A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce my latest novel, 'A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper', published by Double Dragon Publishing. The book has just been listed as a 'Recommended Read' by CK2S Kwips and Kritiques at http://www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com/werecommend.html and I've posted as much information as I can about the book below: If anyone would like to obtain a copy after reading this I've taken the liberty of including some purchase links at the end. It's available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all the usual suspects!

About the book:

A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper by Brian L Porter tells the story of Robert Cavendish, a modern day psychiatrist who is bequeathed a strange set of papers which purport to be the journal of the long-dead infamous Whitechapel Murderer whose crimes gripped the hearts and minds and instilled terror on the streets of Victorian London. As he begins to read the journal, Robert becomes convinced of it’s authenticity and finds that the words of the Ripper have a strange and compelling effect on him. Unable to cast the pages aside he finds himself being drawn into the dark and sinister world of the killer until he is unable to distinguish what is fact and what is fantasy. In short, Robert Cavendish begins to feel as though he is being taken over in some way by the soul of the long-dead Ripper. What happens as he progresses through the journal will disturb and shock the reader as the close dividing line between sanity and madness is explored to the full.


Reviews:

Fantastic New Twist on Jack the Ripper Story
A reviewer (terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com) , A reviewer, 02/10/2008

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
Robert Cavendish is bereft with grief at his father’s recent passing. He was also surprised to learn his father bequeathed Robert a mysterious journal to be read after his death. Read by him and him alone. As he reads the journal, he comes to realize that he holds in his hands the actual rantings and admissions of Jack the Ripper! But that, as they say, is only the beginning. From those pages Robert discovers the answer to old mysteries and atrocities, answers that lead him down a path of horror and insanity. What affect can the secret ravings of a murderer such as Jack the Ripper have on a person? And what connection did Robert’s father have to this secret? I was immediately struck by the enormous amount of research that went into A Study in Red 'The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper'. It brought 18th century London to life, making the story almost palpable. For over a hundred years, the mystery of Jack the Ripper has been investigated, written about, and discussed, but never like this. I could feel the cobblestones under my feet, hear the horses and carriages and smell the foul air of the London back alleyways. The journal was an interesting tool, bringing the reader directly into Jack’s world and the insanity inflicting him. Experiencing the journal with Robert was intense as the mysteries unfold page by page. The suspense kept me engrossed well into the late evening hours, just as Robert had… I can feel the goose bumps now. The identity of Jack the Ripper has been explored, but never in such a deliciously nail biting manner. Although fiction, the possibilities of who Jack really was and where he came from as well as his unfortunate victims felt all too real thanks to the obvious hard work of the author to create this sensational tale.

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REVIEW
A Study in Red (The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper.) By Brian L. Porter1888 and London is a grand metropolis of dark alleys and grim tenements, cut off from the sun by thick clouds of smog which also paint the buildings black. It's the screams, so near, so common, that sends the shivers up your spine. Hardly anyone bothers with those screams as they echo through the streets. Night by night the helpless citizens must walk so very fearfully through these streets. They live in this brutal society where even the police are unable to do anything against a foe as illusive as the shadows. Jack the Ripper stalks the streets, his name on everybody's lips. He is the terrible evil that lurks in the shadows, attacking the women of Whitechapel so brutally, so callously, so viciously. Cries of Murder are uttered, drifting on the icy breeze, and everyone knows that he has struck again...
Over a century has passed. With the death of his father Robert receives a mysterious old package from his solicitor, full of letters and the request that they be read in sequence along with an ancient journal. This small pile of aged papers seems so innocuous and yet the weight of the words written within can be felt, if you give pause and wonder where that feeling of dread is coming from. His family have been harbouring a secret, a dark secret, a terrible secret – one that might destroy the very soul of the man who must bear this burden.
Brian L. Porter has approached the writing of a Jack the Ripper novel from a new and exciting angle, dispensing with the most obvious routes, he has found the path less travelled and in doing so has found the breathtaking scenery that makes the story work. He has written a story that has more humanity and depth of feeling than one could ever imagine possible given the subject. He has crafted a tale bound to move even the most stoical of hearts.
A Study in Red is seductive; it pulls you in, it draws you closer, it whispers in your ear. You cannot leave it, you cannot put it down – not until the very end – and by then it is far too late; it has you, mind, body and soul.
--Graeme S. Houston, Publisher: Balderdash International Literary Journal.

The book is available in paperback from the following sources:

http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9781554045273-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Study-Red-Secret-Journal-Ripper/dp/1554045274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202482660&sr=1-1

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=A+Study+in+Red&z=y

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=6145786

http://www.tesco.com/books/browse.aspx?N=4290759194

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=brian+l+porter&sts=t&tn=a+study+in+red&x=70&y=12

http://www.amazon.com/Study-Red-Secret-Journal-Ripper/dp/1554045274/ref=gfix-ews-form

http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/id/A_Study_in_Red_The_Secret_Journal_of_Jack_the_Ripper/display_product_info.jsp

http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=4030277840521&pid=1554045274&rate.x=311&rate.y=7

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/showbook.php?id=1554045274

The e-book can be obtained direct from the publisher at http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-55404-524-X

Best regards

Brian [b]
www.freewebs.com/brianlp
www.freewebs.com/astudyinred
www.glastonburythenovel.webs.com