From Hell to Eternity - Whitechapel Society Short Story Contest - Brian L. Porter, Editor

From Hell to Eternity – Review by Martha A Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘The day after the murder, everyone was talking about Jack the Ripper.’  This is the sentence that started it all.  Author of A Study in Red, Legacy of the Ripper and Requiem for the Ripper, Brian L. Porter was given what became a difficult task of choosing the winner of the the Whitechapel Society’s 2009 Short Story contest.  He went into this task looking for originality, grammar, shock value of the story and hopefully a surprise in the telling or ending.  He found that in all stories  submitted, making his task even more difficult.  So, after reading each story over several times, Porter finally came up with the winners in the following order:

#1  - From Hell to Eternity – Thana Niveau, Author’s story a “copy cat” preying on male prostitutes naming him the Rent Boy Ripper. 

#2 – Evil on the Air – Kate Watson, Author has created a story of the only eye witness to actually see the Ripper perform his “work.”

#3 -  Hell Hath No Fury – Trevor J. Wicks, Author has us wondering if Jack just might have been someone looking for a more “entertaining” form of sexual pleasure.

#4 – Son of Jack – Richard Lakin, Author will have you wondering if the theory of Jack actually being a “bobbie” might just be true.

#5 – The Hands of Bessie Thompson - Julia Bohanna, Author gave me a lot to think about in her descriptions of the hands belonging to a “woman.”

#6 – Making A Difference - David Fields, Author will leave you wondering if Jack really did kill Mary Kelly.

#7- The St. Michael’s Ripper - Mark Gartside, Author takes us to church in search of a copy cat ripper targeting the city’s hidden criminals.

#8 – The Midnight Supper Club - John Chadwick, Author taught me to never join a secret society.  You never know what they may require to become a member.

#9 - The Evening Before My Uncle Died - Richard Gibney has his own theory as to who stopped the Ripper.  I’ll give you a hint.  He was a man of God.

#10 – The Day After the Murder - Mark Bridger, Author brings a new light to the mystery.  Could he actually have been a butcher by profession?

So…as difficult as the job was for Porter, I personally feel that he made the correct choices.  It’s a job I wouldn’t have wanted because each story was a winner in my book.

2011

Moongypsy Press Production

ISBN# 978-1456569969