First of all, thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy of this book.
The beginning of this book hooked me from the start. How and why would someone take dead bodies on a train in their luggage?
The writing was easy to follow and kept my attention. I had no idea that this story was based on true events. The story was so crazy that it had to be true. The ending was shocking. A very captivating read.

When two stinking trunks make their way to Union station, the porters have no idea what they contain. Only that they are bleeding and that the stench is overpowering. Mrs Ruth Judd claims that the trunks contain books belonging to her husband, Dr Judd. But she doesn’t have the key to the trunks. When the trunks are opened, they are found to contain the bodies of Agnes Anne LeRoi and Hedvig (Sammy) Samuelson. Now Ruth is on the run, declared a fugitive and wanted for the murders of the two women.

But who is Ruth? Married to a much older man, who she addresses as Doctor throughout their marriage, Ruth is swept into an affair with Jack Halloran, the neighbour of the Fords, in whose household she serves as a nanny. At the same time, she befriends Anne and Sammy, and the three women help each other through challenges.

But as the heat rises in Phoenix, Arizona, we see passions get inflamed, until the time comes when confrontation becomes inevitable, leaving the police to probe the question of how Ruth came to be responsible for the murders of two of her closest friends who she loved?

The greater part of the book is set around the late 1920s and 1930s. the past tense omniscient narrative is interspersed with newspaper stories and Ruth’s first person past tense account. Ruth’s account takes us back to 1923, when she is a young girl, slowly leading up to the present.

I was drawn to the book from the very first paragraph when the trunks are found. Soon we meet Ruth and know that she is responsible for this. The mystery lies in why she killed her two dearest friends. What follows is an intense story of passion and intrigue, as the police attempt to piece together the puzzle. This is the early 1930s, so a lot of the forensic technology and techniques available today are not in place.

The period comes with its own challenges, when tuberculosis could kill you. We learn about the challenges that Ruth faces, her tuberculosis, her husband’s opioid addiction, her loneliness, among other things. We learn also about the circumstances that people faced in that time, with the Depression looming large, the challenges faced by single women, the outlawing of homosexuality. In 1927, Ruth says, “people were still spending money like mad then,” reminding us that the Great Depression is still in the future.

The weather in Phoenix is as powerful as a character, influencing and driving Ruth on. The weather, combined with her loneliness, her struggle between choosing her own happiness with Jack and worrying about her lack of faithfulness to her husband (she is, after all, a pastor’s daughter), her dependence on substances to tackle the challenges she faces and her failing mental health (the illness runs in the family; her mother is eventually institutionalized too), all egg her on to make dubious choices.

The author pulls off the unimaginable, helping us to see the murderess as a flawed human. Despite the gory nature of the crime, the author treats it in a manner that is neither prurient nor base. I couldn’t help feeling an inexplicable feeling of compassion for Ruth as she slowly loses her mind. Ruth herself describes it as a ‘wire running through her.’

The crime may inspire revulsion, but Ruth’s story demands attention. Through flashbacks, we get to know how Ruth, Anne and Sammy become friends. We see the exact moment at which the situation changes for Ruth, hurtling her and the others to their inevitable fate.

Ultimately, the Murderess is one of us, like us. The book reminds us, as it did the staff at the matrons in the prison, how close we may be to having our own wires stretched too taut. It reminds us that there is a very thin line between mental health and mental illness.

Laurie Potato never fails in her writing. I love her humor. I was introduced to her through it. Her serious stories never fail. The Murderess is such an interesting character. She seems so innocent. Her marriage is bizarre. She has no empathy. Thank you, NetGalley and Laurie for a fascinating book.

