If this is your first time, I can imagine the questions you may have regarding the claim Vincent van Gogh was Jack the Ripper. Questions like: "Is this fiction, or is it supposed to be real?" or, "Did they even live during the same time?" And quick thoughts, like: "Van Gogh lived in the South of France during the Ripper murders in 1888-89, that's too far away for Vincent to travel several times and kill prostitutes," and, "Vincent was poor. He didn't have the money to travel back and forth to London," and perhaps, "I love Van Gogh. He was an artist full of love and compassion. He wasn't capable of being a serial killer."

Well, it's not fiction. This is very much for real. It involved an exhaustive process collecting and analyzing all the material available on Van Gogh's life and on the Jack the Ripper murders. The amount of material available for both areas is voluminous, and digging in deep provided an enormous amount of matches between Van Gogh and the Ripper, which I cover in detail in Vincent the Ripper. In fact, there are so many matching connections, I think it qualifies as a strong indicator of Vincent's guilt--there being a preponderance of evidence against him. But, of course, it's how strongly those connectors match to Vincent that also reveals his guilt.

And, yes, they lived during the same time. One important relatable tidbit is how Vincent was 35 when the Ripper murders were being committed in 1888, and how in a Ripper letter received by the police on Nov 15, 1888, the writer noted, "I'm 35 and still alive." Delightful, isn't it?—how Vincent gave hints to reveal himself. For those not familiar, Jack the Ripper sent many letters to the police and newspapers, and I've analyzed each one intently. They provide extraordinary matches to Vincent, especially in how creative they are in the various writing styles, but also many included little drawings, like Vincent liked to do in his own letters.

As for the distance, yes, Vincent was living way down in Arles, France during the Ripper murders, requiring him to travel by train and steamboat to get to London to murder several times. It was a long distance; however, thanks to one of the treasured books I obtained from March 1888, Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, which provides train schedules and fares throughout Europe and the UK, it reveals Vincent could travel from Arles to London in just 24 hours, and vise-versa. It really wasn't so far away, after all, and Vincent was highly motivated to travel back to London to kill. London was where he first killed when he lived there as an ambitious 20-year-old, and it was when everything went wrong for him.

But also, Vincent had the money. Thanks to the many letters Vincent and his younger brother, Theo, wrote back and forth regularly, with Theo noting how much he sent each time, & Vincent thanking him for how much he received, it is clear Vincent had the funds for each of his excursions to London for murder. Theo was his only source of income, and Vincent always demanded more, so there is a detailed record of how much he received and when.

And finally, of course, so many love Van Gogh's paintings, and there are many artists and art enthusiasts who have a sympathetic view of Van Gogh, relating to his struggle to be understood and accepted as a painter who had a unique style. I was one of those artists who loved his paintings. He was my favorite, and I wanted to emulate his style in my own paintings, and I viewed him as so many others do, sympathetically.

That was, until I read a collection of his letters to his brother in the book, Dear Theo. Reading his own words revealed an opinionated man who blamed others for his own faults and demanded others give him money and his way--a very entitled attitude. He was also clearly an alcoholic and visited brothels frequently. My view of Vincent changed. And it was just a few weeks after reading this book that I then picked up my first Jack the Ripper book, and while reading about the murders and carrying my disenchanted view of Vincent, I was subconsciously saying over and over again, "That sounds like something Vincent would do." It was only for fun at first, but later, after thinking about it and digging in, it was no longer a joke. And being on a path to become a writer, this eventually led to the research and writing of Vincent The Ripper.

Please have a look around the website. I've provided what I can without giving away the entire book. Of course, what's available on here is only a small appetizer of the many connections provided. Thank you for dropping by. I hope you'll buy the book, once it's available, and see for yourself just how real and powerful this is.

Dale Larner

Welcome To The Vincent The Ripper Website

Author of VINCENT THE RIPPER