police history, such as the Jack the Ripper cases. There was nothing I disliked about it at all.

Overall I give Cold Serial: The Jack the Strangler Murders a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I am giving it this rating because it was so well written and edited that I kept getting absorbed into the story and lost track of the time. There were times where I had to stop reading because my emotions were getting the best of me. I think people who enjoy learning about crimes in history, and how much progress has been made since those early days, would enjoy reading this book. I know I did. I would even go so far as to say that this could potentially be a good read for people who wish to get into law enforcement as a career.

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Cold Serial: The Jack the Strangler Murders
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[Erin Painter Baker]

I know exactly who I am recommending this book to, based on your review. I rarely read this kind of story, but I have a friend who is obsessed with true crime and loves the historical books. Thanks!