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The Devil's Rooming House: The True Story of America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer
The Devil’s Rooming House is the first book about the life, times, and crimes of America’s most prolific female serial killer. In telling this fascinating story, M. William Phelps also paints a vivid portrait of early-twentieth-century New England.
251 pages, Hardcover
First published March 27, 2010
198 people are currently reading
4044 people want to read
About the author
M. William Phelps
88 books1,158 followersCrime, murder and serial killer expert, creator/producer/writer and former host of the Investigation Discovery series DARK MINDS, acclaimed, award-winning investigative journalist M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 30 books and winner of the 2013 Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award and the 2008 New England Book Festival Award. A highly sought-after pundit, Phelps has made over 100 media-related television appearances: Early Show, The Today Show, The View, Fox & Friends, truTV, Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel, Good Morning America, TLC, BIO, History, Oxygen, OWN, on top of over 100 additional media appearances: USA Radio Network, Catholic Radio, Mancow, Wall Street Journal Radio, Zac Daniel, Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Channel, EWTN Radio, ABC News Radio, and many more.
Phelps is also a member of the Multidisciplinary Collaborative on Sexual Crime and Violence (MCSCV), also known as the Atypical Homicide Research Group (AHRG) at Northeastern University, maintained by NU alumni Enzo Yaksic.
Phelps is one of the regular and recurring experts frequently appearing on two long-running series, Deadly Women and Snapped. Radio America calls Phelps “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer,” and TV Rage says, “M. William Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer.” A respected journalist, beyond his book writing Phelps has written for numerous publications—including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant—and consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter.
Phelps grew up in East Hartford, CT, moved to Vernon, CT, at age 12, where he lived for 25 years. He now lives in a reclusive Connecticut farming community north of Hartford.
Beyond crime, Phelps has also written several history books, including the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy, THE DEVIL’S ROOMING HOUSE, THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND, MURDER, NEW ENGLAND, and more.
Phelps is also a member of the Multidisciplinary Collaborative on Sexual Crime and Violence (MCSCV), also known as the Atypical Homicide Research Group (AHRG) at Northeastern University, maintained by NU alumni Enzo Yaksic.
Phelps is one of the regular and recurring experts frequently appearing on two long-running series, Deadly Women and Snapped. Radio America calls Phelps “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer,” and TV Rage says, “M. William Phelps dares to tread where few others will: into the mind of a killer.” A respected journalist, beyond his book writing Phelps has written for numerous publications—including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant—and consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter.
Phelps grew up in East Hartford, CT, moved to Vernon, CT, at age 12, where he lived for 25 years. He now lives in a reclusive Connecticut farming community north of Hartford.
Beyond crime, Phelps has also written several history books, including the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling NATHAN HALE: The Life and Death of America’s First Spy, THE DEVIL’S ROOMING HOUSE, THE DEVIL’S RIGHT HAND, MURDER, NEW ENGLAND, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 244 reviews
November 16, 2016
I wanted to like this book. I really, truly did. It's about the abominable Amy Archer-Gilligan, who is the many, many times removed inspiration for the Brewster sisters in Arsenic and Old Lace. She ran a cross between a boarding house and a nursing home, and between 1908 and 1916 she murdered somewhere between five and sixty-six people. For their money. She also committed fraud, theft, embezzlement, what we would today call "elder abuse" . . . Two of her victims were her husbands. And she was a Tartuffe of the highest quality, claiming that the investigation was a witch hunt begun because some of her neighbors had taken against this poor, saintly Christian widow and that everyone who was suspicious of her ought to be ashamed of themselves.
I wanted to like this book. But it is honestly a mess.
Partly, this is because of the nature of the material. The Archer-Gilligan case is insanely complicated, because you have (1) the course of the perpetrator (fraud, embezzlement murder, etc.); (2) the widely varied courses of her victims; (3) an investigation that was begun by a reporter named Carlan Goslee years before the police got involved, which ranged hither, thither, and yon over Connecticut and Massachusetts, tracking down the relatives of Archer-Gilligan's victims and other interested parties; (4) the police investigation, including exhumations and autopsies of corpses with enough arsenic in them to kill five men apiece; (5) the trial, appeal, retrial, conviction, prison sentence, and Amy Archer-Gilligan's eventual committal to an insane asylum, where she died in 1962. That's a lot of trails to follow, and I don't know how to arrange it coherently, either.
But Phelps causes a lot of his own problems. He bounces back and forth in his chronology to create "narrative tension" rather than because it's the only way to tell the story (and I put "narrative tension" in quotes because that's not what his technique causes). He opens with one of Archer-Gilligan's borders who thinks he's being poisoned, but he never tells us what happened to that particular man. For reasons that remain entirely opaque to me, the beginning of the book describes the incredible, lethal heat wave of 1911, which--while a fascinating piece of forgotten American history--has nothing whatsoever to do with Amy Archer-Gilligan except for the fact that she was alive and murdering her boarders in Windsor, CT, at the time. He gets horrifically tangled in the chronology of one of Archer-Gilligan's victims, and ends up sneering at the newspapers for getting Smith's age wrong in his obituary, when--to the best of my ability to tell--it's Phelps who's wrong, and that's simply from doing the math on the information he provides. He leaves out bits of the story; for example, there's a gap between the DA saying emphatically it was first-degree murder or nothing and the DA accepting a plea of second-degree murder that makes it impossible to figure out what happened. He is a sloppy writer, using anachronistic slang (like saying Archer-Gilligan "lawyered up" (191) or that something "must have rattled her cage real good" (175)) . And he has the trait that I hate above all others, of using a word that sounds sort of like the right word, but actually means something entirely different, like "emphatically" for "empirically" (154). It happens again and again in this book, and it drives me straight up the wall.
So, fascinating material--and Phelps clearly did a metric fuck-ton of research--but lousy execution, leaving me disappointed and sad. This book could have been so awesome and it just missed its grip.
I wanted to like this book. But it is honestly a mess.
Partly, this is because of the nature of the material. The Archer-Gilligan case is insanely complicated, because you have (1) the course of the perpetrator (fraud, embezzlement murder, etc.); (2) the widely varied courses of her victims; (3) an investigation that was begun by a reporter named Carlan Goslee years before the police got involved, which ranged hither, thither, and yon over Connecticut and Massachusetts, tracking down the relatives of Archer-Gilligan's victims and other interested parties; (4) the police investigation, including exhumations and autopsies of corpses with enough arsenic in them to kill five men apiece; (5) the trial, appeal, retrial, conviction, prison sentence, and Amy Archer-Gilligan's eventual committal to an insane asylum, where she died in 1962. That's a lot of trails to follow, and I don't know how to arrange it coherently, either.