In October 1931, Winnie Ruth Judd arrives at the Los Angeles train station from Phoenix,. Her shipping trunks catch the attention of a suspicious porter. A ghastly discovery was made when opened. The trunks held human remains. Ruth flees and soon there is a manhunt to find her. Suspicion is also focused on her husband, a practicing physician in Los Angeles. Where is Ruth and why is she traveling with the remains of her two dearest friends? How could a twenty-six-year-old reverend’s daughter and doctor’s wife—petite, pretty, well educated, and poised—commit such a heinous act. The story goes back and forth in time letting the reader know what happened, at least what happened as Ruth saw it. A gripping true-crime fiction story of jealousy, drug addiction, insanity, and rage. With a mystery at its core, the pages kept turning, but a bit on the depressing side. Thank you to Little A and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

*The Murderess* by Laurie Notaro is a gripping, thought-provoking dive into one of the most sensational true-crime stories of the 20th century. Set in October 1931, the novel follows the shocking case of Winnie Ruth Judd, dubbed the "Trunk Murderess," whose arrival at the Los Angeles train station with two dismembered bodies hidden in her trunks sends shockwaves through the nation. The gruesome discovery and the subsequent search for Ruth, who mysteriously disappears into the crowd, quickly capture public attention, making her a headline sensation.

Notaro expertly weaves the facts of the case with a fictionalized narrative that delves deep into Ruth’s complex and tragic life. As the story unfolds, the reader is drawn into a tangled web of jealousy, addiction, rage, and the dark choices that led to the brutal murders of Ruth’s two friends. The novel explores how Ruth—once a poised, well-educated reverend’s daughter and doctor’s wife—became capable of such a horrific act, leaving behind a trail of questions that no one could answer at the time.

What makes *The Murderess* stand out is Notaro’s ability to humanize Ruth without excusing her actions. The novel paints a portrait of a woman trapped by her circumstances, struggling with addiction, mental illness, and a desperate need for control. As the trial’s twists unfold, the reader is left questioning what drove Ruth to such extremes—and whether anyone could have prevented her tragic fall from grace. This book is a haunting and tragic exploration of a woman’s unraveling, and Notaro’s meticulous research combined with her compelling storytelling creates a narrative that keeps readers on edge. *The Murderess* will stay with you long after you turn the last page, leaving you to ponder the true nature of Ruth’s crime and the mysteries that still surround her.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

I was almost certain I downloaded this ebook ARC but unfortunately the book has now been archived. Sadly, I will not be giving feedback because of this reason.

A young preacher's daughter marries a doctor much older than her. She's sweet, pretty and very likeable
However, you can tell things aren't quite right with her mentally and this is her story about why she murdered her two very best friends. I found this book hard to separate fact from fiction, and it truly messes with your mind. At the end of the book, I still don't know what happened because the two confessions she gave contradict each other. This was an "OK" read, I just don't think it ever gives the real truth.

I get what this book was trying to give but maybe i just didn’t vibe enough with it? I feel very confused — i don’t want to say it had nothing to give but also what did it give?

I have reads this authors books of hysterical essays but this is my first nonfictional account of a true crime. This character Ruth Judd was not on my radar. I had never heard of her or her crime.
The book was well researched and well written. It was a bit slow in spots but I throughly enjoyed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a honest opinion.
3.5⭐️

Winnie Ruth Judd appears on a train station in Los Angeles with two incredibly heavy chests. The station attendants take them into their office when the chests aren't claimed - but as time ticks on strange substances begin to ooze from them. And the smell! Ruth finally appears with her brother to claim the luggage which contains 'her husband's medical texts and instrument'.

Um. No they don't. Inside are two bodies - one dismembered. Annie Le Roi and 'Sammy' Samuelson.

The Murderess is based on the true story of Winnie Ruth Judd, but the author is clear in stating it is a work of fiction. She has used the materials available about the murder case to fabric a narrative of what might have happened.

Ruth is married to 'Doctor' - as she calls her husband - and has spent much of her early years in Mexico with him. He is an opium addict - most probably suffering from PTSD - and they have to continually move as he lapses in and out of addiction. Ruth herself also suffers from TB and spends some time in hospital.

After escaping the revolution in Mexico, it is decided that Ruth should spend some time in a more arid climate and she finds herself in Phoenix, Arizona. Here she gets a job at a medical clinic where she meets Annie and Sammy and quickly forms a fast friendship with them.

However, she is wooed by a DODGY character - O'Halloran - who takes her down a dangerous road of drinking and drugs. Ending in the murder of her two best friends.

The novel is written both in third person narrative and from Ruth's point of view. We travel with her as she tries to evade police and throughout her time in the Arizona State Hospital for the Insane where she is incarcerated after being found insane. She escapes five times, she opens a beauty salon at the hospital that becomes famous throughout Phoenix, she helps raise the children of the addicts and prostitutes who are spending time inside with her.

But what is very clear is the Ruth is very ill. In the years to come she is diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Whilst the story is interesting, the emphasis on Ruth's mental health seems to be overlooked. We know that she 'believes' she has given birth to a child who is taken from her and obviously has a psychotic break when she commits the murders (her guilt is never in question), but the impact this has had on her life is not given the attention it should. I think the author has been torn between writing a true crime book, and writing a piece of fiction.

Don't get me wrong - it was a fine read. And it did make me go and look up the case. But I lost interest about half-way through.

The story opens with a bang: bags are offloaded from a train and the porters are keen to find the owner, as they smell awful and are leaking a rather disconcerting fluid. Winnie Ruth Judd (who goes by Ruth throughout the story) arrives with her brother to claim them, but when the porters insist on opening them, she claims not to have the key and bolts. Once the trunks and satchel are opened, the grisly contents are displayed: two human bodies, one dismembered to fit better. Thus kicks off a manhunt, and a search into who the deceased women are, and what, exactly, happened.

The writing in the beginning is very descriptive and easily lured me in. I just wanted to keep reading! The chapters shift perspective, weaving between Ruth and Anne and Sammy (the victims) as well as settling over Jack Halloran briefly and even going third person. It’s historical fiction—it opens October 19, 1931–and it also uses snippets from real news articles and letters to pad out the text in places.

The characters are certainly flawed; it seemed like almost everyone in the book drank and did copious amounts of drugs. I found it easier to be more sympathetic toward Ruth's husband "Doctor" for his drug addiction given he was injured in the war rather than when she spiralled. I don’t know how to feel about the murders; even if Sammy and Anne behaved poorly, nothing can justify killing them and chopping Sammy up like meat.

Either way, it was an interesting book, and a gripping one. Really puts about all the negative tendencies of humanity on display and shows just how violent and reactive people can be when they feel wronged. Kind of wild to think how infamous this must have been at the time but how it’s since mostly faded away from the public consciousness.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my…what a story! A murder mystery that may not really be a mystery. It starts with a lovely young woman in a train station with some really heavy trunks that are leaking some strange liquid and have a nauseating stink. The mutilated bodies of 2 women are found in those trunks and the obvious suspect is Winnie Ruth Judd, that same young woman. But how could she possibly have done what she was accused of? She simply didn’t have the strength, or the skill. And then there was her husband, a doctor. Maybe he did it Maybe her brother, who picked her up at the train station? The book starts with a bang, and then we hear the story from Ruth herself, from papers she wrote. But there are more questions than answers.

Reading The Murderess feels like reading a true crime story; the truth is stranger than fiction, and the obvious might not really be the right answer. Ruth is such a sympathetic character, she couldn’t possibly be a murderess, could she? I couldn’t put this book down. You shouldn’t miss it either!

Winnie Ruth Judd, a 26-year-old medical secretary, wife to Dr. William Judd and infamous murderess of the title, is the subject of Notaro’s novel examining the circumstances of two gruesome killings which took place in 1931. Both victims were Ruth’s best and only friends. Since there is no question of guilt here, the novel seeks to discover what might have happened between Ruth arriving in Phoenix and working at the same clinic as X-ray technician Anne Le Roi and subsequently meeting the seriously consumptive Hedvig ‘Sammy’ Samuelson, for whom Anne was a live-in carer and more. Young and often bedridden, Sammy craved company – perhaps all three women did while doing their best to survive the Depression. Having met lumberman Jack Hollman and beginning an on/off affair despite being married, Ruth introduced her girlfriends to the social high-flyer. Things escalated into jealousy, which Anne immaturely perpetuated. Ruth didn’t deny having killed both her friends and claimed self-defense.

The first section is procedurally tidy in its graphic description of the factual record, and Notaro’s expertise shines best in the neutral tone with which she breathes new life into an old story which relates events from inside Ruth’s head. We watch and surmise through Ruth’s eyes with enough detail to wonder if she was given a fair trial. Certainly, she suffered from delusions and mental health issues which followed her all her life. But the 1930s were different times, the story is a curious one, and Ruth’s husband’s behaviour is odd. The novel left me wondering whether a physically tiny young woman could have committed the heinous crimes she was accused of. An impressive biographical crime novel, well worth reading, in which I was encouraged to empathise, but not moved towards pity and exoneration. Ruth Judd undoubtedly needed help she didn’t get.

A scintillating blend of true crime and historical. I found this a compulsive read and enjoyed how the author had clearly done their research, yet wore in lightly. Extremely gripping – recommend!

The first pages drew me right in. What an intro!started to drag near the middle for me but overall I enjoyed it

This book is a good one if you like an unreliable narrator and true crime without a firm resolution. This story was something else. At times the narrative is hard to believe. At other times I felt a twinge of sympathy for Judd. I wonder what her like would have been like if she'd been born 75 years later.

Overall, it left me with too many questions / unknowns and I didn't understand how the epilogue was supposed to help resolve anything. Is she insane? Is she on drugs? Was she manipulated?

I will always love Laurie Notaro most for her non-fiction memoirs.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little A for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Great book by one of my favorite authors. The history of Winnie Ruth Judd presented in this book is well researched and fascinating.

Well researched and highly captivating! I would recommend to anyone who enjoys true crime and historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for the eARC.

I was so intrigued by the premise of a fictionalized retelling of a true story. The novel took me a bit to get into, but was an enjoyable read once it got going!

The Murderess tells a fictionalized story of a true crime which took place in Phoenix in 1931. Ruth Judd travels from Phoenix to Los Angeles with two trunks and baggage containing two bodies and body parts. Along the way, blood and body fluids are leaking everywhere. It is the decomposition odor that brings attention to officials when she disembarks in Los Angeles. The resourceful Ruth goes on the run, hiding in a department store and making her way to La Vina, the tuberculosis sanitorium where she lived previously, then eventually forced to turn herself in. Newspaper articles carry the sensational details that are presumed regarding the murders, the victims, and Ruth’s involvement. Gradually Ruth’s life growing up in a small Indiana town and events leading up to the murders are revealed. But Ruth gives different accounts of motive and details of the murders to her husband, Doctor, others, and the reader.
Through Ruth’s narration, it is evident that we are not getting the complete, truthful story. Once I was able to piece together ‘facts’, I realized that Ruth suffers from some form of mental illness, and Doctor, who can’t keep a job and in treatment much of their married life, is a drug addict – which as a doctor, narcotics are easily accessed. He is much older than Ruth. They are two damaged souls who found each other and live sad, desperate lives. They moved around a lot to give Doctor repeated fresh starts, living in Mexico and California. We also learn of the victims, her best friends Sammy and Anne; and Jack, her lover while living on her own in Phoenix.
I had difficulty getting into the book because of the writing. Notaro is a journalist and, in my experience, those skills don’t transfer well to novel writing. Sentences are disjointed and don’t flow smoothly. I often had to reread to figure out the subject of a sentence. I adjusted to this ‘reporting’ style and the story took over because it was so engaging and fascinating. And I do believe the writing improved some as I read on. Notaro very skillfully dropped clues and revealed details at just the right time, which made this an exceptional book.