The Cereal Killer Chronicles of Battle Creek

by Jenn Carpenter

Passion, Greed, Murder, Corn Flakes At the convergence of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo rivers lays Cereal City, USA. Named after a bloody battle between natives and land surveyors, Battle Creek is most famously the home to the Kelloggs, a family of eccentric inventors and entrepreneurs who would go on to rule the world of breakfast foods. But before their worldwide fame came the sanitarium. And the questionable deaths. And the fires. And after their downfall came the complicated legacy that would result in tragedy for decades to come. Author and podcaster Jenn Carpenter reveals how cereal, Battle Creek's lifeblood, also served as the root cause of bloodshed in the city many times over.

Genres: True Crime, History

128 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2021

About the author

Jenn Carpenter is an author and podcast host from Lansing, Michigan. A true crime buff and lover of the paranormal, Jenn founded Demented Mitten Tours in 2016. Since then, she has crafted and retold hundreds of stories about hauntings and tragedies from her home state. Haunted Lansing, her first book through a major publishing company, was released in 2018. Her offbeat podcast So Dead debuted in 2019. When she's not regaling the masses with her macabre tales, Jenn enjoys a quiet night at home with her house full of boys and dogs. Her interests include researching weird history, raising chickens, collecting antiques, and binge-watching bad TV.

Reviews

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you wanna hear a fucked up story about the founders of your favorite breakfast cereal..well buckle up butter cup haha! I thought I knew everything about Kellogg, but I still learned a few things like his white suite/bird obsessions and his association with SDA and Sojourner Truth. I also enjoyed some of the true crime activities surrounding Battle Creek/Kellogg empires. The only one that I didn't feel like fit the tone of the book was the last chapter 'the monster.' I highly recommend this book and the awesome bookstore the author owns in Michigan, 'Dead Time Stories.'

[Island Ewert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off really interesting with the history of the Kellogg's, but maybe the murder genre just ain't for me. The stories of people in Battle Creek getting murdered or being murderers seemed disjointed from the Kellogg's. The common thread was just that they're from Battle Creek or worked in some way connected to Kellogg's.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you need a connection to the town of Battle Creek to enjoy this book? Yes and no. It certainly helps to have a background knowledge of the area and the far reaching influence that the Kellogg brothers had on the community. As someone who has close relatives who have worked for Kellogg’s, I know how impactful the brothers were. And my Kellogg’s stock proves it. I appreciate the creative license that author and podcaster Jenn Carpenter used to link murders together through the common thread of Kellogg’s although it may have been a stretch. Her research, especially in the first part of the book, with the Kellogg brothers was especially interesting. For some of the other murders, like Daisy Zick and Maggie Hume, there have been books previously written if someone wanted more information. The 20/20 episode on Liz Golyar takes the story even further, with Jenn Carpenter being involved in that episode. There are some editing issues with the book here and there, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information in this book is interesting but the writing is sup-par and sometimes repetitive. Tying murders of girls who lived in Battle Creek (and sometimes worked at Kellogg factories long after the original Keloggs) with the Kelloggs is dubious at best. And the final conclusions re haunting and spirits - really?

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! Fascinating history and talented writing.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was interesting and seemed well researched, but relating a pretty recent murder case to a supposed curse seems in pretty bad taste.

[Stephanie Brosch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim when I was going to visit friends who live in the area. I read it in one sitting. Loved the stories and history.

[Nicole Najar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd lil’ number. Mostly kept me entertained because it contains weird stories of my home town.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I knew this town was f*ed up, but it all makes sense after reading this book.

[Kristen Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and a quick read too! I got it from the library and read it in one day!

[Sue Engels-Kern · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book was quite good detailing the story of the Kellogg family and company. The second half went off the rails and had nothing to do with the Kellogg family at all.