But Phelps causes a lot of his own problems. He bounces back and forth in his chronology to create "narrative tension" rather than because it's the only way to tell the story (and I put "narrative tension" in quotes because that's not what his technique causes). He opens with one of Archer-Gilligan's borders who thinks he's being poisoned, but he never tells us what happened to that particular man. For reasons that remain entirely opaque to me, the beginning of the book describes the incredible, lethal heat wave of 1911, which--while a fascinating piece of forgotten American history--has nothing whatsoever to do with Amy Archer-Gilligan except for the fact that she was alive and murdering her boarders in Windsor, CT, at the time. He gets horrifically tangled in the chronology of one of Archer-Gilligan's victims, and ends up sneering at the newspapers for getting Smith's age wrong in his obituary, when--to the best of my ability to tell--it's Phelps who's wrong, and that's simply from doing the math on the information he provides. He leaves out bits of the story; for example, there's a gap between the DA saying emphatically it was first-degree murder or nothing and the DA accepting a plea of second-degree murder that makes it impossible to figure out what happened. He is a sloppy writer, using anachronistic slang (like saying Archer-Gilligan "lawyered up" (191) or that something "must have rattled her cage real good" (175)) . And he has the trait that I hate above all others, of using a word that sounds sort of like the right word, but actually means something entirely different, like "emphatically" for "empirically" (154). It happens again and again in this book, and it drives me straight up the wall.
So, fascinating material--and Phelps clearly did a metric fuck-ton of research--but lousy execution, leaving me disappointed and sad. This book could have been so awesome and it just missed its grip.
July 29, 2012
Phelps' dragging on and on about the 1911 heatwave was, I think, an attempt to write like another very popular writer who braids together true crime tales and historically significant events. In fact, at one point, Phelps mentions Marconi, the subject of a book by the writer I refer to. Anyway, it didn't work; there was no connection made between the heat wave and Amy Archer except that they were both deadly. That's not enough to enlighten either subject. Phelps writes that Mrs. Archer was called "Sister Amy" because she walked around town with her Bible, yet no where in the book do we see her engaged in religious or pious behavior. She doesn't even attend church. You may notice, too, that the building on the cover is NOT the Archer Home; it looks nothing like the photo of the colonoial-style manse inside. The most annoying thing about the book, however, was the author's intrusive voice, using modern slang and colloquialisms to comment on events that took place 100 years ago. But, I strain at gnats. I don't read much true crime, and I've read better.
November 29, 2021
Finally, the ALL female serial killer book I’ve been waiting for! Now don’t get me wrong, I love the male serial killer true crime novels I’ve read but I’ve wanted a female one for SO long and to finally find it was amazing. We don’t get enough stories of female serial killers and I wish we had more because they’re bloody damn horrifying and fascinating all in one. I know that sounds strange wishing for more females to commit serial murders but that’s now what I’m saying, I’m sure there’s so many more already out there that no one has dug into yet! I’ve always been fascinated by Angel of Death/Black Widow stories and this one combines both in this most horrifying and yet fascinating way. To think that she got on with her schemes and so many kills for so long is just absolutely mind blowing. Granted times were different and there were some questions but not nearly enough considering the amount of death she brought about. Something about the age of her kills really strikes a chord with me, preying on the old and defenceless who are alone is just the worst kind of evil. My only complaint and why it gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that I really would have loved it if there hadn’t of been so much focus on the damn heat wave. It literally had nothing to do with the story and at parts it made it feel like there were two completely separate stories being told. I still thoroughly enjoyed it despite that minor detail and I highly recommend you pick it up if you’re into true crime!
June 10, 2010
Worst. Book. Ever.
This might have made a half-decent magazine article, but there was in no way enough information to justify the length of this book. It was confusing, badly organized-- where was this man's editor? Also, some weird little gimmick at the beginning about an historically bad heat wave that really never went anywhere (I'm thinking that story was more interesting than the one the book was really trying to tell.) There was a lot of back-and-forth the first half of the book, jumping between different dates, and the author didn't seem clear about what he had and hadn't already told; any suspense he might have managed to build, he quickly shattered. Just an all-around mess. Do not waste your time with this one!
This might have made a half-decent magazine article, but there was in no way enough information to justify the length of this book. It was confusing, badly organized-- where was this man's editor? Also, some weird little gimmick at the beginning about an historically bad heat wave that really never went anywhere (I'm thinking that story was more interesting than the one the book was really trying to tell.) There was a lot of back-and-forth the first half of the book, jumping between different dates, and the author didn't seem clear about what he had and hadn't already told; any suspense he might have managed to build, he quickly shattered. Just an all-around mess. Do not waste your time with this one!
March 8, 2011
Have you ever seen the play "Arsenic and Old Lace"? Or perhaps the movie made from the play? I have always enjoyed the wacky and weird humor in the movie with Cary Grant. But I never realized that the play was based on the real murders committed by "Sister" Amy Archer-Gilligan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Arch...
This book documents the history behind probably one of the first (if not THE first) for profit nursing homes, and also one of the most deadly female serial killers. In 1907 Amy Archer and her husband James Archer opened a boarding house for the elderly called the "Archer Home for the Elderly and Infirm". The Archers contracted with the client (Amy called them inmates) to pay either $1000 for life-time care, or a monthly fee.
Over the course of about 10 years there were 60 documented deaths in the Archer house. In 1910 James Archer died, providing much needed money for Amy to continue to run the Archer house since she had taken out a large insurance policy on him not long before his death. In 1913 Amy married again, this time to Michael Gilligan who was a wealthy widower. Their marriage lasted only 3 months before he was poisoned with arsenic by Amy.
Many suspicious deaths occurred at the Archer House, but investigations were not really begun until Nellie Pierce pushed the district attorney and then the local newspaper to investigate the death of her brother, Franklin Andrews in 1916. Franklin evidently was in excellent health but died with only 1 day of illness of "gastric ulcers". After reading through his papers it was found that Amy had pressed him to give her a loan and he had refused. After investigations began, five bodies were exhumed (including Gilligan, Amy's 2nd husband, and Franklin Archer). All five were found to have died by either arsenic poisoning or strychnine.
Amy was convicted in 1917 and sentenced to death. She appealed and was given a 2nd trial. She pleaded insanity and was found guilty of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. She died of natural causes in 1962 while living out her sentence in a psychiatric prison hospital.
This book is not really very well written. It jumps around a great deal between the "hot wave" of 1911 (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hi... ), providing local geography and history for Windsor, Connecticut , as well as what personal history is known of Sister Amy. All of these things are interesting and very relevant, but somehow the author is unable to make them flow. I was interested in the book primarily because of the facts it provided. I'll certainly never watch "Arsenic and Old Lace" in quite the same way anymore!
This book documents the history behind probably one of the first (if not THE first) for profit nursing homes, and also one of the most deadly female serial killers. In 1907 Amy Archer and her husband James Archer opened a boarding house for the elderly called the "Archer Home for the Elderly and Infirm". The Archers contracted with the client (Amy called them inmates) to pay either $1000 for life-time care, or a monthly fee.
Over the course of about 10 years there were 60 documented deaths in the Archer house. In 1910 James Archer died, providing much needed money for Amy to continue to run the Archer house since she had taken out a large insurance policy on him not long before his death. In 1913 Amy married again, this time to Michael Gilligan who was a wealthy widower. Their marriage lasted only 3 months before he was poisoned with arsenic by Amy.
Many suspicious deaths occurred at the Archer House, but investigations were not really begun until Nellie Pierce pushed the district attorney and then the local newspaper to investigate the death of her brother, Franklin Andrews in 1916. Franklin evidently was in excellent health but died with only 1 day of illness of "gastric ulcers". After reading through his papers it was found that Amy had pressed him to give her a loan and he had refused. After investigations began, five bodies were exhumed (including Gilligan, Amy's 2nd husband, and Franklin Archer). All five were found to have died by either arsenic poisoning or strychnine.
Amy was convicted in 1917 and sentenced to death. She appealed and was given a 2nd trial. She pleaded insanity and was found guilty of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. She died of natural causes in 1962 while living out her sentence in a psychiatric prison hospital.
This book is not really very well written. It jumps around a great deal between the "hot wave" of 1911 (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hi... ), providing local geography and history for Windsor, Connecticut , as well as what personal history is known of Sister Amy. All of these things are interesting and very relevant, but somehow the author is unable to make them flow. I was interested in the book primarily because of the facts it provided. I'll certainly never watch "Arsenic and Old Lace" in quite the same way anymore!
July 25, 2010
The true story of America's most prolific serial killer, Amy Archer-Gilligan, is fascinating. But the author's writing style and poor editing detracted from this true crime story. Certain sections were repetitive. Also, the parallels between the heat wave of 1911 and the serial murders were not well demonstrated. I think Phelps has tremendous talent and truly knows his topic. But he/his editors decided to write in an everyman vernacular which degraded the quality of this book. I speculate that he was trying to be dramatic but this just came across as poor writing that would earn you an F in English class. Some sentences were overly long and others weren't even true sentences.
For example:
It was near 3:00 p.m. when, a few miles away from this treacherous corner, a Fairfield police officer, patrolling his normal beat on Fairfield Avenue, heard a tremendous crash. Steel against steel. Crumbling and twisting.
He ran.
p.49
Phelps frequently referred to male figures as "the guy" which was also distracting. He made a serious and professional study of this case; it would have been more appropriate and compelling to write professionally.
Yet in other paragraphs and sometimes whole chapters Phelps writes beautifully and pulls the reader into this tale. Chapter 30, Grave Robbers, is one such example. Phelps describes the exhumation and autopsy of one victim in a clear and concise way. The reader understands the science and horror of the crime.
I only finished this book as I live in Connecticut and have a strong interest in local history. If The Devil's Rooming House was reorganized and edited, I think it would be superb.
For example:
It was near 3:00 p.m. when, a few miles away from this treacherous corner, a Fairfield police officer, patrolling his normal beat on Fairfield Avenue, heard a tremendous crash. Steel against steel. Crumbling and twisting.
He ran.
p.49
Phelps frequently referred to male figures as "the guy" which was also distracting. He made a serious and professional study of this case; it would have been more appropriate and compelling to write professionally.
Yet in other paragraphs and sometimes whole chapters Phelps writes beautifully and pulls the reader into this tale. Chapter 30, Grave Robbers, is one such example. Phelps describes the exhumation and autopsy of one victim in a clear and concise way. The reader understands the science and horror of the crime.
I only finished this book as I live in Connecticut and have a strong interest in local history. If The Devil's Rooming House was reorganized and edited, I think it would be superb.
February 2, 2011
I have to say, The Devil's Rooming House had its merits, but overall it wasn't that great and I will not be reading another work by M. William Phelps.
The Good:
I read this after seeing a production of Arsenic and Old Lace and am inspired to read the play as well as see the movie. The book was very informative on Amy Archer-Gilligan and some of the inmates of the Archer House. It also was very good in its portrayal of Windsor and Connecticut. It was really interesting to read a book that is set in places one has been.
The Bad:
It was not the easiest book to read and took a while. Certain facts were repeated more than once and I'd get annoyed because he had said it on the page before. I thought he went too in-detail on the heat, which ended up having one sentence that correlated it to Amy Archer. If I can recall correctly it was about I could understand a quick mention, but that seemed unnecessary. As a result, the story seemed a bit too drawn-out for my tastes.
If I had realized that the story was written the way it was, I would have skimmed over a lot of the book. I'd recommend to peruse the pages, but don't spend the time to actually try to read and understand the whole book.
The Good:
I read this after seeing a production of Arsenic and Old Lace and am inspired to read the play as well as see the movie. The book was very informative on Amy Archer-Gilligan and some of the inmates of the Archer House. It also was very good in its portrayal of Windsor and Connecticut. It was really interesting to read a book that is set in places one has been.
The Bad:
It was not the easiest book to read and took a while. Certain facts were repeated more than once and I'd get annoyed because he had said it on the page before. I thought he went too in-detail on the heat, which ended up having one sentence that correlated it to Amy Archer. If I can recall correctly it was about I could understand a quick mention, but that seemed unnecessary. As a result, the story seemed a bit too drawn-out for my tastes.
If I had realized that the story was written the way it was, I would have skimmed over a lot of the book. I'd recommend to peruse the pages, but don't spend the time to actually try to read and understand the whole book.
January 14, 2012
The Devil's Rooming House: The True Story of America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer. This is M. William Phelps true-crime book about Amy Archer-Gilligan, who ran one of the first private homes for the elderly in Windsor, CT. Its the real story on which the play, "Arsenic and Old Lace" was loosely based, although the play was a comedy.
The Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids was started by "Sister" Amy and her first husband James Archer, caring for inmates as she called them. They could pay a weekly rate, or pay a onetime fee and have lifetime care, including burial for $1000. They did quite well, and always had a waiting list. Unfortunately their turnover was much higher than anyone else, and eventually it caused them to be looked into for the unusually high number of deaths.
A very detailed account and look at the times, and multiple poisonings, including Amy's 2 husbands. She was accused of killing 5 and convicted of 1, but likely murdered around 66, mostly using arsenic.
The Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids was started by "Sister" Amy and her first husband James Archer, caring for inmates as she called them. They could pay a weekly rate, or pay a onetime fee and have lifetime care, including burial for $1000. They did quite well, and always had a waiting list. Unfortunately their turnover was much higher than anyone else, and eventually it caused them to be looked into for the unusually high number of deaths.
A very detailed account and look at the times, and multiple poisonings, including Amy's 2 husbands. She was accused of killing 5 and convicted of 1, but likely murdered around 66, mostly using arsenic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2018
This started out strong, but then the opening story went nowhere. Then the book rambled around building the case against Amy Archer-Gilligan in a very scattered, unfocused way; sometimes bringing in outside elements like the heat wave of 1911 that really did not have any discernible impact on the main story at all. Once we got to part three things became much more organized and the story progressed much better. On the whole the story is interesting and this could have been a much better book.
Popsugar Challenge 2018: True crime
Popsugar Challenge 2018: True crime
March 26, 2010
In this true story, Phelps goes back and uncovers the original serial murders that inspired the comedic play "Arsenic & Old Lace." It's a dark story, and interesting in its unfolding: over a period of years in the early 1900s, concerned citizens, newspapermen, and finally law enforcement realized that a small nursing home outside of Hartford, CN had an unusually high mortality rate.
When Amy Archer first opened her home for the elderly and invalid, it seemed like an excellent addition to the community and a wonderful resource. There were very few of what we now call nursing homes in existence at the time, and many embraced Archer's model wholeheartedly. Residents of the home would either pay a weekly fee (ranging from $7-15) or a lifetime feel of $1,000. Archer liked to attempt to push residents into the latter plan, because it provided a lump sum of money and often paid off if the resident died earlier than expected.
And that's exactly what got her in trouble. Lump sums are attractive, but what if you get $1,000 and then the person lives another twenty years? The only way to keep up a steady cash flow is to keep the turnover high...
As I said, this is a fascinating story, and Phelps handles aspects of it very well. Overall, though, it feels oddly paced; there are portions that seemed skimmed over, and other details that are lingered over with more thoroughness than is perhaps strictly necessary. For example, he spends a lot of time at the beginning of the novel discussion a particularly bad heatwave that plagued the East Coast during the time of the murders. It was interesting to read about, and I kept waiting for him to connect it to the main gist of the book, but to no avail. It felt like he either needed to pad out the book, or like he was going for a Devil in the White City kind of thing and failed.
It's not a bad read, but it doesn't quite transcend the "true crime" genre, classy cover or no.
When Amy Archer first opened her home for the elderly and invalid, it seemed like an excellent addition to the community and a wonderful resource. There were very few of what we now call nursing homes in existence at the time, and many embraced Archer's model wholeheartedly. Residents of the home would either pay a weekly fee (ranging from $7-15) or a lifetime feel of $1,000. Archer liked to attempt to push residents into the latter plan, because it provided a lump sum of money and often paid off if the resident died earlier than expected.
And that's exactly what got her in trouble. Lump sums are attractive, but what if you get $1,000 and then the person lives another twenty years? The only way to keep up a steady cash flow is to keep the turnover high...
As I said, this is a fascinating story, and Phelps handles aspects of it very well. Overall, though, it feels oddly paced; there are portions that seemed skimmed over, and other details that are lingered over with more thoroughness than is perhaps strictly necessary. For example, he spends a lot of time at the beginning of the novel discussion a particularly bad heatwave that plagued the East Coast during the time of the murders. It was interesting to read about, and I kept waiting for him to connect it to the main gist of the book, but to no avail. It felt like he either needed to pad out the book, or like he was going for a Devil in the White City kind of thing and failed.
It's not a bad read, but it doesn't quite transcend the "true crime" genre, classy cover or no.
May 30, 2010
Sister Amy Archer-Gilligan started an early version of a private nursing home, a retirement home, in the small Connecticut town of Windsor shortly after the beginning of the 20th century. Unfortunately, too many of her “inmates” died unexpectedly and Amy began to be suspected of taking their money and possessions and then poisoning them with arsenic rather than actually taking on that pesky task of caring for them. The old classic play and movie, Arsenic and Old Lace, is loosely based on the story. The Devil's Rooming House is an examination of the actual events.
The story is fascinating and I expected to really enjoy the book, but I'm afraid I was disappointed. The book seems to be disjointed and disorganized, jumping around in both place and time when those shifts do not add to the story. At the beginning, there was too much description of the heat wave that took many lives in that part of the country, even including a gruesome suicide that seemed to have no relevance to the rest of the story. Then we'd be back to the main story, thinking we were done with the heat wave. No, here it comes again. Throughout the book, there was irrelevant information included, and I got the feeling that the author, in his research, found interesting tidbits that he couldn't resist sharing with the reader. There was also too much repetition. There was also too much repetition. I wanted to know more about Amy but I never did get a feel for her. She was greedy and narcissistic, yes, but I don't feel like I got to know her other than superficially. There was more about some of the people investigating the case than there was about Amy.
The book included a section of photographs and documents that did add to the story. Mr. Phelps has written several other true-crime books and is not a novice, but this book let me down.
The story is fascinating and I expected to really enjoy the book, but I'm afraid I was disappointed. The book seems to be disjointed and disorganized, jumping around in both place and time when those shifts do not add to the story. At the beginning, there was too much description of the heat wave that took many lives in that part of the country, even including a gruesome suicide that seemed to have no relevance to the rest of the story. Then we'd be back to the main story, thinking we were done with the heat wave. No, here it comes again. Throughout the book, there was irrelevant information included, and I got the feeling that the author, in his research, found interesting tidbits that he couldn't resist sharing with the reader. There was also too much repetition. There was also too much repetition. I wanted to know more about Amy but I never did get a feel for her. She was greedy and narcissistic, yes, but I don't feel like I got to know her other than superficially. There was more about some of the people investigating the case than there was about Amy.
The book included a section of photographs and documents that did add to the story. Mr. Phelps has written several other true-crime books and is not a novice, but this book let me down.
February 5, 2017
I remember watching Arsenic and Old Lace years ago. I loved the wacky nephew who thought he was Teddy Roosevelt burying yellow fever victims in the basement. I had no idea it was based on a very real crime. Amy Archer was quite the prolific killer. She ran a home for the aged and infirmed in the early 1900's. Suspicions were raised by the fact that there were an alarming amount of deaths at the Archer home. Two of these were Amy's own husbands and some of the deaths were actually healthy before moving into the home. I felt kind of neutral about this book. It jumped around was hard to follow at times. The beginning felt more like the middle of the story, there was a lot of detail about the heat wave of 1911 and about Windsor Connecticut. But it had potential and there were sections that were pretty good. You certainly got a look into the mind of Amy. Faking a drug addiction, and managing to wriggle her way out of a date with the gallows by claiming insanity. She was so convincing that I'm sure there are still people who believe in her complete innocence. So while it wasn't the best it certainly wasn't the worst and I'd probably give this author another try.
November 24, 2014
I assume that people complaining about the author spending to much time talking about the heat wave didn't read the entire book. The book is 250 pages(not including the acknowledgements, end notes and index) and the last mentioning of the heat wave is page 63. I admit that I don't know why the heat wave is mentioned at all, but I wouldn't call it excessive. It had nothing to do with the story about Amy Archer-Gilligan. Besides that, the book was very good. I felt it was well written and didn't waste to much time on any one aspect of the story. The flow was good and easy to follow. As a lover of true crime and history this made for an interesting read for me. Didn't want to put it down a few nights. Overall.... Really good.
January 8, 2015
As a former resident of Windsor,CT I was especially interested in this book. Review to come. I hope. I'm procrastinating lately.
May 16, 2024
It’s always great when you’re reading a book that’s already pissed you off, but then it just drops a factually inaccurate bomb right into the middle of it that now makes you question everything else the author said.
First: Why, in the ever-loving FUCK, was so much time dedicated to the heat-wave of 1911 when it had almost NOTHING to do with Amy Archer Gilligan? Because my assumption was that all of this time and energy was being spent into cataloguing the heat-wave because it was, you know, relevant.
Surprise! It wasn’t. Not even a little.
This smells like a familiar tactic I see all the time in True Crime and Historical Nonfiction: The author, for whatever reason, feels like they have to pad out what would be a 100 page book to 250 by any means possible. It is a bad trend that needs to stop, because I am sick of an otherwise interesting story being derailed by unnecessary fluff.
Second: Author. Buddy. Napoleon did not die of arsenic poisoning. He died of stomach cancer exacerbated by stomach ulcers. Arsenic may have contributed to his death, which sounds bad…
…Until you realize just how prevalent arsenic was in cosmetics, medicine, and even textiles back in the day. There were a multitude of ways that a person could be casually (even VOLUNTARILY) exposed to arsenic back in the day, and the general belief nowadays is that Napoleon was NOT poisoned to death.
You can’t just drop bold statements like that into your nonfiction book without double-checking that you have your facts straight first.
Third: There is a way to indicate to me that Amy was lying to someone smoothly and professionally. The author does it in a snarky and unprofessional way that might have been less annoying to me if the rest of the book was perfect.
First: Why, in the ever-loving FUCK, was so much time dedicated to the heat-wave of 1911 when it had almost NOTHING to do with Amy Archer Gilligan? Because my assumption was that all of this time and energy was being spent into cataloguing the heat-wave because it was, you know, relevant.
Surprise! It wasn’t. Not even a little.
This smells like a familiar tactic I see all the time in True Crime and Historical Nonfiction: The author, for whatever reason, feels like they have to pad out what would be a 100 page book to 250 by any means possible. It is a bad trend that needs to stop, because I am sick of an otherwise interesting story being derailed by unnecessary fluff.
Second: Author. Buddy. Napoleon did not die of arsenic poisoning. He died of stomach cancer exacerbated by stomach ulcers. Arsenic may have contributed to his death, which sounds bad…
…Until you realize just how prevalent arsenic was in cosmetics, medicine, and even textiles back in the day. There were a multitude of ways that a person could be casually (even VOLUNTARILY) exposed to arsenic back in the day, and the general belief nowadays is that Napoleon was NOT poisoned to death.
You can’t just drop bold statements like that into your nonfiction book without double-checking that you have your facts straight first.
Third: There is a way to indicate to me that Amy was lying to someone smoothly and professionally. The author does it in a snarky and unprofessional way that might have been less annoying to me if the rest of the book was perfect.
August 27, 2017
An intriguing true crime story about a female serial killer who ran 1 of the U.S.'s first private aged care facilities. Unfortunately, her method of earning a regular income was to make beds available for new clients by poisoning the old ones. Dozens of them. A case so bizarre that it inspired the black comedy Broadway hit (& later Cary Grant film) Arsenic & Old Lace.
August 21, 2020
I always thought the movie Arsenic and Old Lace was just a cute comedy. Well......
April 12, 2022
This book has the potential to be so good but holy cow the beginning was terrrrrible. It rambled on about something that doesn’t even have anything to do with the plot??? Just too much nonsense had the potential to be good but just didn’t like it
Read
July 2, 2024I skipped all the bits about the heat wave because that information wasn't necessary, but the rest of the book was fine.
August 27, 2017
This book doesn't even begin to hit its stride until a third of the way through. While the latter part of the book is much more readable and relevant to the story at hand, you really have to grab the reader's attention right off the bat, and this book just doesn't do that.
The first part proceeds at a languid pace, with many repetitions of the supposed thought processes of reporter Carl Goslee. His tendency to see a thing through is noted over and over; his idea that he is onto something is likewise repeated; the oddities he’s noticing are pounded in through rote. It feels like filler, like an attempt to lengthen a book that doesn’t have enough data to make it book length. I read another historical true crime book like this recently, where there wasn’t enough information on the main case to make a book, so another incident or two was thrown in the mix to make it book-length. In this case, it’s a heat wave, which is picked over in detail every other chapter (in the previous book it was the life of Herman Melville and the Boston Fire).
What we learn about Amy Archer in the first third could have been condensed into a few pages if the repetition was removed. It’s about enough for a fine article. I was, frankly, so bored that I almost quit reading. Finally, things settled down and began to concentrate on the inmates at Archer's house, the timeline of poisonings, and the build-up of the case. There are still a few disconnected segments, and I would personally have preferred a clearer timeline of arsenic purchases versus deaths at the home and such - perhaps a graph.
It seems to be well researched, but I never connected with any of the characters, with the exception of one, to any great degree. Overall, it's okay, but not great.
The first part proceeds at a languid pace, with many repetitions of the supposed thought processes of reporter Carl Goslee. His tendency to see a thing through is noted over and over; his idea that he is onto something is likewise repeated; the oddities he’s noticing are pounded in through rote. It feels like filler, like an attempt to lengthen a book that doesn’t have enough data to make it book length. I read another historical true crime book like this recently, where there wasn’t enough information on the main case to make a book, so another incident or two was thrown in the mix to make it book-length. In this case, it’s a heat wave, which is picked over in detail every other chapter (in the previous book it was the life of Herman Melville and the Boston Fire).
What we learn about Amy Archer in the first third could have been condensed into a few pages if the repetition was removed. It’s about enough for a fine article. I was, frankly, so bored that I almost quit reading. Finally, things settled down and began to concentrate on the inmates at Archer's house, the timeline of poisonings, and the build-up of the case. There are still a few disconnected segments, and I would personally have preferred a clearer timeline of arsenic purchases versus deaths at the home and such - perhaps a graph.
It seems to be well researched, but I never connected with any of the characters, with the exception of one, to any great degree. Overall, it's okay, but not great.
July 28, 2025
I had never heard of this case, so it was interesting in that regard! The beginning had lots of pointless jumping around that served to confuse rather than intrigue the reader. It worked itself into a peak that fell a bit flat. I feel like I didn't hear enough about the after effects of anyone involved. There might not have been any sources to pull information from, so that may be why!
January 17, 2016
In January of 1941, Arsenic and Old Lace opens on Broadway at a time when the United States was preparing to enter WWII. The comedy of two kindly widows killing off borders seemed to be just what the country needed. The play has since gone on to endear itself into the hearts of theatre patrons for years. But, the sad fact is the tale is based on a gruesome serial killer in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1911, Carl Goslee, part-time reporter for the Hartford Courant, noticed a higher than average rate of deaths, six times the number of any other facility in the state, occurring at Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids. Even though the facility was run by a friend of his, Amy Archer, Goslle began digging around for the cause of this imbalance. What was eventually discovered was the fact that Amy, due to a life-time $1,000 contract with her inmates, needed a steady turn over of clients in order to remain financially sound. The answer? Kill off the inmates quickly. Over the course of three years, it appears that she she caused the deaths of over 50 people, in addition to two husbands, entrusting her with their care.
I LOVE Arsenic and Old Lace. That was the motivation for reading the book. The story is fascinating. In addition to the facts of the case, Phelps sheds light on the evolution of the nursing home industry, how the case changed laws regulating the industry, and the history of science used in murder investigations. All of that is quite intriguing. However, for the first quarter of the book Phelps gets distracted by alternating between a secondary story of the heat wave of 1911. There are some works where the two storylines work well like Devil in the White City, but here is detracts from the overall objective of the tale. If you decide to read it I recommend skimming the sections and chapters related to the killer heat wave and keep your focus on Amy's story. Finally, the reader has to put the tale into context of how mature murder investigation was at this point in order to appreciate the length it took to arrest Amy.
There was one fascinating observation by Phelps, "It was three years before the 19th Amendment to the Constitution would be signed into law, giving women in the United States the right to vote, and here was this strange little woman with large ears and a boxer's pushed-in nose-now frail and beaten down by jail time, surely on the verge of mental collapse, accused of being a serial murderer-inspiring change in the laws of Connecticut." (pg 204)
I LOVE Arsenic and Old Lace. That was the motivation for reading the book. The story is fascinating. In addition to the facts of the case, Phelps sheds light on the evolution of the nursing home industry, how the case changed laws regulating the industry, and the history of science used in murder investigations. All of that is quite intriguing. However, for the first quarter of the book Phelps gets distracted by alternating between a secondary story of the heat wave of 1911. There are some works where the two storylines work well like Devil in the White City, but here is detracts from the overall objective of the tale. If you decide to read it I recommend skimming the sections and chapters related to the killer heat wave and keep your focus on Amy's story. Finally, the reader has to put the tale into context of how mature murder investigation was at this point in order to appreciate the length it took to arrest Amy.
There was one fascinating observation by Phelps, "It was three years before the 19th Amendment to the Constitution would be signed into law, giving women in the United States the right to vote, and here was this strange little woman with large ears and a boxer's pushed-in nose-now frail and beaten down by jail time, surely on the verge of mental collapse, accused of being a serial murderer-inspiring change in the laws of Connecticut." (pg 204)
May 21, 2010
This is the story of Amy Archer-Gilligan, aka, Sister Amy, the turn-of-the-century "nurse" who made a career of taking in the elderly for "life care," then shortening those lives precipitously. Hers is the story upon which "Arsenic and Old Lace" is based, although unfortunately the reality is much less amusing.
I didn't feel like there was enough to the story to justify the length of this book, although as far as true-crime reporting goes, Phelps really did an excellent job. There were only a few times when I wanted to say "Okay, get on with it already!" which seems to be a common fault of non-fiction authors who have invested so much in their research that they hate to leave anything out. There were also some random but interesting tangents on life in New England in the early 1900s. Also, if you're into forensics, you'd probably find this to be a fun read.
So, I liked it, and I read it quickly, but unless this is really your cup of tea, I'd still give it a weak three stars. Oh, and I'd like to submit for your consideration my contention that Amy Archer-Gilligan should not really be classified as a serial killer. To me, (based on many episodes of Medium, Bones, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, and others), a serial killer is a sociopath who kills solely for the pleasure of killing. You wouldn't call Henry VIII a serial killer; he had a compelling reason to kill the wives he did. The same is true of Amy. She wasn't killing for fun, she was killing them because it was her only means of freeing up beds and making more money. So, I find the subtitle of "America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer" to be slightly misleading.
Although, in fairness to Phelps, he does classify Amy as a "narcissistic sociopath" which makes more sense when you see her reaction to being caught. Unlike a normal person, who was killing only for greed, she doesn't accept defeat. She continues to deny and manipulate til her dying day (which, unfortunately, did not come as a result of arsenical poisoning). So, probably not as morbidly entertaining as the subtitle promises, but what the heroine lacks in style she makes up for in quantity. She gets credit for somewhere between 40 and 60 deaths, which is, I'm pretty sure, more bodies than the Brewster sisters had buried in the basement.
I didn't feel like there was enough to the story to justify the length of this book, although as far as true-crime reporting goes, Phelps really did an excellent job. There were only a few times when I wanted to say "Okay, get on with it already!" which seems to be a common fault of non-fiction authors who have invested so much in their research that they hate to leave anything out. There were also some random but interesting tangents on life in New England in the early 1900s. Also, if you're into forensics, you'd probably find this to be a fun read.
So, I liked it, and I read it quickly, but unless this is really your cup of tea, I'd still give it a weak three stars. Oh, and I'd like to submit for your consideration my contention that Amy Archer-Gilligan should not really be classified as a serial killer. To me, (based on many episodes of Medium, Bones, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, and others), a serial killer is a sociopath who kills solely for the pleasure of killing. You wouldn't call Henry VIII a serial killer; he had a compelling reason to kill the wives he did. The same is true of Amy. She wasn't killing for fun, she was killing them because it was her only means of freeing up beds and making more money. So, I find the subtitle of "America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer" to be slightly misleading.
Although, in fairness to Phelps, he does classify Amy as a "narcissistic sociopath" which makes more sense when you see her reaction to being caught. Unlike a normal person, who was killing only for greed, she doesn't accept defeat. She continues to deny and manipulate til her dying day (which, unfortunately, did not come as a result of arsenical poisoning). So, probably not as morbidly entertaining as the subtitle promises, but what the heroine lacks in style she makes up for in quantity. She gets credit for somewhere between 40 and 60 deaths, which is, I'm pretty sure, more bodies than the Brewster sisters had buried in the basement.
August 9, 2010
‘They come and go, one after another.’
The Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids was opened by Amy and James Archer in 1907, in Windsor, Connecticut. They offered ‘life care for $1000’ or weekly rates of between $7 and $25 for food, shelter and medical care. This early experiment in nursing home care proved deadly to a number of inmates as well as to James Archer and to Amy’s second husband, Michael Gilligan.
Amy Archer-Gilligan is considered to be America’s deadliest female serial killer, and this book chronicles her life and times. Between 1908 and 1916, Amy Archer-Gilligan murdered at least 22 people and possibly as many as 66. How did she do it, and why? It seems that her usual method was to serve inmates a lethal mixture of lemonade and arsenic, and that her motivation was to create inmate turnover in order to make money. These crimes may have gone undiscovered except for the observations of a reporter for the Hartford Courant, Carlan Goslee, who noticed that an awfully large number of people were dying at the Archer Home.
Mr Phelps researched this book over a period of six years and has drawn on a number of different sources including letters, death certificates, autopsy reports, and trial transcripts. I was surprised to learn both that this is apparently the first dedicated account of these crimes, and that these crimes inspired the play and film ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’. I found this account of Amy Archer-Gilligan’s life and crimes interesting but was less convinced about the relevance of the detailed account of the July 1911 heatwave.
Amy Archer-Gilligan died in 1962, aged about 89 years, in a Connecticut state institution.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids was opened by Amy and James Archer in 1907, in Windsor, Connecticut. They offered ‘life care for $1000’ or weekly rates of between $7 and $25 for food, shelter and medical care. This early experiment in nursing home care proved deadly to a number of inmates as well as to James Archer and to Amy’s second husband, Michael Gilligan.
Amy Archer-Gilligan is considered to be America’s deadliest female serial killer, and this book chronicles her life and times. Between 1908 and 1916, Amy Archer-Gilligan murdered at least 22 people and possibly as many as 66. How did she do it, and why? It seems that her usual method was to serve inmates a lethal mixture of lemonade and arsenic, and that her motivation was to create inmate turnover in order to make money. These crimes may have gone undiscovered except for the observations of a reporter for the Hartford Courant, Carlan Goslee, who noticed that an awfully large number of people were dying at the Archer Home.
Mr Phelps researched this book over a period of six years and has drawn on a number of different sources including letters, death certificates, autopsy reports, and trial transcripts. I was surprised to learn both that this is apparently the first dedicated account of these crimes, and that these crimes inspired the play and film ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’. I found this account of Amy Archer-Gilligan’s life and crimes interesting but was less convinced about the relevance of the detailed account of the July 1911 heatwave.
Amy Archer-Gilligan died in 1962, aged about 89 years, in a Connecticut state institution.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
March 1, 2016
Scenario: It's 1913. You are 88 years old with no family to look after you. You are in need of a place to live so you check yourself into the Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids. You meet the proprietor, Sister Amy and after a brief tour of the home, you decide that it will be a nice place to spend the rest of your life. You sign one of Sister Amy's life contracts, basically giving her $1,000 dollars to care for you until the end of your days. Things seem to be working out well. Then, 2 weeks later, you start to get a nagging cough. Sister Amy decides that you need a special meal to help you get better. You eat a nice dinner cooked especially for you by Amy herself and sit down to enjoy it. After retiring to your room that night, you awake a few hours later with horrendous pains in your stomach. Then you start vomiting profusely all over yourself. Another resident quickly fetches Sister Amy who sits by your side as these pains come and go. She claims that you have eaten too much food at dinner and that a glass of lemonade would make you feel better. And at first it does. The burning in your throat has subsided somewhat and you are able to catch a few deep breaths of air. Sister Amy checks on you throughout the day, always bringing a fresh glass of lemonade. But that evening, things take a turn for the worse. You can't take a deep breath, you can't get comfortable. You are sure that you are dying. And late that night, you do. Within the hour, the undertaker arrives and your body is taken away and embalmed by the next morning. By the next day, a new resident has been moved to your former bed, signing a life contract with the wonderful Sister Amy. And so they go, one after another.
April 26, 2015
Content warnings: use of the g**** slur, death, slightly graphic descriptions of arsenic poisoning.
So the first 70 or so pages of this book felt like they had next to nothing to do with the story. At least 50 of them were spent talking about the heatwave. Which could have been condensed to one chapter and noting that none of the inmates were dead because of it. I see what other people mean when they say that Phelps went on too much about the heatwave.
Once we got past the heatwave and into everyone dying and the investigation getting under way, the book actually kind of got interesting. Unfortunately for Phelps, his writing needs some better editing because it was dry and at times that it didn't need to be felt a little too clinical (I understand being more clinical when talking about the trial and what the doctors were saying but outside of that...).
I also felt that some of his footnotes were really unnecessary especially since he basically has all the information from his research into the back of the book so people can look up his sources.
I feel that had a different writer written this, that it COULD have had the potential to have been a LOT better and more engrossing. Like I wanted to finish it just to finish it and that's never a good mindset for me to be in when reading a book. Because it means I'm not enjoying it much and am having issues focusing on it.
Decent story, shows the origins of the play/movie Arsenic and Old Lace but kind of boring and dry. I've read wikipedia articles that were more engrossing about history of how wars started and how x person got into power in x country.
So the first 70 or so pages of this book felt like they had next to nothing to do with the story. At least 50 of them were spent talking about the heatwave. Which could have been condensed to one chapter and noting that none of the inmates were dead because of it. I see what other people mean when they say that Phelps went on too much about the heatwave.
Once we got past the heatwave and into everyone dying and the investigation getting under way, the book actually kind of got interesting. Unfortunately for Phelps, his writing needs some better editing because it was dry and at times that it didn't need to be felt a little too clinical (I understand being more clinical when talking about the trial and what the doctors were saying but outside of that...).
I also felt that some of his footnotes were really unnecessary especially since he basically has all the information from his research into the back of the book so people can look up his sources.
I feel that had a different writer written this, that it COULD have had the potential to have been a LOT better and more engrossing. Like I wanted to finish it just to finish it and that's never a good mindset for me to be in when reading a book. Because it means I'm not enjoying it much and am having issues focusing on it.
Decent story, shows the origins of the play/movie Arsenic and Old Lace but kind of boring and dry. I've read wikipedia articles that were more engrossing about history of how wars started and how x person got into power in x country.
May 25, 2010
America's deadliest female serial killer performed her deeds a century ago. As with most of such murderers, Amy Archer Gilligan, proprietor of a home for the aged in Windsor, CT, projected a benign image of generosity and good citizenship. And, as with many woman who kill, she used poison as her weapon of choice. Gilligan was formally accused of five murders, but tried and convicted for only one. In all likelihood, she was responsible for more than forty deaths in her nursing home.
M. William Phelps, whose forte lies in his outstanding investigative and research skills, has unearthed all of the evidence that is currently available, and for the first time, presented it in book form. As Gilligan's story formed the nucleus of the ever popular "Arsenic and Old Lace", it's more than surprising that it hasn't been done before now. Phelps sets the stage for the real life drama by recording details of life in turn of the century Connecticut, and shines a spotlight not merely on Amy but also on the individuals - reporters, attorneys, physicians, druggists - who, over the course of five or so years, slowly discovered the truth underlying vague but persistent rumors that something was not quite right at the Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids.
Investigative journalism and forensic studies have been around for much longer than the television programs that now celebrate them. In his concluding chapters, Phelps also discusses the ethics of creating comedy and humor from the tragedies of others. This is a fascinating account well worth reading.
M. William Phelps, whose forte lies in his outstanding investigative and research skills, has unearthed all of the evidence that is currently available, and for the first time, presented it in book form. As Gilligan's story formed the nucleus of the ever popular "Arsenic and Old Lace", it's more than surprising that it hasn't been done before now. Phelps sets the stage for the real life drama by recording details of life in turn of the century Connecticut, and shines a spotlight not merely on Amy but also on the individuals - reporters, attorneys, physicians, druggists - who, over the course of five or so years, slowly discovered the truth underlying vague but persistent rumors that something was not quite right at the Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids.
Investigative journalism and forensic studies have been around for much longer than the television programs that now celebrate them. In his concluding chapters, Phelps also discusses the ethics of creating comedy and humor from the tragedies of others. This is a fascinating account well worth reading.
May 15, 2011
Not to repeat the info already in the subtitle and book description, I’ll start by saying I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of true crime histories, AND history itself, then it’s worth the read. The history of the world around these lives unfolding was included, and served as good metaphors to the lives of Amy Archer-Gilligan and her victims. Many found this “jumping around” distracting; and for that I have to take a star if I’m honestly suggesting the book to others. For many readers it might “twist brain” a little. Some will not mind, and rather relish in the history, and I am the latter. Those who crave history in general won’t see sub-discussions as an interruption, but an opportunity to place the world around these events.
From a psychological standpoint it was very interesting to me to go through Amy’s habits, ease of lying while so very bad at it, and the coldness to the very end – never letting on an emotion until it were to save her neck.
The book does introduce the works that spring from this history; a play and later a movie, “Arsenic and Old Lace.” After the book, I’m not really interested in the comedic offspring; however, it was very popular and is still loved by many.
This investigation was huge, well handled in its day, and by Phelps was all brought together here in completeness, which is very satisfying as an education of this serial killer, while also plainly described by Phelps to be a read that needed smoothing out –for which he credited the help of Melissa Hayes and other editors.
From a psychological standpoint it was very interesting to me to go through Amy’s habits, ease of lying while so very bad at it, and the coldness to the very end – never letting on an emotion until it were to save her neck.
The book does introduce the works that spring from this history; a play and later a movie, “Arsenic and Old Lace.” After the book, I’m not really interested in the comedic offspring; however, it was very popular and is still loved by many.
This investigation was huge, well handled in its day, and by Phelps was all brought together here in completeness, which is very satisfying as an education of this serial killer, while also plainly described by Phelps to be a read that needed smoothing out –for which he credited the help of Melissa Hayes and other editors.
April 26, 2010
This book was an interesting true crime tale set in Hartford in the early 1900's. A deadly heatwave was moving across the united states, causing many to perish. At the same time, Amy Archer and her husband open a home for the elderly and chronic invalids, and become one of the first private homes to offer senior care in the united states. Depending on your circumstances, you could either pay weekly, or for the flat rate of $1,000 you could pay for a lifetime of care and stay at the home until your death. But to Amy Archer, your death could not come soon enough, and she would need to free up beds in order to attract new paying customers. With a tonic made of arsenic and lemonade, your next drink could be your last.
A reporter at the Hartford Courant started noticing that the deaths occuring at the home far outnumbered those at other homes in the area, and relatives were beginning to question how they could visit a healthy person one day and they could expire so suddenly the next. And why does Amy Archer send the corpse away in the wee hours of the night and have them embalmed so quickly?
This is the true story that inspired the Broadway play Arsenic and Old Lace and what a story it is! Quite interesting.
A reporter at the Hartford Courant started noticing that the deaths occuring at the home far outnumbered those at other homes in the area, and relatives were beginning to question how they could visit a healthy person one day and they could expire so suddenly the next. And why does Amy Archer send the corpse away in the wee hours of the night and have them embalmed so quickly?
This is the true story that inspired the Broadway play Arsenic and Old Lace and what a story it is! Quite interesting.
October 26, 2021
1.5 stars
this book was so dry, and couple that with it being sort of disorganized, it was almost a painful read at times. and i don't mean stomach cramps from arsenic either.
Phelps attempts to pull an Erik Larson with this book by weaving in some historical events of the time - now, full disclosure, i am in the minority in that i find Larson's books to also be rather sluggish, but in his case, i see where he is going. this angle doesn't work here - the information on the heatwave of 1911, while actually more interesting to me than anything Amy Archer-Gilligan was up to (at least in this book), had no connection to the murders. in fact the book never even touched on the heatwave and how things unfolded at the Archer home (did anyone there die of heatstroke? did it make Amy more murderous? i have no idea because those topics were never touched on.
then there was the random side-story of the train accident that we never heard about again?
I don't know if Phelps just couldn't find enough information to fill a book, but all the extra information just made me feel confused and disjointed about the timeline of Archer-Gilligan's life and the murders. I wouldn't recommend this one.
this book was so dry, and couple that with it being sort of disorganized, it was almost a painful read at times. and i don't mean stomach cramps from arsenic either.
Phelps attempts to pull an Erik Larson with this book by weaving in some historical events of the time - now, full disclosure, i am in the minority in that i find Larson's books to also be rather sluggish, but in his case, i see where he is going. this angle doesn't work here - the information on the heatwave of 1911, while actually more interesting to me than anything Amy Archer-Gilligan was up to (at least in this book), had no connection to the murders. in fact the book never even touched on the heatwave and how things unfolded at the Archer home (did anyone there die of heatstroke? did it make Amy more murderous? i have no idea because those topics were never touched on.
then there was the random side-story of the train accident that we never heard about again?
I don't know if Phelps just couldn't find enough information to fill a book, but all the extra information just made me feel confused and disjointed about the timeline of Archer-Gilligan's life and the murders. I wouldn't recommend this one.
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