'Til Murder Do Us Part

by Bryan Burrough

Now a milestone of unsolved true crime, the Hall-Mills case began in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1922 and lasted for over a decade. The killer has never been found, and the case continues to fascinate true-crime aficionados. 

A bon vivant Episcopal minister, a not-so-virginal soprano in his choir. The wealthy wife. Her oddball brother. Their furtive maid. The snooping congregants. The bumbling detectives. And in the denouement, a trial, one of the more notable of America's Jazz Age, covered by the likes of Damon Runyon, Dorothy Dix, and James Thurber. All of it hanging on the dramatic testimony of a single, strange witness of questionable veracity, a farmer the tabloids came to call "The Pig Woman." Almost everyone in this labyrinthine mystery had at least one secret, sometimes more, and the biggest one remains almost a hundred years later.

At Audible's request, business and true crime journalist Bryan Burrough reopened the case, digging deep into records of the time. His narration in a warm Texas accent lends immediacy and intimacy to a classic New Jersey true crime, as listeners follow his reconstruction of the fateful double-murder…and the botched prosecution that became a national media circus in its day. 

Read by the author

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime, History, Historical

3 pages, Audible Audio

First published October 17, 2019

About the author

Bryan Burrough joined Vanity Fair in August 1992 and has been a special correspondent for the magazine since January 1995. He has reported on a wide range of topics, including the events that led to the war in Iraq, the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, and the Anthony Pellicano case. His profile subjects have included Sumner Redstone, Larry Ellison, Mike Ovitz, and Ivan Boesky.

Prior to joining Vanity Fair, Burrough was an investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal. In 1990, with Journal colleague John Heylar, he co-authored Barbarians at the Gate (HarperCollins), which was No. 1 on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for 39 weeks. Burrough's oth­er books include Vendetta: American Express and the Smearing of Edmund Safra (HarperCollins, 1992), Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir (HarperCollins, 1998); and Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933–34 (Penguin Press, 2004).

Burrough is a three-time winner of the John Hancock Award for excellence in financial journalism. He lives in Summit, New Jersey with his wife Marla and their two sons.

Reviews

[Star Gater]

hmmm Audible has a True Crime section and I picked this up.

Sadly, this case remains open, and probably will never be solved.

The real life drama read like a cozy mystery not excluding any of the cast of characters.

#40/500 Read What I Own Challenge

[Badseedgirl]

I was first exposed to the Hall-Mills murder case while watching the "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries." It was the featured case in the "Real Murder Club." When I saw this book was available on audible, I knew I had to listen to it. I was not disappointed.

It probably says something very ghoulish about about me that my first love in non-fiction works are true crime stories.

[Thomas Schulte]

For me, a good true crime work is like a kind of morality tale with the necessary denouement of the perpetrator revealed for their hubris and receiving some just nemesis. This audiobook is a cold case review focusing on a second, failed trial with no new evidence or even identified (if only believed) assailants. The jazz age tale adultery, killing, and a mendacious "pig woman" is entertaining.

[Jackie]

While the story had a fair bit of detail, I left it feeling like I got nothing from it. Can’t say I’ve felt this way after a true story before.

[Leigh F]

Interesting listen into a cold case that I had never heard of. Will be looking more into this for sure

[Jillian]

I liked it was just the facts. No fluff or filler added to the story. The audiobook kept my attention which is hard for me because they usually put me to sleep.

[River Scott Tyler]

Finished listening to The Audiobook of 'Til Murder Do Us Part and I rate it 3.5 stars 🌟

This is still an unsolved true crime, the Hall-Mills case began in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1922 and lasted for over a decade. The killer has never been found, this wasn't a long audiobook just over 2 hours long but it gets straight to the point, this sory has a lot of suspects and a witness who can't be trusted.

This was a chilling murder at the time made alot of headlines, its a mystery that has never been solved so someone got away with a double murder, this book had alot if interesting facts, I'm gonna look see if there is any more books about this as its now got me very interested.

[Jean]

I think the worse thing about this audiobook is that the narrator spoke so rapidly. I hadn’t heard about this case, but I guess I wasn’t missing all that much. The writing was clear. presumably the research was well done. It is interesting that in the 1920’s the case garnered a lot of attention. However, to me there was never enough evidence to try anyone. One wonders what would’ve been discovered if the twenties had the kinds of forensic detail we have today.

[Heather Venard]

2.5 stars. This is one of those cases when a retelling of a true crime is straightforward. But because it's so straightforward, you don't really get a sense of the time in which these events happened. Also, the narrator seems very separate from the tale the whole time, except for the very end when he comes in with his opinions, and it's a little jarring.

[Whatcha Reading Heather?]

TBH I wish this was a longer work a-la-'In Cold Blood,' especially since they needed to get permission to open the case back up. This felt more like an extended episode of a true crime podcast, but I did really enjoy Bryan Burrough's writing (wasn't dry like some true crime can be) and his narration (which I know is a rarity) so that alone deserves a slight boost.

[Ursula Johnson]

I remember learning about this murder in another book. The case was bungled from the beginning and had numerous suspects. Press coverage, rumors, innuendo and more ran rampant. The case turned into a circus and the subsequent trial was a farce. The case was never solved.

[Andrea T]

A short true crime story that I listened to on a couple migraine nights when the thought of actually reading made my head hurt even more. 😖


This one was just ok for me….it was a much older story than I typically read so it didn't hold my attention as well as it could have.  

[Daisya Spencer]

This was an intriguing and quick listening experience. I appreciated how the author remained factual and waited until the end to give his thoughts and opinions on the case. This entire case, in a nutshell, was a huge cluster fuck and an absolute circus.

[Ami Cormack]

3.5, rounded up.
A short true crime story.

It was factual and read well but wasn’t the best true crime book I’ve read. It was a murder I hadn’t heard of so the facts and details were interesting.

Don’t want to give too much away so will just say I recommend to true crime fans after a short read.

[Lisa Hale]

How can this happen? Just keep listening. There were so many people involved and so many secrets that it’s hard to keep it all straight. Still...who do you think did it?

[Megan]

There is a reason why, sometimes, the author does not narrate the book. Burrough is too fast. The delivery is so report like and dry I can't enjoy it.

[Jennifer Hing]

It is an interesting true crime book. It’s nothing crazy or shocking that you are amazed by. It’s a quick, easy read/listen.

[Ann W]

Interesting story but man, oh man, a lot of confusion. Witnesses saying this, then changing their statement. Wait...let's go back to the original statement. Ugh! 2.5 🌟

[Audry]

M

[M.L. Howard]

It was ok.

[Mikael]

An unsolved mess. People who lie in an investigation for fame should get larger punishments.

[Naomi]

Loved this “just the facts, Ma’am” true crime account of a story I had never heard of before.

[Shann]

Factual accounting of a true crime story.

[Marisa]

Wouldve been better if it was a longer book and had more information

[Bobby Daugherty]

No real resolution here. The case remains unsolved. Primarily deals with the facts and legacy (societal impact of the incident).

[Sheila]

A great listen, to a very interesting old case that was so interesting it's hard to believe it isn't a better known case.

[Michele]

Interesting case about an affair that left two dead back in the 1920s. The case trials that were fought were well detailed. The reader can decide but this case will probably remain unsolved.

[Lou-ann]

Kinda boring ngl

[Jeff J.]

An inquiry into the 1922 Hall-Mills murder case.

[Kimberly Dolese]

Meh. Slow.