Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell (2002, Hardcover)

Cornwell did a superb job in putting the pieces together when writing this book.
It was hard to put down as you wanted to know what was going on next. I thought I would not like this book, but am so glad I bought it.

I recieved the book and the seller is very good.The book itself is very interesting and it has some historial facts about it too.

humph90

This book explains in many details about Jack The Ripper, from his childhood to his death.Photos are included and I would highly recommend to anyone.

If you want to learn more about the Jack the Ripper cases, this is a great book to read. However, it's not for the faint of heart, as it contains some pretty gruesome pictures. Patricia Cornwell did not totally convince me that her suspect is the real Jack the Ripper. In fact, she made me want to read more about him and others opinions as to who he was. This is not your typical Patricia Cornwell book, as it is non-fiction. But she's a good writer and it comes through in this non-fiction account as well. If this subject interests you in the slightest, it's definitely worth reading! I'd give it an 8.

Entertaining, thought provoking read. Jumps around at times from different moments within the time frame in which she is writing. However, very good at getting her point across as to whom she believes is Jack the Ripper's true identity. At the end of this book I thought--I think she just may be right!

This is another great book by a wonderful author. It is a great twist on an old unsolved case. A new history lesson on those interested in "Jack the Ripper".

As a big fan of Partricia Cornwell's writing's, & having read several other books about "Jack the Ripper", this book was an obvious read for me. It's definently not for the faint of heart, as it contains some pretty gruesome details, but she tends to get off the subject several times during the book.

I think Cornwell really did a great deal of research on this subject & I truly believe she it right about her
final analysis of who the actual killer was!!!!!! I think OVERALL she did a great job on this book & I would give the book a rating of 8!!!!!!!!

I had never read a book written by Patricia Cornwell before, but will certainly do so again! I purchased 'Portrait of a Killer' out of my curiousity for serial killers and was nothing short of amazed by this book. Cornwell with the help of law enforcement experts and modern technology literally solves the Jack the Ripper mystery. That's right, this book identifies the Ripper outright! Corwell lays it all out for the reader with a detectives wit, a writers style and in layman's terms. The autopsy pictures are the stuff of legend and the book left no stone unturned! Truly an amazing read from start to finish. An excellent book for fans of the genre, true crime fans or anyone looking for an outstanding read.

I did not find this book very interesting. I usually enjoy Patricia Cornwell very much as an author, but I did not think that this book was up to her usual caliber. I stopped reading the book halfway through because it was so boring.

Too bad that Patricia Cornwell is not a police detective with her knowledge of criminal investigation. Lucky for us that she missed that calling and became to be an intriguing author instead. This book is a pager turner! I couldn't tear myself away!

Another Patricia Cornwell at her finest. The writing was well done with opinions based on fact and the conclusion is based on evidence. I decided to purchase this item because I was interested to see what Patricia's take on the case would be.

just a great ebayer. Would do business again.The item much better then discribed and very fast delivery.

The book came in perfect condition. I am so glad I chose to purchase the book from this seller because I did not have to wait long for the book to arrive. What a great ebayer. I will definately purchasefrom this seller again.

I love this book. So much, that I read it and bought this copy just to have a copy of my own, because I wanted all my friends to read it and also I know I'll go back to it again and again.

I got interested in Patricia Cornwell after picking up her book at a sale. I now have her complete collection. Very good reading, suspensful, it keeps you reading. Very happy with purchase!!!!

This book is amazing. I recomend it to everyone. Seller is awesome. If you like serial killers, read this. Jack the Ripper is amazing. It tells about his life other than the murders. They Patricia Cornwell figured out whe this psycho was!

good book very tecnical writing but very interesting I was told about this book by another avid reader so I bought it and so far its been good. She has made a very convincing case on this person.

This is the first Patricia Cornwell book I have read. It has honestly taken me a lot longer to read because Cornwell jumping around and not having everything organized. I put the book down and it might be several days before I pick it back up again.

However, I do believe Sickert is the man.

In a way I think Cornwell is selfish for not sharing everything in an organized professional fashion and for not showing more pictures from her private collection.

I have benn looking for this book for awhile. I finely found it on Ebay. The price was unbeatable and it shipped out in just a few days, I'am very pleased with this purchase.

By the time I finished this book, I almost felt like slitting my own throat!
This is a poorly written, disorganized, and disappointing book. It appears as if not one word was edited out of this ridiculous, plodding tome that could have been one third its current size. The book reads as if Cornwell took all of her voluminous research notes, taped all her little sticky notes together, and just typed it up using some kind of stream-of-consciousness technique known only to her. The fake, grainy, sepia-tone illustrations lost a great deal of important detail seemingly for the sake of uniformity and artsy design. Many of the important primary documents would have been more convincing and much easier to see if they had been carefully and professionally photographed. Cornwell jumps around, not necessarily discussing events in chronological order. In addition, maddening and irrelevant asides are thrown in between the important points she is apparently trying to make. She discusses probable additional victims, yet doesn't bother to provide any kind of comprehensive, dated timeline or chronology for the reader to refer to. The same kind of timeline or chronology should have been provided for the most important of the hundreds of letters the Ripper allegedly wrote. All of that said, I believe that Sickert did the awful deeds, but I don't think Cornwell even came close to making a case. The proof may be in there somewhere, but someone else will have to find it, and rewrite the book. I hope someone from Scotland Yard takes up the ball. In a library, this book is unfortunately classified as a non-fiction book. It should have been placed along side the rest of Ms Cornwell's FICTION! © 2003 S. Spika (rarebookwoman on eBay)

I have not yet read this book, so it's hard to write a review for it. I saw something about it on television, the author talking about it, and it certainly sounded like a good read! As someone who finds the Jack the Ripper murders intriguing, I can't imagine a more perfect book to read!