London Ghosts

Gay men in London often lived dangerously in the past - TV historian Tony McMahon examines the LGBT history of this vibrant city

It’s Pride Month 2024 and here I am in London – a city that has known how to party since the Middle Ages, and possibly before. A quick scan of some digital newspaper archives – and my own non-digital mountains of paper going back 300 years – reveals plenty of evidence of gay men in London having fun and getting into serious trouble. Let’s look at some of the dangers LGBT people faced just being…

Go to minkylovesabook on Instagram to support this book blogger who has just reviewed Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln – and here’s some highlights from her review: In this book we hear about a well known suspect the flamboyant celebrity Irish-American doctor, Francis Tumblety who was implicated in both the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the Jack the Ripper…

Fully Booked has reviewed Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln – a very comprehensive look at my book and some very incisive comments. He considers my description of Francis Tumblety, the Irish American I argue could very well have been Jack the Ripper: Tony McMahon sets out his stall in this book, and he is selling a provocative premise. It is that a celebrity fraudster, predatory homosexual,…

Instagram book blogger @candygirl73reads reviewed my book today and what a great summation of the story: This really intrigued me when I read the synopsis, how can one man be involved in two of the biggest crimes in the 19th century? How was he connected to both, and was he the only one? There is lots of background about Tumblety and his association with both Lincoln and Booth, and how he came to…

Instagram book blogger and reviewer Fat Guy Reading – at fatguyreading – has reviewed my book and said the following: I found this to be a fascinating read as I didn’t know much about Francis Tumblety previously. I knew a decent amount about Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth from documentaries and other books, but this book greatly expanded on what I already knew and I found it to be…

The Book Magnet blog – https://www.thebookmagnet.co.uk/ – has just reviewed my book with some great observations which I reproduce below: I was immediately drawn to this strangely titled book as, much like the author, I am fascinated by the unsolved mystery of Jack the Ripper.  I would never have expected to see the names Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln on the same page never mind read a…

Thanks to high profile book blogger and reviewer Alyson Read for her candid assessment of my latest book: Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln – published by Troubador. Alyson said she could sum up her feelings about the book in two words: “Absolutely fascinating”. Excerpts from her review: Tumblety was the ultimate showman, an openly gay man in unforgiving times, who rose from an Irish American…

TV historian Tony McMahon has been interviewed by the BBC regarding his new book: Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln

This week, I published my long awaited true crime book on the most famous serial killer of all time: Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln – published by Troubador. You can buy it on Amazon as an ebook or paperback, as well as other sites. I’ve done two BBC interviews this week with links below. Tell me what you think! If you haven’t bought the book yet – please do and give me an honest review on…

On May 29, 2024, I appeared on the Arun Verma show on BBC Midlands to talk about: Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln. Arun was hugely supportive about the book and really looked forward to reading it. I explained the bizarre life of Francis Tumblety who was implicated in two of the greatest crimes of the 19th century – the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the Jack the Ripper…

Thanks to Cheryl M-M’s book blog for a great review of my new book: Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln – published by Troubador. On her blog, she wrote about the book: I found the read absolutely fascinating – it calls for a script and a tv series. I can’t wait to recommend and discuss this book with other readers. It’s certainly going to make you rethink what you have learnt about the Ripper,…

Great interview with Beers with Queers: A True Crime Podcast hosted by Jordi and Brad over in Tennessee. We bridged the Atlantic this week with me talking to the guys about my theory that Jack the Ripper was a gay Irish American who had a major downer on women. And how this person got himself implicated in both the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865 and the Ripper murders in 1888. In…

I was interviewed this morning on BBC Radio Leicester on the Summaya Mughal show to discuss my latest book: Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln, published by Troubador. We talked about the strange fact that one man – Francis Tumblety – was arrested in connection with two of the biggest crimes of the 19th century. The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the Jack the Ripper murders. The…

Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln was reviewed today by the blog Books and Emma “This read is involving, a well-researched biography of Tumbletys life and an investigation in itself into his connections to the crimes.” “This is not light reading, a story with a happy ending or a twist in the tale. This is research, The authors passion laid bare on the page. Hard hitting and seeking this read…

On Monday May 27, 2024, I appeared on the British Murders podcast, interviewed by its intrepid host, Stuart Blues. You can listen to the podcast here: https://www.britishmurders.com/tonymcmahon/ Stuart talked to me first about my background as a journalist – in print and TV – then how I got so interested in certain historical topics. We then delved into the book: Jack the Ripper and Abraham…

In 1814, a tsunami of beer flooded part of central London killing several people as TV historian Tony McMahon discovers

Imagine a tsunami of beer flooding through the streets of London drowning people in its path. Sounds implausible? Yet this is exactly what happened on October 17, 1814. A terrible accident led to a tidal wave of booze crashing through the city centre, sweeping away everything in its path. Today, the Dominion Theatre stands on Tottenham Court Road, near the junction with Oxford Street. Go back a…

Just appeared on the amazing Wonderbirds Show to discuss my latest book: Jack the Ripper and Abraham Lincoln (published by Troubador). Click on the link below and enjoy half an hour with the magnificent Wonderbirds as we go through my latest revelations on the world’s most notorious serial killer.