I got this relatively recent trade paperback because it's about Belle Gunness, one of relatively few female serial killers, and one who - depending on how you interpret the evidence - may have gotten away with it. (The crimes were discovered after the Gunness farmhouse burned down, with the bodies of an adult woman and three children found inside; whether the adult was Belle is a running theme of the case, as is the question of how they all died.)

A sturdy woman of Norwegian descent, Belle settled on an Indiana farm in 1901, raised hogs, and had an unusual turnover of children and potential matrimonial prospects (via a lively correspondence with lonely-hearts newspaper columns). After the fire, investigators began to find more and more bodies buried on the grounds, indicating that the murders had taken place over years...

This is apparently an e-published book, with that print-on-demand look to it, but I found it intriguing. Much of it consists of transcriptions from court testimony, newspaper articles, and other documents from the time of the crimes, including some letters from Gunness to her prospective victims... There are some photos as well, including a couple of gruesome ones of victims - apparently these were made into postcards at the time (!).

Among other things, there's a delightfully macabre statement from a local doctor about the discrepancy in size and weight of the remains found in the burned-out Gunness farmhouse and the description of Belle herself (who was considerably heftier than the corpse): "Ask a housewife how much fat roast beef will shrink when it is cooked in a hot oven." Ahem!

I was impressed at the efforts that were put into the examination of the evidence, but it really hurt that they did not have modern forensic anthropology to help out, never mind DNA; those might not have solved the who-killed-whom part of the mystery but could have determined whether or not Belle escaped, and could have aided in identifying more of the victims...

I'm adding this book to chefcrossing's Serial Killers bookbox, which will be on its way to marriedfairy in Arizona soon. Hope someone enjoys it!

Received in the Serial Killer Bookbox.

Mailed out in the Serial Killer Bookbox.

Received in chefcrossing's Serial Killer bookbox - thank you!

I agree with Gory - it seems likely that modern forensic techniques would have made a big difference in this case, but the roots of modern investigative techniques show in the multiple avenues that were explored at the time. Crime scene analysis (including postmortem examinations) sure have come a long way in a hundred years.

The subject was interesting but I had some trouble finishing the book; it could definitely have used a good editor (and a proofreader).

The photos were a good touch (if somewhat gruesome), as were the transcribed letters, but it would have been nice to see a list of sources.

The publisher's web address on the back of the book is non-functional, as is the one that comes up when I search for "1st Books Library"..so this may be out of print as well as self-published.

This is book 4/59 for NancyNova's 2013-2014 US states & territories reading challenge.

Oops, this was mailed out as a "hope you're feeling better" RABCK earlier this month but I forgot to release it!

It has arrived at its destination, which is how I figured out that I never marked it as traveling. :s