Wicked Women of Missouri

by Larry Wood

Marauders like Jesse James and the Younger gang earned Missouri the title of "Outlaw State," but the male desperadoes had nothing on their female counterparts. Belle "Queen of the Bandits" Starr and Cora Hubbard kept Missouri's sensationalist newspapers and dime novelists in business with exploits ranging from horse thefts to bank heists. Missouri native Ma Barker and her murderous sons rose to infamy during the gangster era of the 1930s while Bonnie Parker crisscrossed the state with Clyde Barrow. From savvy burlesque dancers to deadly gold diggers, historian Larry Wood chronicles the titillating stories of ten of the Show-Me State's shadiest ladies.

Belle Starr, queen of the bandits
All the pretty horse thieves
Cora Hubbard, female bank robber
Zeo Zoe Wilkins, gold digger extraordinaire
Serial killer, Bertha Gifford
Irene McCann, from good girl to bad woman
"Suicide Sal", the story of Bonnie Parker
Ma Barker and her murderous sons
Sextraordinary Sally Rand
Bonnie Heady and the Greenlease kidnapping

Genres: History, True Crime, Biography, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published April 25, 2016

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.

Reviews

[MKF]

This is the first book by this author about notorious women who have left a mark on Missouri. Knowing he included Bonnie Parker in this book I don't understand why he wrote Gangster Queen Bonnie Parker. The chapters about her aren't exactly identical but they do share a lot of the same writing and information. Her chapter in this book includes more details about her life and in the other book is focused more on the crimes in Missouri. The author should have just turned Gangster Queen into a full biography on Bonnie Parker which at first I thought it was.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, light read covering a handful of stories about notorious women criminals of Missouri. As a native Missourian, I enjoyed learning a bit more about my state's wild past. As a woman, it's always refreshing to read about people who broke the mold of the more tightly prescribed society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While I appreciated the stripped-down, "just the facts" approach to these stories, I still found a bit more editorializing than I would have liked. Ironically, some of the editorializing swung a bit too hard in the other direction, claiming that previous claims were "outlandish" or "demonstrably untrue," when, really, there is simply a lack of evidence. I'll admit, I found myself getting a little nit picky with the language in spite of myself, and other readers might not mind mild overstatements in either direction, so I'd take my own critique with a grain of salt. It should also be noted that this is by no means comprehensive, focusing on a few of the more sensationalized stories from the turn of the previous century, and primarily focusing on the southwest section of the state (which, I believe, is Mr. Wood's stomping grounds).

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am being generous with the three-star rating, because I can't give half stars. The rules of rounding dictate a 3 star award.
I enjoyed a few of these vignettes; but the ones I did not enjoy really hindered the rest of the book. The story telling, in some cases, was almost hyper-detailed, almost minutae, while others were rushed and, it seemed to me, hackneyed. I made the analogy in a FB post that some of the stories seemed as though a student was writing a report and had ten pages to do it and had filled 9 and a half pages and then realized they had to finish up and write a conclusion in half a page.
My favorite chapters were on the potential but probably insane serial killer Bertha Gifford, Zeo Wilkins (gold digger) and Sally Rand (not telling, but look her up. Interesting woman and interesting life).

[Garry Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the series of "Wicked Women of .........." from The History Press. Don't know the exact number of titles in this series, but, with 50 states and numerous "wicked cities" there is likely a
significant number if enough writers give it a shot. (no pun intended)
The author has written several history books. This one is no exception as being well written.
Considering the likely number of wicked women to be found in Missouri history, he should have many more to come. My particular favorite chapter was on Ma Barker. On a non-killer/robber/etc, I enjoyed the Sally Rand story. While not wicked in the criminal sense, she certainly lived a wild life!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was a pretty good read. I enjoyed the topic quite a bit. I could tell that the author's heart lies in southwestern Missouri, though. I just got the impression that the stories he knew and cared the most about were the ones set in that area (it looks like that's where he's from and what he wrote about in some of his other books). Quick, enjoyable read.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

While male outlaws have a lot of name recognition, not many female outlaws do. Here's a collection of women who were born in or lived in Missouri during their crimes as well as a couple of ladies who didn't do anything illegal just "scandalous." A fun, quick historical read.

[Trae Mitten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is like a sampler tray of appetizers. Each of the women profiled in the book presented a very interesting figure. However, just enough of their stories were told to get the reader hungry for more.

[Joni Markowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic. Disappointed with the material. Hadn’t realized Missouri had such a bevy of undesirable belles.

[Spring Holbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed brief but I do appreciate that the author seems to have avoided embellishing the women’s stories and just stuck to what facts may have been available.

[Lisa Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

[Michelle]

This is was a very interesting book. Love learning about my state history.