Between 1975 and 1984, police in Northern England conducted a massive investigation for a serial killer of prostitutes. Dubbed the "Yorkshire Ripper" in reference to London's infamous nineteenth-century slayer, the suspect proved elusive. Bludgeoned and mutilated corpses kept being found. As the body count climbed to thirteen, false leads--including taunting letters sent to newspapers and police--diverted investigators from their real prey: a mild-mannered, 34-year old former grave digger, Peter Sutcliffe. By sheer chance, police arrested Sutcliffe as he was in the act of soliciting a prostitute to be his fourteenth victim. He said that God had ordered the killings.

Born on June 2, 1946, Sutcliffe was the first of six children to John and Kathleen Sutcliffe. They lived in Bingley, a small town just north of Bradford. Shy and bullied at school, the boy feared his burly, extroverted father and preferred the company of his mother. His inability to hold a job...