This book just wasn’t for me. Even though the story is dark and graphic, it moved extremely slow for me. I couldn’t really get into any of the characters either. It wasn’t what I was expecting.

In the Garden of Spite was a bit of a drag trying to get into, and it's certainly a beast in itself to finish in terms of text length, but it was well worth the time spent making my way through it. It's not so often that such a believable female killer is portrayed in fiction, and I believe Bruce has succeeded in that. In equal turns dark and intriguing, I see this being a big hit for mystery/suspense readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Press for this free eARC of In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce. First, I had not heard of Belle Gunness, The Black Widow of LaPorte. Even in my amateur interest of true crime stories., I had not come across her infamous killings. Her story is pretty fascinating, and while fictionalized, In the Garden of Spite felt very true to life. It is certainly not for the faint of heart, especially as she began to ramp up in her number of victims. I found the story to wander at times, and think it could have been condensed without losing the sense of Belle and her depravity.

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.

My review is scheduled to post to my blog, Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook accounts on 1/12/21. With reviews on retail sites such as Amazon and Barnes&Noble occurring on publication day.

So I totally loved In the Garden of Spite. Belle Gunness is vengeful, crazy, lascivious, and shameless. She becomes pregnant after trusting the farmer's son. Her reputation and life is ruined when he rejects her. He gets angry and kicks the baby out. She buries it and plans revenge. She poisons and kills him. Determined to never let another man betray her and take what is hers, she leads a life of luring men into her life, taking the rough sex she wants, convincing them to marry her and leave all their money to her and then she kills them.

Historical Fiction Early, 1900's, Based on a true life tales of a murdering woman who was never captured and convicted.

Her arrogance and strength remind me of Scarlet O'Hara. Her psychotic belief she is right and just reminds me The Tell Tale Heart in her justification of not being mad, but smart.

The hate she carries is so intense, is she crazy?, So much is over the top....She even kills off a couple of her adopted kids.

Her partner in crime is a man named James Lee who reminds me of Rhett Butler in his cool calm demeanor and how well he sees through her. In the end they ride off together and she says coyly "aren't you afraid I'll kill you off in your sleep?" and he smiles and says something like "That my darling is part of your charming attraction."

This book is gruesome at times and can be hard to swallow for some, but I loved it.

Thank you to Berkley & Netgalley for a free copy coming out 1/19/21
•
I really enjoyed this book. When I read the premise, I knew this was something I would want to read. A female serial killer? Yes please.
•
Enjoyed: The ruthlessness of our main character. She didn’t spare anyone. Her relationship with her sister was rocky, but well written. Belle was so sinister that every time she spoke to someone, I was on eggshells. The authors note explained that this is loosely based on the life of Belle, letters, some articles, etc. But the author’s note was really informative!
•
Didn’t enjoy: Length. As I have said many times, I’m not against long books. But I loathe when a story drags for the sake of length. This one def dragged for a bit in the middle and was repetitive.
•
TW: gory deaths, forced abortion, death of children
•

I received a digital advanced reading copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story was great and is the first book I’ve finished in a few weeks. This fictional retelling of the story of Belle Gunness brings to life a bizarre and grisly woman. I thought this novel was well-paced, the characters were developed well, and the plot was wild. I would recommend to historical fiction and crime fans alike.

A young woman flees Norway after a brutal attack leaves her traumatized and eventually leads her to become a serial killer. Nellie, the older sister married and living in America is all too happy to take in her much younger sister Belle and offer her a fresh start away from Norway. Belle seems happy at first with her work in the church and marriage to a kind man who provides her with a good life. Soon spending money on fine things but not being able to have children leaves her feeling bored and jealous of other families including her sister's. It is as if a switch has flipped and Belle soon learns to take what she wants both children and lovers. Once Belle kills the first time it awakens her bloodlust and she begins to kill anyone who gets in her way. She collects men and discards them when they fail to live up to her expectations. This is historical fiction that is based on a true story combining the Scandinavian immigrant experience in the midwest with a Lizzie Borden - type psychopath. Fans of Erik Larson's DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY or true crime serial killers will dive into this. I especially enjoyed the grisly background information found in the author's notes. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Belle Gunness was a Norwegian immigrant who came to America with several killings on her tally and proceeded to grow that list like a boss. Camilla Bruce's novel adds fictional characters to Belle's story not in a way to sensationalize her, but rather to help us understand her a little.

I was grateful for the addition of her sister Nellie to the novel because she humanizes Belle and offers someone who knows her ways and what she might be up to. Belle is a complete social climber who has a long way to go if she hopes to reach the middle class in late 19th century Chicago. She uses most of her victims as away up that social ladder but the climb is tough, as Belle is strange and a little scary. So, around her, she gathers an ever changing roster of children to soften her image. Will the children fall victim to Belle or do they leave of their own accord?

"In the Garden of Spite" is like chewing on bitter jerky. It's a long book and it's always a relief when Nellie appears to give us the POV of a normal person. But Belle is also her sister--will that tie make it impossible for her to share what she learns? Keep reading.

Thanks to Berkley publishing and Netgalley for granting access to this title.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader

Hear my warning: this book is deeply disturbing. The opening chapters are very graphic in description and for me, that was very jarring. The book is incredibly well written but terribly graphic and descriptive - I did have a hard time reading this one (and I LOVE true crime).

While I would recommend this one, I would recommend you approach it with a clear mind and caution. This will be too much for some people.

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.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

You do not want to cross Bella! She is vindictive, vengeful and downright spiteful. Historical fiction at its finest with the feel of a modern thriller. No one escapes Bella when she's been crossed. Highly recommend to both historical fiction fans and thriller seekers alike.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

While I usually love reading about true crime and serial killers, this book was just ok for me. It was well written and certainly interesting but just isn't what I consider a great book. There were definitely some grisly and disturbing moments but overall not as shocking or horrifying as I expected.

I got about 24 percent in according to my a Kindle and just quit. I couldn’t get into the characters, I didn’t like any of them and I didn’t particularly want to fund out what happened, there wasn’t any sort of story line that drew me in. Not for me.

I cannot deny that this book is well written. However, I could not get past the opening chapters because of some of the content and descriptions that I found deeply unsettling. The opening chapters features a young girl who is beaten so that she is forced to lose her baby. She proceeds to bury the baby and later refers to it as a "slab of flesh" and "slick meat" that she compares to the meat she handles when butchering animals. The graphic nature of these scenes made me really uncomfortable and I chose not to continue reading.

I normally have no problems reading horror or true crime books. This story though....oh boy I grew up in the Midwest so had heard of Belle Gunness before but the author has really done an amazing job at taking what little is known about her and crafting a backstory and creating one of the most evil characters I have read in awhile. I had to pace myself with this one because despite her tragic past, Belle is one cutthroat lady. I know Nellie's POV is supposed to remind us of everything Little Brynhild had been through and what motivates her but oof...Belle is a tough pill to swallow. This is a dark read but a page-turner for sure.
Many thanks to Berkley & Netgalley for the ARC and subsequent nightmares that resulted from this book.

This is the story of Belle Gunness. A women who has been wronged and sets out to wrong men in return. Good pacing and plot show us how she became a serial killer in the late 1800's into the early 1900's. As I love all things horror I was surprised I didn't know the main character was a real person. The story is fictionalized of course but reads almost like historical biography. Excellent read I couldn't put down. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I’m afraid this just wasn’t my cup of tea. The plot and characters just didn’t catch my interests. I did give it several attempts.

A throughly creepy story based on a true character, Belle Gunnes. An emigrant from Norway at the turn of the last century who turned out to be a serial killer. The story is both fascinating and horrifying. a real page turner.