Jack the Ripper is a name that’s known the world over. In television, movies, comic books, and more, the unidentified serial killer who once roamed the poorly lit streets of 19th-century London has morphed into a horror-inducing concept — like vampires or Frankenstein’s monster — that supersedes the reality of his brutal reign of terror. Though there’s no way of knowing just how many people Jack the Ripper actually killed, most historians agree he’s responsible for the murders of at least five “unfortunates,” a term used in his time to refer to poor women with no lodging or income who were often forced to engage in sex work.

In London1888, the tools available to law enforcement were extremely limited. Despite their best efforts, authorities were unable to bring the perpetrator of these crimes to justice. As the legend of Jack the Ripper has grown in the more than...