Gangster Queen Bonnie Parker and Other Murderous Women of Missouri

by Larry Wood

Killing is by no means a man’s game in Missouri

Bonnie Parker has been romanticized in print and on screen since the early 1930s, when she and gangster boyfriend Clyde Barrow robbed banks and left bodies in their wake. She’s undoubtedly the most infamous murderous woman in Missouri history―although it’s uncertain whether she killed anyone with her own hand―but she’s in a crowded field of Show Me State female killers. The other women may not be etched in the public consciousness, but that makes them no less intriguing. They killed not in public with automatic rifles but in private, intimate situations with knives, pistols, and poison. Theirs are the stories of women scorned, of jealousy and love triangles, of abuse and self-defense. Join award-winning author Larry Wood as he chronicles these fascinating tales.

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2026

About the author

I'm a native of southwest Missouri and have lived in the area nearly all my life. I mainly write historical nonfiction about Missouri and the Ozarks region, especially if it has to do with the Civil War or true crime. I have published 25 nonfiction books and over 500 magazine articles. I also occasionally write fiction, having published four historical/western novels and about 30 short stories. I am an honorary lifetime member of the Missouri Writers' Guild and also an active member of the Ozark Writers League. You can follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLarryWood.