In the Garden of Spite

by Camilla Bruce

An audacious novel of feminine rage about one of the most prolific female serial killers in American history--and the men who drove her to it.

They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams--their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of La Porte.

The good people of Indiana may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she'd given up, what was taken from her, how she'd suffered, surely they'd understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a woman has to make her own way in this world. That's all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colorless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Horror, Historical, Fiction, True Crime, Thriller, Crime

481 pages, Paperback

First published January 19, 2021

About the author

Camilla Bruce was born in central Norway and grew up in an old forest, next to an Iron Age burial mound. She has a master's degree in comparative literature, and have co-run a small press that published dark fairy tales. Camilla currently lives in Trondheim with her son and cat.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think after finishing this book, I will eventually suffer from nightmares at least for one month: it was mad, gruesome, dark, violent, extremely terrifying, disturbing, blood freezing , classic horrific combination of hair splitter- nerve bender- nail biter read!

And this is based on true events: a close encounter to one of the most dark, vicious, dangerous women serial killers of the history: ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you Belle Gunness ( this time Belle is not definition of beauty, she is a cruel beast! Named herself after Queen Isabelle) A Norwegian American immigrates to the US, for brighter future, starting from the fresh.

We witnessed to her teenage years: she’s been mentally abused, bullied, belittled by the men from her inner circle for years( work environment and by her own father who insists she is a changeling), lost her child with the harsh kick to her abdomen by the baby’s bastard father who has no intention to marry her. She bled to death but she finds a way to survive, thanks for her determination, sturdiness beat the grime reaper’s ass!

For years of abuse, humiliation , losses, unkindness of her own family members, poverty, bottled up anger, resentment turn her into some kind of vengeful creator Aileen Wuornos meets Kris Jenner and Frakenstein’s Bride!

As soon as she takes care of the bastard who killed her unborn child, tarnished her reputation, she writes to her sister Nellie who is having a painful pregnancy, living in Chicago and make her convince to live with her family.
You may think a young woman could struggle to find her own way in the new continent. But guess what: Little Brynhild (her birth name) changes her name as Belle as soon as she takes her first steps to the new continent. She has a plan. She will never be hungry or suffer from poverty again and no other men will harm her!

Well, I don’t want to give more spoils but I have to say: she reached most of her goals: she became wealthy and she married ( if you don’t count her husbands start to die suspiciously and any men she involves with vanished into thin air!)

This is the fictionalization of true crime story: Belle is hungry: she never satisfies with the things she has. She always wants more! She is lustful! She has uncontrollable temper. She ruthless and she is a real actress who can deceive anybody about her innocence.

This book was too long but I cannot stop reading and interestingly I thought if there were 300 more pages, I would certainly read and enjoy it!

This is well written, mind blowing, extremely intense, dazzling, riveting novel. I devoured slowly but each chapter was like heavy meals which take extra time to absorb properly.

Honestly I didn’t enjoy the previous debut novel of the author but this one surprised me. The author succeeded a detailed, meticulous, outstanding job with layer characters. I enjoyed both Belle and her sister Nellie’s POVS.

I highly recommend this incredible novel to true crime and psychological thriller lovers.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this outstanding ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

blog
instagram
facebook
twitter

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The world is not kind to those who are different,' I whispered into Rudolph's hair as we rocked gently back and forth on the step. 'But then again,' I continued, 'she may not always be so kind to it either."


Well, well, well a female serial who is not sugar and spice and everything nice. Although she would want you to think that she is! Based on real life serial killer Belle Gunness, a Norwegian-American who killed in Illinois and Indiana between 1884 and 1908 before disappearing.

Belle is known in Chicago; people whisper about her and the many fires of her properties in addition to her two husbands both dying under suspicious circumstances. She always seems to profit from insurance payouts. But is she the angel of death? She presents as a god-fearing woman, who wants nothing more than to raise her children and be an upstanding member of society. She is nice to her neighbors, teaches Sunday school, and visits with her older sister. Everyone needs a hobby. Too bad hers is a deadly one.

Many have suspicions, but she presents as a godly woman. Living alone with her children. Who can fault her for trying to find a husband? But there are always two sides to every coin. Sometimes you must take the bitter with the sweet. Is the face you present to society your true face or is your true face, hidden just slightly under the surface, ready and willing to show itself if the opportunity presents itself?

She places ads for potential husbands, men come, they spend the night, but never stay.... or do they? Determined to make a place for herself in the world after a troublesome childhood and attack, will she come out on top?

I enjoyed this one from the very beginning. I love books based on true events and people. Belle is an interesting character. AS the story progresses, we see her interact with others and commit her crimes, all without remorse and all with survival in mind.

I appreciated how the author showed her sister struggling. We never want to believe the worst in those we love. We often wear rose colored glasses and are quick to make excuses for them. Because what would it mean if you loved a serial killer? What would that say about you? How do you reconcile the sibling you love with the psychopath in front of you?

A great deal of research went into the writing of this book and I loved the details and the portrayal of this real-life serial killer. I found this book to be well written, thought provoking and captivating. I read most of this book in one day as I did not want to put it down. I had never heard of Belle Gunness before and was fascinated by her life and story. She was a scary, violent, and devious woman. I thought the author did a good job blending facts with fiction.

Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end. Also, be sure to read this one if you are a true crime or psychological thriller fan.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce is a 2021 Berkley publication.

A gripping fictional account of serial killer Belle Sorensen-Gunness

As a young woman, Belle is viciously attacked by a former lover, leaving her irrevocably damaged, unable to have children, and deeply embittered.

Her sister, Nellie, who lives in America, gives her a chance to escape her ruined reputation- but even Nellie, who gives Belle the benefit of the doubt at every turn, can't turn a blind eye to her murderous ways…

Wow. I was not at all familiar with Belle or her true backstory until I picked up this book. This fictionalized account of Belle’s life is very well written, filling in the gaps with interesting possibilities as to Belle’s frame of mind, her manipulations, plotting, and the thrill she receives from killing.

Belle was a prolific killer- dubbed "The Black Widow of La Porte, Indiana"- using men to achieve, and further, her financial comfort.

The book switches narratives between Nellie and Belle- as one chronicles her descent into mass murder and the other continues to live in denial, rationalizing and hoping for her sister to settle- until finally she must face her suspicions once and for all.

The story is very eerie, atmospheric and edgy, despite its rather slow pacing. Bruce did a terrific job with the characterizations, painting a terrifying portrait of Belle who seemed completely devoid of a conscience, so bent on her spiteful vengeance, she completely loses any vestiges of humanity she may have once held-

While Nellie desperately searches for an explanation, some way for her to cope with, or rationalize, Belle’s criminal enterprise.

While this is a work of fiction, many truths were incorporated into the story. Belle wasn’t the most prolific female serial killer out there-apparently- but she was likely responsible for more deaths than can be proven.

This account of events is shocking and the portrayal of Belle is riveting- and of course has prompted me to look for further reading on this subject.

Overall, this might not be a paranormal or supernatural tale- but it is a good story to read close to Halloween.

Because it is based on true events, it is even more terrifying, and left me chilled right to the bone!

4 stars

[Beata · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never heard of this female serial killer before I picked up this book. The author gives voice to two sisters, immigrants from Norway, who at the turn of the 19th century Chicago try to better their lives. The younger sister, Belle, survived a most tragic event that results in her wish to dominate over men and make them pay for her suffering. The older sister, Nellie, feeling responsible for Belle, tries not to notice some signals until the moment comes when she has to confront her sibling.
The author succeeds in presenting the period and setting well and in telling a true crime story in an engaging way. This is not a high quality writing, however, the fictionalized version of events reads really well.
*A big thank-you to Camilla Bruce, Penguin Michael Joseph UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also called In the Garden of Spite.

This book is a blend of fact and fiction and is the story of serial killer Bella (Belle) Gunness who was born Brynhilder Paulsdotter Størset in Norway and was active in Illinois and Indiana. After a traumatic event and cruel treatment by landowner Anders, she exacts revenge and leaves Norway to join her sister Nellie in Chicago. From then on, she changes her name to Bella and becomes a very different person to the one who grew up in the land of her birth. The story is told in alternating perspectives by Belle and Nellie.

This is a well written novel, in places it’s vivid, the style is appropriate to the historical time period and it strikes the right tone. I like the two contrasting points of view as lovely Nellie gives us insights into Bella’s personality and Bella gives her own warped view of the world. Bella has big ambitions and shows her unpleasant side straight away by scoffing at Nellie and her lifestyle. The author shows how her rage against men builds (with some justification) and her calculating mind develops and she marries for what she can gain. This is a compelling insight and interesting exploration into the mind of a multiple murderer. Her thoughts are vicious, she always wants more and is never satisfied as is shown by the excess of food! Meeting James Lee is a turning point as two like minds feed off each other. It’s chilling how cold she is, how calculating and scheming and utterly without morality. I wonder as I read if she always had the capacity in her for evil or if she becomes this way through Anders horrific treatment of her, we will never know and can only speculate. However, her transformation to the angel of death accelerates following her move to La Porte when the killing becomes almost business like, it’s macabre and mind numbing especially as it seems to make her feel alive. She is beyond cold blooded, it is as if she has no heart at all in her callous wickedness and there are few things she will not stoop to.

My reservations lie in the length of the book as you become numbed by her actions and at times the pace is a bit slow. Perhaps less about the food would help!

Overall, this is a compelling read for the insights it gives into Hells Belle aka the Black Widow and her crime spree. The notes at the end are worth reading too.

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book based on the non-fiction 'true crimes' accounts of Belle Gunness. Speculation and embellishment about her crimes and motives are added to the story. I had read some previous accounts of her crimes and knew she is considered one of the most prolific female serial killers in American history. The number of her victims has been estimated at 40.

I expected this would be a disturbing, gory, horrific, and upsetting read, and it was all of that. What I didn't expect was how tedious I found the book, but I kept with it to the end.

Born in poverty in Norway, she was the victim of a cruel and unspeakable act, unproven, to explain her spiteful nature and murderous intent. On moving to the USA to start a new life, intending to raise above her childhood poverty, she married twice. Both husbands died painful deaths when she tired of them. She inherited their property, life insurance, and also insurance payouts from buildings she set afire.

Her second husband was a butcher wh taught her his trade. This came in handy after his death on bodies she dismembered before burying them on her farmland. She was excited and joyful at the sight and smell of blood, first from butchering farm animals and then her human victims. As the now wealthy owner of a large farm, her first victims were killed for their money and property, but later the killings were motivated by blood-lust. Numerous men came to court the wealthy widow, or to find employment working on the farm. These men vanished, often before breakfast the next day, robbed with any cash or property they brought with them, murdered, and buried.

Unable to bear children, the story adds a fictional criminal lover who brought to Belle unwanted babies. She raised them as her own. He also helped with her murderous enterprises and arson and encouraged her depravity. She exhibited affection and pleasure in her foster children who were a great help in the house and with farm chores. What happens to them is very tragic and heartbreaking.

The story is told from two perspectives, that of an added older sister, Nellie, and from Bella's thoughts and actions. I didn't feel that Nellie's viewpoint added much to the plot. She was in denial of rumors about strange happenings on the farm, felt legal investigations into Bella's crimes and insurance frauds were invalid, understood her bouts of anger, rationalized her suspicious behavior, and at the same time was living in fear for herself and future victims. Sometimes all these conflicting feelings were expressed on the same page. When the truth about Bell's shocking crimes could no longer be denied, Nellie refused to report what she knew to authorities due to family loyalty.

The ending was inconclusive. It ends with her death, but suspicion remains that she may have faked her death to start a new life elsewhere.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not, PUT. This. Down.


This book was nothing I expected but everything I anticipated. Deliciously dark, macabre, and so so hard to put down, this is truly a book I didn't even know I needed in my life until the I picked it up. From the very first chapter it seemed to put a spell on me and sucked me right into the very demented very disturbing mind of someone truly broken and I loved every single minute of it.

Of course the most fascinating part of this whole sordid tale is the very fact that..it's true. Embellishments aside, it really happened.

I loved all the author's notes and thoughts and the end and can't stress enough that they too should be read. This truly was a gruesome delight and I'm so glad I took a chance on it. I think anyone fascinated with the past, with killers, anyone wanting a good thriller and a heart pounding read, is absolutely going to love this.


*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Camilla Bruce explores the life and crimes of a female serial killer, Belle Gunness, the Black Widow of La Porte, famous for being the first female serial killer in America. She takes what is known about Belle's real crimes, imagines what Belle's life might be like, and weaves a compelling fictional story in an attempt to understand someone like Belle and how her crimes could have happened. She captures the social and cultural elements of Belle's life that could have contributed to her frame of mind while crime exploring themes of gender roles, power/control, abuse, poverty, class, and injustices toward women in Belle's time.

My Two cents

Belle is both compelling and terrifying, and I was drawn into Belle's world and her twisted mind. She is engaging with how resourceful and determined she is to climb the social ladder and pull herself out of poverty. Her twisted mind is terrifying yet fascinating with how she justifies her actions.

Belle's crimes are heinous and shocking, as Camilla Bruce adds how she imagined them to come adding tension and suspense to the story. Bruce gets descriptive with Belle's crimes with some gore that gives you that feeling of wanting to look away but can't because you have to know what happens next.

While a bit longer than it needed to, it drags in parts, it is a haunting and engaging read that left an impression on me.

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploring the darker elements of the female experience—in this case, the sociopathic murderous elements—makes for fascinating reading. This was a great work, but it could have been shorter.

Concept: ★★★★★
Character portrayals: ★★★★★
Pacing/Length: ★★★

Have you heard the story of the Widow of La Porte? Belle Gunness' reign as one of the most prolific female series killers in early 1900s America is a chilling and true tale.

Belle Gunness was born Brynhild Storset in Norway in the 1800s to a poor family of rural tenants. Her earliest years are spent with vicious nurture and violent nature, and an early sexual encounter gone extremely sour—the author's editorializing at work with this fact, as this encounter is rumored in Norway but not officially confirmed—leads to her first murder. Little Brynhild poisons her abuser and likes the feeling of power she gets.

Little Byrnhild doesn't do well in Norway. The villagers whisper about her and her pride chafes at the knowledge that everyone in her small town knows of her shame. She writes to her older sister, Nellie, in America and desperately asks for her to help her.

Nellie agrees to fund Brynhild's voyage to America and takes her under her wing in a Norwegian-American apartment community in Chicago. Brynhild becomes Bella. Bella's pride, greed, and need for control over the men in her life lead to some dark decisions... and her sister Nellie begins to suspect that something is not all right with her sister.

As the years go by, Bella's life seems to be marked by obvious tragedy. Her husbands and children just keep...dying. And her homes and businesses just keep... burning down. What's up with that? Eventually, Bella moves to rural Indiana and marries Peter Gunness, her new persona as Belle Gunness begins. And once Peter suffers a tragic accident with a meat grinder—or cleaver, depending on who you ask—what's a twice-made widow to do with a huge farm but create an ad asking for male farm hands to come and help her? It's not exactly her fault if all the men disappear in the night...

The black widow spider creates her wicked web...

Told in two points of view, one from Belle herself and one from her sister, Nellie, In the Garden of Spite takes us along for the ride as we silently witness Belle's entire life from girlhood to her bloody reign as Belle Gunness on her murder farm. It's a chilling tale meant to unsettle, and Camilla Bruce's mastery of ominous, distanced writing really sells the tension throughout this almost 500-page novel.

But bringing up the length of this book brings up my only caveat—it was pretty long. In the marketing, the focus is entirely on Belle's time in La Porte as a murdering farm widow. This seems to be a bit misleading and definitely affected how I viewed the pacing of the book. When you start a book expecting to read a novelization of the Widow of La Porte....and then it takes 380 pages to get to Belle's life as "Belle Gunness" in the first place... Honestly, it made the first 3/4 of the novel feel incredibly slow. I kept waiting for the "real" plot to happen and that took away from the experience of reading the characters' life stories.

I'd definitely recommend going into this knowing that you're getting a life's story and not a snapshot novelization or a glorified true crime fixation.

This is a personal and chilling character study of one woman's descent into the darkest levels of the human psyche and her lack of acceptance of her own darkness. It's also about the toll that life on her loved ones, and the knife's edge between loving and protecting your family versus realizing the monster in your family tree.

Definitely read the author's note at the end - it gives a lot of context for Belle's real life, the amount of research the author used, and a key list of artistic differences that the author decided to take on in order to explore the themes.

Thank you to Berkley, Goodreads, and NetGalley for my giveaway ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Blog | Instagram

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the name of all things dark and twisted, what did I just read?! 😨 If it had been pure fiction it would have been bad enough, but to know it was based on an actual 1890's serial killer, Belle Gunness, made it all the more shocking.

First of all, I love true crime, so how is it that I have never heard of this Norwegian-American woman serial killer?! I lost track of the body count after the first ten or so, but it was a crazy number that has to rival the likes of Ted Bundy. Second of all, I will think twice before I accept an orange from anyone again! The ease with which Belle Gunness injected them with poison to feed her many men was beyond disturbing, and that is just the tip of the iceberg when it came to awful things this woman did. I couldn't put the book down because I had to know who was next and how it would happen.

I'm a little late to this book party, so I'll leave it short and sweet. The only issue I had with with the book (and is it really an issue?) was that I LIKED Belle! Near the end of the book, she crossed a few lines that were unconscionable, and I was ready for her to go down, but before that point, I found her entirely too likable. I also thought the book could have ended a bit sooner - after too-numerous-to-count murders, it started to get almost tedious. That ending though! Now that I've googled the heck out of Belle Gunness (I always hope that my Google history is never the subject of a Dateline investigation!), I see that it truly is a mystery that was never solved, it is all the more fascinating.

If you are into historical true crime and/or serial killers, this book is definitely a must read. 4 stars.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note - also called In The Garden Of Spite.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it was based on the true story of possibly America’s first female serial killer and possibly still one of the most prolific. There is no accurate data about the total number of victims but Bella Gunness was a real person who killed. A lot! The book is an imagining of how she may have come to that. She started life as little Brynhild (her much older sister being big Brynhild) in Norway working as a servant for a farming family. Her own family was very poor. Little Brynhild was treated shockingly by Anders, the farmer’s son, and she vowed revenge. Which she got. From then though her dream was to follow in her older sister’s footsteps and make a new, better life in America. Through hard work and some help from her sister (who now calls herself Nellie) she finally sets sail to the new country. And that is when I stopped relating to her.

And yes - the story was good and I did like the ending, it worked for me. But what I didn’t enjoy about the book was, mainly, it’s length. It was far too long. There was too much unnecessary detail about the minutiae of the lives of all the characters - their clothing, what they ate, irrelevant discussions and so on. I soon lost interest in everyone. It got boring. Then little Brynhild, who now calls herself Bella, is obsessed with one thing only - money. She wants to ‘prove herself’ somehow. She thinks she deserves a better life so she marries a man of some means. Of course she doesn’t love him but she loves his money. When she has spent it all, she kills him. From the insurance she buys a farm about 100 km from Chicago. From then on it is just rinse and repeat - she lures men to her, steals their money and kills them. Over and over. It was very repetitious. I started to wonder if I should simply DNF. But I slogged through. She was also desperate to have children but unable to conceive. So, through a business associate and friend (with benefits) babies were procured for her to raise as her own.

Eventually of course it all started to unravel. Her killing spree was in the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century so obviously forensic science still had a long way to go but people were starting to gossip about ‘the widow of La Porte’. Nellie, her sister, finally cottoned on and gave her an ultimatum to stop killing or she would see Bella hanged. But no. It was still going on until she made a crucial error. Did she get away with murder or not? I’ll leave you to be the judge of that but her insatiable greed which led to all of it made her, for me, a deeply unsympathetic character. I would have been happy to see her hanged. She was evil, mean, manipulative and a lying cow and I was glad to see the back of her at the end of the book. A lot of the other characters were wishy washy and ineffectual. A one word summary would be - tedious! Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

This was such a fantastic read that I find myself missing it days after I finished. I've never heard of Bella Gunness before and the depth of research needed to write a story this all encompassing definitely impressed me. It was fun to read about something completely new. Usually, books of this nature feature a male killer or are set in more modern times. I felt this straddled historical fiction and true crime rather well. It didn't get bogged down in details (this was my struggle with The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America - however, to be fair, I read that book AGES ago so I might have more appreciation for it now) and the dual narrative helped give a perspective outside of what Belle was telling us.

Spanning decades (and almost 500 pages), this is the fictional account of a notorious serial killer from La Porte, Indiana. It takes a while to get to the part where Belle becomes the Black Widow and I thought this rather well explained just how she became a killer. You really got to know Belle because you followed everything that happened to her from a young girl in Norway up until she was middle aged. It is very dark at times, but not terribly gruesome (at least for me).

My only cautionary note is that the book is long. I wouldn't have edited anything out, particularly because this was an exploration into how Bella became who she was. I felt the author did a good job moving it along as quick as she could while staying true to the purpose of the book. The good thing is that every time I started to feel a little antsy, the story moved on and I was right back in it again.

If you're interested in true crime, Victorian era or female historical characters then I absolutely recommend this book for you.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for sending me a widget via Netgalley to review honestly.

Review Date: 02/16/21
Publication Date: 01/19/21

[Jenny Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I'd love this because I'm a fan of true crime (and because Belle is such a fascinating and terrible person) and I did really enjoy it but the author took a lot of creative liberties with the facts and that made it more of a 3.5 star kind of book for me. Still quite good though.

[Eridiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first couple chapters of this book, put it down and had absolutely no interest in continuing. A week or so later I made myself pick it back up and every day since I had to continue making myself read it. It was just so dull and drawn out.

Almost half of the story is told from POV of Belle's sister, most of which was unnecessary and didn't bring anything to the story. It was just her constantly suffering from her poor back and being suspicious of her sister but doing nothing about it.

As for the serial killer herself... I hated her. And not in the "love to hate" but in a "I can't stand reading about her anymore" kind of way. She was just a selfish woman who was constantly furious at somebody and did everything out of spite. At first I tried to empathize with Belle for going through some very traumatic things, but she quickly started getting on my nerves. Unfortunately, she wasn't a fascinating killer like Joe or Dexter (both of whom I love), she was just annoying and sometimes very stupid.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for my eARC.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Triflers Need Not Apply” is written by Norwegian author Camilla Bruce and is based on history’s most notorious female serial killer, Belle Gunness (nee Brynhild Storset). Commencing her murderous rampage in Chicago 1900, the story explores the Norwegian/American woman’s determination to pay men back for all they have taken, in the most heinous way possible.

- Early in life Belle Sorensen discovers the world is made only for men, but she understands what few others do: where women are concerned, men are weak. So Belle sets out to prove to the world that a woman can be just as ruthless, black-hearted and single-minded as any man. Starting with her long suffering husband, Mads, Belle embarks on a killing spree the like of which has never been seen before nor since. And through it all her kind, older sister Nellie can only watch in horror as Belle’s schemes to enrich herself and cut down the male population come to a glorious, dreadful fruition . . .

I knew as soon as I started reading this book it would be a five star read for me, I just love true crime that’s written as fiction. Camilla Bruce hasn’t just included factually correct events but has attempted to intriguingly understand who Belle actually was and why she did what she did, regardless of her twisted and deadly justifications.
Belle was a very strong woman, both physically and mentally who knew exactly what she wanted out of life and worked hard to attain it. No man would stand in her way of achieving that lifestyle and as the disappearances of more and more men accumulated, she became a notorious female serial killer of the likes never seen before. Having a morbid fascination for my own city’s female serial killer of the 1800’s - Sunderland born Mary Ann Cotton, better known as ‘The Black Widow’ - I was therefore excited by the prospect of “Triflers Need Not Apply” and I wasn’t disappointed. The attention to detail was second to none, I could visualise every scene clearly due to the author’s ability to convey the sights, smells and sounds, from the roast chicken cooking in the stove to the dismembering of the bodies with the meat cleaver.
Apart from Belle’s story, I found Nellie’s equally interesting and her developing emotions as she begins to discover her sister is not quite the woman she thought she was. Can she stay silent when she suspects Belle of being more than a very unlucky woman in love? And could she be putting her own life at risk, involving herself in Belle’s murderous affairs.
I researched Belle after reading the book and enjoyed seeing how much the storyline mirrored the true events but with the author’s own fictional understanding of who Belle was. On seeing her photo, I am now able to see her as she actually looked in real life and this has left me with a permanent vision of her and her story.

A pre-warning, that this is a serial killer story that doesn’t hold back on the killing, so if you’re a little squeamish this might not be for you. There’s also some upsetting scenes involving children which may distress. However, if you’re a hardened crime reader of the twisted and macabre kind, you should devour this fabulously written historical true crime fiction like I did. “Triflers Need Not Apply” will stay on my favourite shelf for ever and I will revisit the enigmatic Belle again for sure.

5 stars for this utterly chilling read….

[Laura Peden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge True Crime nerd. I’ve read of Belle Gunness so I knew what I was getting into with In the Garden of Spite; it’s ’s a blend of true facts & fiction. This is very much historical fiction with suspense & horror. Overall, I enjoyed it but I think this could’ve been so much better. This woman is pure evil and the character written is almost too likeable imo. I guess I’m saying this could’ve been darker but she didn’t really go there...

[Mogsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2021/01/11/...

Last year, one of my favorite discoveries was Camilla Bruce’s You Let Me In, her debut that impressed me so much that I would read anything else she writes, sight unseen. Because of that, I was totally unprepared for what awaited me when I picked up In the Garden of Spite, her new novel about the most notorious female serial killer in American history.

Oh man, this book was so messed up. So brilliantly twisted. This nightmare-inducing historical is a fictionalized account of Belle Gunness, known as “the Black Widow of the Midwest” who is thought to have murdered at least fourteen and quite possibly up to forty people between the years of 1884 and 1908. But before she became a notorious killer, she was Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset, a young girl born into a family of poor farmhands in Selbu, Norway. In Bruce’s reconstruction of Brynhild’s backstory, our protagonist becomes pregnant at seventeen, but when she demands the father to marry her, the young man tries to kill her instead.

After she loses the baby in the attack, Brynhild makes plans to leave Norway and travel to America to stay with her older sister Nellie and her family in Chicago. But before her departure, Brynhild makes sure to get revenge by fatally poisoning her ex-lover, thus beginning her journey and lifelong obsession with spite. Once in Chicago, she changes her name to Belle, vowing to leave her old identity behind with her poverty-stricken life. Instead of helping Nellie with her children and work around their apartment, Belle sets her sights on finding a husband of means, eventually marrying Mads Sorensen, who was able to satisfy her expensive appetites—at least for a time. Once someone ceases to become useful to her, they have a tendency to drop dead, something her sister Nellie notices first with Mads and then with Belle’s second husband, Peter Gunness. They say blood is thicker than water, and to Nellie, Belle will always be “Little Brynhild,” a scared girl held in her arms. But as the body count rises, and Nellie’s suspicions grow stronger by the day, how long before her loyalty to her sister runs out?

What really got to me was how plausible this novel was, despite the author’s afterword explaining how she blended truth and fiction. Yes, there were a lot of embellishments, but a lot of it was rooted in fact too, integrating what is known about Belle Gunness and her heinous crimes. After reading this book, I went and did some reading of my own into her life, which gave me the heebie-jeebies all over again, but also an even greater appreciation for what Camilla Bruce achieved here.

Not surprisingly, the highlight of the book was her portrayal of Belle’s state of mind. Most monsters don’t feel that they’re monsters, but on some level, our protagonist does recognize something broken within her. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of her character is how she feels justified in being the monster, rationalizing her degeneracy and why she must do what she does. She is also ruthlessly persistent; once she puts her mind to a goal, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop her from achieving it. What’s even more complicated is the background Bruce has constructed for Belle, designed to establish sympathy—which worked to an extent. Eventually though, Belle’s thirst for blood—for spite—becomes simply too extreme, but of course by this point the story has become so fascinating that putting it down is impossible.

Still, even without any sympathy for Belle, I found myself incredulously reading on, addicted to her voice. She was so vile and chilling, and yet I was completely engrossed, wanting to know more. As she became increasingly emboldened, not just in committing murder but also in her cold calculating way of taking in children and fooling the world into believing they are her own, the depravity reaches a whole other level, not to mention the gruesomeness and violence. Only Nellie’s chapters, scattered among Belle’s, helped keep the terror manageable by injecting a bit of sanity into this disturbing read. That said, the story still remained a nerve-wracking head trip as Nellie realizes the depth of Belle’s hunger, agonizing over what to do because in spite of herself, she still loves her little sister.

Ultimately, In the Garden of Spite is an intensely compulsive read, comprising a sharp concoction of historical fiction, psychological thriller, and of course, horror. Certainly if the latter is what you are looking for, your cravings will be answered, though there’s also much here for fans of historicals and true crime. I highly recommend this book, as well as the audio format that I reviewed. Narrators Natalie Naudus and Stacey Glemboski performed the parts of Belle and Nellie perfectly, giving voice to all the complex emotions that made the characters in this book feel so incredibly, scarily real.

[Rachels_booknook_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

We could be torn asunder, cast away and laughed at while we bled. We were nothing but vermin and stains to those people. I wanted to be a wolf too, to snarl and bite and tear apart, and taste the blood of those who laughed. Instead, I staggered to my feet and stumbled on. I did not even look back. I would rise, if only to spite.


The established facts about real serial killer, aka the Black Widow of La Porte Belle Gunness (there are various aliases) are fascinating enough on their own, especially when it comes to the end of her story. I thought the elements added that were fictitious worked very well for the most part, although her sister Nellie’s POV didn’t really contribute much in my opinion. I get that it was supposed to humanize Belle and give voice to an innocent person trying to love a monster, but it just felt kind of repetitive to me and dragged.

I think her love for her children and the complicated web surrounding them was what made her so compelling and the focus could have remained more on that part of the story. It’s hard to imagine such a person being a devoted mother, although it was hardly as cut and dry as that. Hard to be a successful working mother who also murders people and sets the occasional fire, there was only so much time in the day!

Overall, this was a well-written and intriguing account of a notorious killer, and well worth the read.

[Elle]

How did they know exactly what I needed right now was historical fiction about an old-timey female serial killer???

[CYIReadBooks (Claire) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Garden of Spite tells the chilling tale of Belle Gunness also known as the Black Widow of LaPorte. Belle is considered to be one of the first female serial killers in America.

Growing up, Belle (fka Little Brynhild) wasn’t the angelic, picture perfect daughter of the St¢rset family. With a quick temper and spiteful tendencies, Belle’s anger causes her to be brutally beaten by Anders, the man that impregnated her. Shortly after Belle’s recuperation from her injuries, Anders mysteriously falls ill and eventually dies.

The bodies continue to grow in number even as Belle emigrates to America. A series of questionable unfortunate events, accidents, and illnesses plague Belle and her reputation.

Written in two points of view (Belle and her sister Nellie,) the author adeptly blends the two views into one cohesive novel. A compelling read, In the Garden of Spite is the consummate combination of historical fiction and true crime. It will leave you speechless. Five stars. Unforgettable.

I received a digital ARC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

[MaryannC Victorian Dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 BIG STARS!!!

Set in 1877 Selbu, Norway, Little Brynhild is a precocious, tough little girl living under the hand of her brutish, drunk father and protective mother. They live in abject poverty, her older sister, Big Brynhild now Nellie as she is known has long since moved to America settling in Chicago with her husband where they too are struggling in a new land to survive. As Little Brynhild matures hoping for better circumstances she catches the eye of a farmer's son and ends up pregnant. Naively believing her lover will do right by her and marry her, he rejects her and with her declarations to the local folks of her baby being fathered by the farmer's son, her lover lures her to a secret meeting and savagely beats her leaving her for dead. This was the defining moment that will rule the rest of Brynhild's life and lead her to become the brutal serial killer Belle Gunness.
Author Camilla Bruce took liberties adding a fiction storyline to go along with some of the true facts surrounding Belle's life and it was a chilling, delicious dive into how Belle went about planning, plotting along with her male friend to lure and ultimately murder for gain these unsuspecting men who were promised love and comfort in the arms of a lonely widow. Recommended.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to Netgalley and publisher for a copy to review.
This title is a challenging review as it is a historical thiller(?) I guess? Or historical fiction at any rate marketed as much a thriller as anything although there is graphic violence there is only intermittant action. Which is a long winded way of saying it was not a one sitting read by any means. This novel moved slow, which at times was frustrating even as the reader in me admired the skill with which camilla Bruce set the story. Fine details permeated the prose, and although it did not ever seem excessive or too wordy it did slow the plot down despite the beautiful careful prose.
So the biggest weakness may be pacing but the greatest strength in the writing is fictionalizing actual events and plotting a female serial killers story in a realistic and historically accurate setting.
The switching perspective between sisters was at times jarring and seemingly needless outside of narrative structure but overall this book was an entertaining and educational read., however it was little slower than I expected hence only 4 not 5 stars. But if you have any interest in say a reading a little house on the prairie as it would be on HBO as opposed to the PG version I say give this one a try.

[Amanda Hupe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, Camilla Bruce, and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce is for anyone who is fascinated by the mind of a serial killer. There is always a beginning to the evil. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset wants more than the life of a tenant farmer. She sets her eyes on a man who is the farm owner’s son. But even as she is with child, he still won’t have her and he beats her and leaves her for dead. Except she lives. Her revenge is slow but gives results. The only way to move on is to move in with her sister in America. There she marries a shop owner. He is kind and will provide for her. But is that enough? He is too kind, too weak, and not ambitious enough for her. He will be one of her victims. But is it really because he was too weak? Is it about the money? Or has she developed a taste for killing?

Triggers: graphic murder, abuse, child loss

This book is inspired by Belle Gunness or The Black Widow of La Porte. The author does an amazing job at getting into the head of a serial killer. She gave her a villain origin story so to speak. The story stays pretty true to the history that we are aware of when it comes to Belle Gunness. There is a brief introduction to social issues in Norway and then jumps into one of the most intriguing time periods of Chicago. While she was killing in La Porte, Indiana. HH Holmes was busy with his murder hotel in the White City. Fun fact: Belle Gunness was never apprehended nor was her death confirmed. Here you go, conspiracy theorist fans, did she die or escape?

I could have done without her sister’s point-of-view. It slowed down the story and just felt unnecessary and repetitive. BUT I loved reading from Belle’s perspective. Which each death, she always has a reason. Until the end—when she finally accepts her want to kill. It is definitely eerie and I could totally see this being a terrifying Netflix series! Pretty please, Netflix? I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars!

[Jess Combs · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT THE HECK DID I JUST READ?!?!?!?! My daughter just asked if I'm okay and the answer is NO! I'm definitely NOT okay!!!

"They never expected me to hold a grudge." Those words will haunt me for quite some time now.

I admit I've been fascinated by fictionalized stories of serial killers. Usually, they don't haunt me in my dreams and keep me up at night. But this... this... THIS has scarred my brain, I think. And (unfortunately) also caused me to want to learn more about the serial murderess Belle Gunness.

I literally lost count of how many bodies had dropped by the time I made it to the mid-point of this novel, but that's not what kept me reading. It was the way Belle was portrayed as yes, a killer, but also a victim whose compulsion to kill was deeply embedded as a way to protect herself and her children. I hated that I kept finding myself feeling just a teensy bit sad for her. And then she'd do something completely horrid and turn my stomach and I'd have to set my Kindle down and hold my babies super tight because.. UGH! This was horrible!!! (But in a good, super creepy, can't ever close my eyes or trust people again sorta way. )

Do I recommend this to fans of historical fiction who enjoy a good serial killer story? ABSOLUTELY!!! But make sure you're in a good head space before you pick this one up, because it WILL keep you up at night and send shivers down your spine!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an e-galley of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Triflers Need Not Apply is a fascinating and enthralling fact meets fiction historical true crime thriller with an unusual premise and an audacious novel of feminine rage inspired by one of the most notorious real-life female serial killers in American history - Belle Gunness - and the men who are said to have driven her to kill. Brynhild Paulsdatter Storset, the birth name of Gunness, was born in Selbu, Norway on November 11, 1859, to Paul and Berit Storset; she was the youngest of eight children. The family lived in abject poverty; every day was a struggle to survive and at the tender age of fourteen, she began working for neighbouring farms by milking and herding cattle to save enough money for passage to New York. She experienced a lot in her formative years that likely affected her view of the world moving forward - poverty, hunger, rape, a beating that kicked the child right out of her, followed by abandonment of someone she thought she'd marry. It had been 1877 when Belle was seventeen that she had been impregnated by neighbour and wealthy landowner Anders, but after she demanded he make an honest woman of her, he tragically causes her to miscarry their baby. She is devastated and determined to get her revenge, but she bides her time. Then, months later, she fatally poisons him.

Gaining a feeling of power and control she had never felt before, Belle continued to stoke violence up until her move to the United States in 1881. When she was processed by immigration at Castle Garden, she changed her first name to Belle, then travelled to Chicago to join her sister, Nellie who had immigrated several years earlier. In Chicago, while living with her sister and brother-in-law, she worked as a domestic servant, then got a job at a butcher's shop cutting up animal carcasses, until her first marriage in 1884. The resilient, fierce and deeply psychopathic woman longs for nothing more than a husband and children and yearns for one of the beautiful houses with gardens set behind wrought iron gates. She is unable to bear any due to the severity of that beating when she was a young woman, but lovingly collects children anyway. Not all of them stay with her. Not all of them live to adulthood. Not all of her husbands live, either, which is why she comes to be known as the Black Widow of LaPorte. She marries many men in an effort to gain wealth at times luring them to her with a lonely hearts personals ad in a newspaper. They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams—their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of La Porte.

The good people of Illinois may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she’d given up, what was taken from her, how she’d suffered, surely they’d understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a woman has to make her own way in this world. That’s all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colourless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive. This is a compulsive, enthralling yet melancholic true crime story about the making of a 19-century serial murderer. Bruce reconstructs Gunness’s mental state and embellishes the nonfiction narrative with some interesting twists and drama. The subject matter is heavy and right from the beginning you are drawn into the nature versus nurture musings as you wonder whether the experiences and environment Belle was surrounded by as a child influenced how she turned out. It's disturbing, macabre and not for the faint of heart with stunning characterisation with Bruce bringing the times and places vividly to life. An amalgamation of Norwegian noir and true crime at its finest, the book is bursting with truth, rumour and myth and will appeal to fans of lurid literature. True crime readers will love it. Highly recommended.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it very well done and loved the book. The author gave the characters stories.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my serendipity read for the month. I read no trailers or knew anything about it. Just picked it from the flyleaf and hardcopy cover. And because the late 19th century Chicago was the core time period. If you don't want to know anything about the book's subject- don't read this reaction. I never give synopsis. Never. But my reaction can't hide what Black means in the copy. Not what I thought it meant at all.

The first Part was nearly 4 stars, Part 2 was 2.5 stars, and Part 3 was less than 2. The entire book was too long and the writing absolutely deteriorated itself as the crimes increased. It was if all the prose skills to flow and placement and description all fell in the first 1/2 of the book. With the same words used in 100's of repetitions for actions or patterns or cellar location criteria being repeated. To the point that I sped read the last 80 pages of the book. It was just more gore and slice with Nellie being a turnip about it.

The premise could have been done with far, far more skill to consciousness or any type of psychological insight but the enabling one which it used. Nellie's sections were good too at the beginning. From the time of that confession by Myrtle on- she was nothing but a repeat enabler. Her own story become nil at that- except for her constantly repeated back ache and infirmities redundancies.

If this was edited to 1/2 it's length or given a much more historic view of Chicago and Northern Indiana during that period- it could have been an early Stephen King. Before he got both woke and hackneyed with poor quip story lines. Within a tension stretched beyond belief for those last Bella's 8 or 10 years too. Instead it became a ridiculous cartoon baddie supreme exercise. Not even written well. WHERE WERE THE EDITORS?

Is this chick lit? At the first 1/2 I thought it was- but that genre is usually filled with stereotypes of good, conflicted, honorable, preserving women who emote and effuse endlessly. This is not. In fact, the opposite and at the 100 page mark I would say she was even intriguing. But no- it's just another stereotype of the "anti" variety after all.

Usually I find one serendipity month read that is of the first sort if it happens to be a "woman's read" book. And mostly they core the more common stereotypes. And depending upon the writing skill I might actually enjoy most of it. But here, this is exactly why I do the one month serendipity thing. If I knew the subject matter I wouldn't have read it. And I am glad I did read most in slow pattern to nuance too. Because this is a bit of a departure- as I believe horror or true crime is morphing a bit when it crosses women's easy read fiction. There doesn't seem to be a bottom feeder level that is not fully deported to grabbing readers now. Not only within sexual mores either.

If you want a very good book about a serial killer of this period- read The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. This book by Bruce also did Chicago no justice. It was probably the very best or close to the best place in the entire world for innovation, growth and discovery (especially in the food and automation for process and distribution discoveries) and the most rapid rise for immigrants all across the boards in the first 30 years after the Big Fire (1871) and this didn't begin to grab even a tiny portion of that reality it could have. With only about 5 pages given to the Fair? Opportunity MISSED.

Too bad. It could have been an excellent book. But it sure was not.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the book description and was looking for something a little different to the books I have being reading recently. I found the book a little slow at first and struggled to get into it but persevered and it did get a lot better. By the time I was two thirds into the book I didn't want it to finish.
Based on a true story the novel tells of Bella Sorensen killing spree as she thrives to live a comfortable life after starting life as a Norwegian immigrant. In a determination to live life to the full she doesn't let anything or anyone stand in her way.
Fascinating read with some very interesting characters.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[The Lit Bitch · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

A story about a female serial killer? Say no more. This book was on my radar for weeks and I couldn’t wait to start reading it. It sounded deliciously dark and creepy with so much promise. My book club picked this one to read for our February book because it sounded so amazing.

I was fully ready for this book to be on the darker side. In fact I expected it to be one of my more darker reads with a lot of nuance and atmosphere. On the surface this book was primed to be one of my favorite reads of 2021 and I couldn’t wait to start reading this one. And then I did start reading it and I don’t know that I was fully prepared for how dark this novel was going to get.

Full disclosure, I didn’t finish this one. I simply couldn’t. It wasn’t for me and it also wasn’t for any of the ladies in my book club (we switched to another book for February) but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read this one. I think this is a book that would appeal to a certain type of reader rather than the masses.

The second I started reading this one it was very apparent this was not going to be a book for me. I had just come off this whole string of historical romances with happy fluff and HEA, so I was willing to keep reading this one just in case I was tainted by this fact, but the more I read the more I was sure this just wasn’t the novel for me.

I expected this one to be gritty and dark, but I didn’t expect it to be gross. Since I only read 15%, I don’t consider this a spoiler. In the beginning, the heroine finds herself pregnant and the guy who got her pregnant basically beat the baby out of her. The author graphically describes her attack and the loss of the baby, likening it to a piece of meat. It was just too much for me and since this happens at the beginning of the book, it just turned me off entirely. The rest of what I read was about her recovering from her injuries and setting up for how this attack would impact her future decisions.

Her parents were basically poor alcoholics and they were not nurturing at all, in fact they were down right abusive. I would be willing to look past all of these parts if there was some sort of redeeming quality about the heroine. I mean I get that she was a serial killer and obviously it would be unlikely that she would have a redeeming quality, but there was simply nothing about her I liked. Initially I felt horrible that this terrible thing happened to her, but the more I read I just couldn’t muster any sympathy.

While this book was definitely not for me, I still think the concept shows promise and I think that this would appeal to the right reader. Perhaps someone who enjoys darker, grittier reads. I also thought that some of the observations of the characters showed a strong sense of awareness, for example there was a closing line in a chapter where the attacker said something to the effect of ‘you are nothing but vermin’ and when the chapter closes the main character says that she will survive because the vermin always survive. I admired the author’s boldness and awareness/insight for her characters even if this one wasn’t for me.

Even if I didn’t like it, you might. If I were you, I would download a sample and see if you like it before you buy it because I think this is a book that you will be able to tell if you like it or not right away.

See my full review here

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serial killers both fascinate me and terrify me, so naturally I enjoy thrillers about them, especially fictional stories based on actual events.

What a creepy tale this was! Told from the perspective of Norwegian sister’s Bella and Nellie. Nellie moved to America first, where she married and raised a family in Chicago. Bella followed soon after. Nellie and her husband introduced her to perspective suitors.

I thought it was clever to provide both sister’s perspectives. When we read headlines about serial killers, we often wonder if the family knew.

Belle was complex. She is ruthless, driven and never satisfied. She could go from calculated control to rage in a moment’s breath. She easily assumed many roles, from the grieving widow to the captivating seductress. She drugged her children, punished husbands by poisoning them, and lured men to her web. Even when they suspected or questioned, she could turn things around and have them doubting themselves.

I found the introduction of the fictional character James Lee fascinating. He is driven by the same desires as Belle and fuels her passions.

Nellie’s struggle and worries about her sister through the years and events that unfolded shared the struggle loved one’s face when they suspect things; unimaginable things. I thought the author did a good job of showing the struggles when dealing with a sociopath such as Belle. I will admit to being furious at Nellie. There were moments that demanded she open her eyes and protect the innocent.

The macabre tale that unfolded was suspenseful as the author took us into Belle’s twisted, calculating mind. Be warned there is violence, rape, gore and abuse. I felt Nellie’s fear and worried constantly for the children.

The story was made for audio. Natalie Naudus and Stacey Glemboski were perfect in their roles of the sisters and secondary characters. They added to the suspense and brought this story to life. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer