for decades english investigators have been convinced that one or two or the jack ripper murders were committed by an american surgeon in london maybe they were right the story of the authors greatgreat grandfather herman webster mudgett history knows him as the infamous serial killer h h holmesbloodstains is the startling tale of one mans search for the truth after inheriting the personal diaries belonging to his greatgreatgrandfather who he discovers was americas first and most notorious serial killer herman webster mudgett better known by his alias hh holmes mudgett was the mass murderer who struck terror into the nation by being the proprietor of the infamous murder castle and stalking the streets of chicago during the 1893 worlds fair during his incarceration awaiting execution well over a century ago holmes admitted killing 27 innocent victims but the evidence the author locates indicates hundreds more likely from his investigation jeff mudgett the direct descendant learns that holmes reign of terror was worldwide and not limited to chicago as has been so widely believed based upon never before revealed historical facts jeff pieces together a dynamic and extraordinary puzzle including the strong possibility that holmes was also jack the ripperfar more than a documentary bloodstains is precariously balanced on the very edge between nonfiction and the paranormal as the authors research of his evil ancestor quickly takes on a personal aspect jeff soon fears his efforts may have awakened the legendary holmes curse of the 1890s the one investigated and written about by most of the nations major publications including the new york times in fact the deeper he digs into holmes devilish past the stronger the monsters hold on him seems to become testing the limits of his own sanity as well as humanity racked by a mysterious and never before experienced epilepsy jeff suffers crippling grand mal seizures whenever he disobeys the haunting voices in his head finally with nowhere else to turn jeff is forced to make the decisions of his genetic lifetime in a lifeordeath struggle in order to win the greatest prize of all his survival show less