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The Mistress of Murder Hill: The Serial Killings of Belle Gunness
Book by Shepherd, Sylvia Elizabeth
268 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2001
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131 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 20, 2015
Decent historical record of the death of Belle Gunness and the trial of Lamphere. Good read for those interested in the story. I am a local from LaPorte county and found the book well researched and written, even if I don't agree with the author's conclusions.
July 31, 2011
Who would have thought that a farm girl from a tiny village in Norway would become a well known serial killer? This is the fascinating story of how dozens of love sick men went missing, and how some of them were found buried on Belles ranch in Indiana. Shepherds research shows how the case became not only a murder mystery, but also how it divided a small town into opposite political fragments in the hands of bureaucrats trying to climb the political ladder.
Also an intriguing read is the coroners detailed description of the bodies found and the letters Belle would write to lure men into believing that in Belle they would find true love and happiness...
If you are interested in true crime stories, this is a classic!
Also an intriguing read is the coroners detailed description of the bodies found and the letters Belle would write to lure men into believing that in Belle they would find true love and happiness...
If you are interested in true crime stories, this is a classic!
August 4, 2016
Oh, Belle! What a scary piece of work. The only disappointment here was reading that the author claimed to have unraveled the mystery of the fire, and.... I don't see that. I'm not sure if I was convinced that Belle wasn't in the fire. If someone concocted that whole scenario up though, she could pull it off.
October 15, 2017
In terms of writing, this was just ok. There were multiple errors, the story lines were laid out in a confusing fashion at times, and it was hard to tell the difference between the author’s narrations and quoted dialogue and events. I wish there had been some type of citation, because the author pulls a lot of direct quotes from a hundred-plus old case. You basically have to take the author’s word that the events transpired the way they claimed.
In spite of that, this was a buck wild case. I did enjoy the thoroughness of the author in reproducing the townsfolk’s dialogue, and going through the case quite extensively. The best part - and most frustrating - is that the case was never completely solved (not really). This lets the reader think through the case for themselves and make their own judgements about what really happened to Belle Gunness. It’s a decent book if you’re interested in Indiana murderers and female murderers. It’s also good if you’re interested in the period of time that goes the line of forensic evidence and the breakthrough of modern science.
In spite of that, this was a buck wild case. I did enjoy the thoroughness of the author in reproducing the townsfolk’s dialogue, and going through the case quite extensively. The best part - and most frustrating - is that the case was never completely solved (not really). This lets the reader think through the case for themselves and make their own judgements about what really happened to Belle Gunness. It’s a decent book if you’re interested in Indiana murderers and female murderers. It’s also good if you’re interested in the period of time that goes the line of forensic evidence and the breakthrough of modern science.
January 19, 2017
This book was not enjoyable reading. The information was quite interesting but the way it was written seemed to draw every detail presented out as far as possible to fill the book. I got bored with it several times and considered giving up on it. I only finished it because it happened in my home state and I wanted to know all the details. I will find another book about Belle and read it for the enjoyment of it.
May 28, 2018
This book was absolutely perfect for gathering information on Gunness. I was doing a history project on her and this book captured exactly what I was trying to prove. The way it was written wasn’t the best but it was overall a great informational book.
July 11, 2021
Very detailed and well researched, but I did find it confusing and hard to follow at times.
February 1, 2024
Very different...
December 26, 2015
Ms. Shepherd covers the life and times of Belle Gunness. Gunness is often considered the first major female serial killer in US history. Her motive: money.
Anyone who wants to learn about Belle Gunness can easily find material about her using the Internet, so there is a bit of expectation that the author of this book would add "more to the story" than already has been told. In that respect, I was terribly disappointed in Shepherd's book. The vast majority of her book seems to be a rehash of Janet Langlois' excellently presented book "Belle Gunness: The Lady Bluebeard."
While Shepherd does provide additional facts not presented in Langlois' book, she does so in a rather haphazard way. The Belle Gunness story is strewn with many individuals, facts, and locations, thus its imperative that the author find a way to weave them altogether to make an entertaining and factual history of the events surrounding the subject matter's life.
Instead, Shepherd jumps around in her presentation of material, which, instead or making the historical events clear in the reader's mind, actually makes them confusing. If I were to have researched and written this book, then I would have likely attempted to present it in a very strict chronological order. Given that the subject matter is about a SERIAL killer, a strict chronological presentation would seem most appropriate.
Another disappointment of Ms. Shepherd's book is that it doesn't fully flesh out some of the primary characters in the story. Instead, the reader is left with a brief glimpse of individuals that I believe are important components in telling the Gunness story.
If you want to learn about Belle Gunness and her life, then I'd recommend Langlois' book over Shepherd's. Langlois' book has been out-of-print for some time, but used copies can often be found on Amazon and similar bookselling websites. Ms. Shepherd's book is not a terrible book, I simply believe that Langlois did a much better job in presenting it.
One other book length document that is well worth reading concerning the Belle Gunness story is a PhD dissertation written in 2001 by Paula K. Hinton at Miami University (Ohio) titled "Come Prepared to Stay Forever: The Tale of a Murderess in Turn-of-the-Century America." The dissertation, 208 pages in length, can be purchased online by accessing the UMI Dissertation Express website. The UMI number for Hinton's dissertation is: 3018768. Hinton examines the case from a racism (Norwegian) perspective, as well as a gender perspective.
Anyone who wants to learn about Belle Gunness can easily find material about her using the Internet, so there is a bit of expectation that the author of this book would add "more to the story" than already has been told. In that respect, I was terribly disappointed in Shepherd's book. The vast majority of her book seems to be a rehash of Janet Langlois' excellently presented book "Belle Gunness: The Lady Bluebeard."
While Shepherd does provide additional facts not presented in Langlois' book, she does so in a rather haphazard way. The Belle Gunness story is strewn with many individuals, facts, and locations, thus its imperative that the author find a way to weave them altogether to make an entertaining and factual history of the events surrounding the subject matter's life.
Instead, Shepherd jumps around in her presentation of material, which, instead or making the historical events clear in the reader's mind, actually makes them confusing. If I were to have researched and written this book, then I would have likely attempted to present it in a very strict chronological order. Given that the subject matter is about a SERIAL killer, a strict chronological presentation would seem most appropriate.
Another disappointment of Ms. Shepherd's book is that it doesn't fully flesh out some of the primary characters in the story. Instead, the reader is left with a brief glimpse of individuals that I believe are important components in telling the Gunness story.
If you want to learn about Belle Gunness and her life, then I'd recommend Langlois' book over Shepherd's. Langlois' book has been out-of-print for some time, but used copies can often be found on Amazon and similar bookselling websites. Ms. Shepherd's book is not a terrible book, I simply believe that Langlois did a much better job in presenting it.
One other book length document that is well worth reading concerning the Belle Gunness story is a PhD dissertation written in 2001 by Paula K. Hinton at Miami University (Ohio) titled "Come Prepared to Stay Forever: The Tale of a Murderess in Turn-of-the-Century America." The dissertation, 208 pages in length, can be purchased online by accessing the UMI Dissertation Express website. The UMI number for Hinton's dissertation is: 3018768. Hinton examines the case from a racism (Norwegian) perspective, as well as a gender perspective.
August 10, 2011
I think this is the first self-published book I've read that I actually thought was of publishable quality. Shepherd presents a good outline of the horrific Gunness case with all its twists and turns and complexities, and provides some social analysis as well: the fact that the trial happened during an election year was highly significant, and your opinion on Ray Lamphere's guilt tended to hinge on whether you were Democrat or Republican. Although there were a few too many misspelled words for my liking, the writing is also good, if not extraordinary.
I'm surprised that there are so few books about Belle Gunness. In fact I can only find two besides this one. You'd think there would be more, given how many people she killed, the grisly circumstances, and the mystery as to her own fate.
I'm surprised that there are so few books about Belle Gunness. In fact I can only find two besides this one. You'd think there would be more, given how many people she killed, the grisly circumstances, and the mystery as to her own fate.
May 10, 2009
Though the content is intriguing, this is the WORST written book I've ever read! I'll look for something else written about Belle Gunness in order to understand what I read in this book.
Maybe I'm being too picky: in my mind editing, proofreading, cogent thought, PARAGRAPHS and proper sentences... they all mean something. I was flabbergasted when I got to the very last page (about the author) and found out Ms. Shepherd used to work at the Chicago Tribune -- as an editor and reporter!
Enough complaining from me. Read it if you're real interested in the subject. I finished it because I hate quitting any book before it's finished.
Maybe I'm being too picky: in my mind editing, proofreading, cogent thought, PARAGRAPHS and proper sentences... they all mean something. I was flabbergasted when I got to the very last page (about the author) and found out Ms. Shepherd used to work at the Chicago Tribune -- as an editor and reporter!
Enough complaining from me. Read it if you're real interested in the subject. I finished it because I hate quitting any book before it's finished.
July 14, 2008
I was interested in this book because I grew up near where the murders happened and knew of the Belle Gunness legend. The book started out interesting, but by the end, I was beginning to loose interest, due to the repetative writing.
June 5, 2008
Honestly, I live in the town this took place in and I could hardly stand to read it. It was very boring at times and it jumped around alot. The subject of Belle has recently emerged in the media. They are reopening the case.
Read
August 4, 2011Boring but informative.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews