An interesting narrative take on a shocking case. The author's access to source material allowed her to write a story that shows a complicated picture of a very complicated individual in Winnie Ruth Judd, her relationships, and a story that would be national headlines in any era it happened in. There is a LOT of tragedy in this story, and it's not always easy to read, but it's required reading for those interested in historical true crime.

The Murderess by Laurie Notaro is a horrifying 1930s true crime story!
This book surprised me. I was intrigued and kept wanting more!

In the mind of Winnie Ruth Judd is a troubling place to be to say the least. Did Ruth actually commit the murders? Did she have help or did someone else murder those poor girls? We will never know what really happened in the bungalow the day of the murders but Notaro gives the reader a believable plausibility leading up to and the day it happened.

So many people couldn’t believe Ruth could commit these murders and it is no wonder. She came across naturally thoughtful, unassuming and kind. That said, Notaro shows another side to her and it is manic at times. You won’t know what is real or not real when you step inside the mind of Winnie Ruth Judd.

I must confess, due to the graphic details of their deaths and the circumstances of Ruth’s mental state and what she went through had me pause at first. Could I get through this story unscathed? Surprisingly I did but this story was a deeply emotional one, disturbing, and wrought in such tragic events. The topics may be triggering to some. I will say, I had to step away a few times to get a grip on what I was feeling while reading this story.

When I got about half way through the book, I did a bit of research on my own about this crime. I had not heard of this case before or the people involved. Quite frankly, I was blown away by it which is a bit of a shock about the details considering I read true crime often. From what I researched, the author of this book has weaved a brilliant story of what-ifs and her character development and narrative is fantastic.
Stephanie Hopkins

DNF at the 8% mark. While I have always enjoyed the author's nonfiction, I have never been able to fully engage with her novels. The writing in "The Murderess" is a bit stilted and unpolished and kept me from fully engaging or feeling the need to continue reading.

**Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

I wanted to like this book as I am a big fan of Notaro's nonfiction humor books. Unfortunately, the book didn't hold my interest. I found a few historical errors about the 1930s, though maybe that will be fixed in the final copy. However, the way money is thrown around in this book makes it seem like the Great Depression is things that happened to someone else. It was hard for me to focus and the character of Ruth was too scattered to keep tracking. I suppose it may all come together in the end but I just couldn't get there and honestly, didn't want to.

The Murderess by Laurie Notaro is based on the heinous 1930s true crime story of Winnie Ruth Judd, the Trunk Murderess. Amongst other things, her marriage to the narcotics-abusing older Doctor and their moves in America, her affair, her close friendships with murder victims Annie and Sammy, mental and physical illness, crimes, prison, and life after prison are vividly described. Included are real bone-chilling letters she penned which gave me goosebumps. My prior knowledge about this case was minimal so learning more was educational.

Graphic crime details and the human capacity to kill, dismember and stuff the bodies of two fellow human beings into trunks are disturbing. The coldness in which Ruth acted is breathtaking. She justified theft as borrowing. This is a grim read but also insightful, especially into the mind of a tiny and apparently "sweet" woman. Notaro's writing is gripping and intelligent and kept me glued to the pages. Talk about a fascinating yet difficult topic!

If you are a true crime reader looking for something different, this just may be it.

My sincere thank you to Little A and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this captivating book.

I was completely unfamiliar with the true crime this book was based on going in, but picked this book up anyway due to the late 20s/early 30s setting and of course always intriguing concept of a murderess. I didn't entirely jive with the writing style at first so I ended up taking a pause on it not too far in, and from there waffled on whether or not I even wanted to keep going with it until the story regained my interest at about the 50% mark.

Which was unfortunate, as from there I did find this to be very engaging! Once we began to get the backstory of the crime rather than just the slog of a woman on the run from the law (sounds more interesting than it is, mostly it's a lot of blistered feet and sweaty clothes) it was much easier to get invested. Getting to actually meet the victims was the most fascinating part of this whydunnit, and I wish the book had been structured a bit differently so that we could have gotten there sooner.

This was ultimately more like a 3.5 by the end but it was also just too close to a DNF for me in that draggy 2nd quarter to round up. Still, certainly worth the read if you have any interest in the case or true crime-based fiction.

My thanks to Little A and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book surprised me a lot.
It is way more investigative, deep and well-written than I was expecting it to be.
I found the characters to be engaging and realistic and the pacing was very good. Not that short, not that long, either.
A nice read to historical fiction readers.

A novel based in truth- the story of Winnie Ruth Judd who in 1931 murdered her two best friends. What turned Ruth from a seemingly upright person to murderess? We may never know the truth of that but Notaro works through her past to create a portrait of a woman who made a baffling decision. Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc. A good read for fans of both true crime and historical fiction.

Laurie Notaro's novel The Murderess tells the story of Winnie Ruth Judd, who, in 1931, murdered her two best friends and then shoved their bodies into trunks. Ruth was attractive, but prone to bouts of mental illness. She married young to a
W W I veteran many years her senior ; they had one child. Her husband deposited her in Phoenix, Arizona where she worked as a medical secretary. She began an affair with Jack Halloran, a well-known playboy in Phoenix. She made friends with two young women, Anne Le Roi and Hedvig Samuelson and they also had an affair with Jack Halloran.
Was Ruth's motivation strictly jealousy, or was she in the throes of a mental health episode? Notaro's prose is brutally honest and does not hold back in the descriptions of the state of the bodies and the gruesome nature of Judd's crime. The Murderess offers a glimpse into the psyche of a damaged young woman and the reasons she would commit such a horrible crime.

A true crime story that reads like fiction, THE MURDERESS by Laurie Notaro is a fascinating look at the life of Winnie Ruth Judd, daughter of a reverend, wife of an unemployable doctor and murderess.

Winnie Ruth Judd marries early as was normal at the time. She moves everywhere with her husband who is unemployable due to addiction. She eventually ends up in Phoenix, AZ after her husband proceeds, once again, to lose one job and head out in search of another. There, she falls for Jack Halloran who initially treats her like a queen. But Jack is married, with children. Then she meets Anne LeRoi, a 27 year old X-ray tech who works at her clinic. Anne is living with Sammy Samuelson, who started out as her patient with tuberculosis and is now her roommate and also fulfills other needs. But it is 1931 and relationships are strictly between a woman and a man. When Jack comes between the women, Ruth commits unthinkable acts which lead her to go on the run. After stuffing the women into trunks, she boards a train from Phoenix to LA.

When an eagle eyed Porter raises suspicions about Ruth’s trunks and they are opened, she is already gone. She is finally arrested and is convicted in court although her story is that it was self-defense Shortly before her sentence is carried out, she is granted a reprieve when she is found incompetent. What follows is years of mental institutions and escapes, but she will forever be known as the Trunk Murderer’.

I felt very invested in this story, and did not realise that it was true crime. Following the book, I did some Internet searches on the case and found out that she had escaped seven or eight times. So if she was incompetent, she was crazy like a fox. The writing was clear and concise and led to an enjoyable read. I could feel my blood pressure rising as she faced her accusers and testified in a co-conspirator’s trial. I will certainly be following the author to see where she takes me next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

This true crime novel brought to life a fascinating story that I knew nothing about before. Notaro does a great job of weaving the story so that you can feel the story unfold from Ruth’s perspective. While this isn’t my usual read I was compelled to keep reading and found it very well done.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This novel is based on the true story of Winnie Ruth Judd and how she came to be convicted of murdering her two best friends. It starts with trunks being discovered that are leaking a foul smelling substance. When Ruth comes to claim her trunks and realises this she flees. The story then throws us back into the past where we find out how Ruth was lead to this moment.

The novel is told through an unreliable narrator so it's hard to know what to believe and what to take with a pinch of salt. I had a lot of questions while reading this that were answered succinctly in the last few chapters. It was such an interesting book and pulled together perfectly. I'll be thinking about this one for a while!

5 ☆
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If annotating an entire book were a person, it would be this book! This entire book could have been annotated! It was that good. It started with a bang and ended with an even bigger bang! I highly recommend this book. Ruth was literally delusional and crazy, but I enjoyed her the entire time! I wonder, does that make me delusional and crazy as well? Oh well, it’s October 1931. When Winnie Ruth Judd arrives at the Los Angeles train station from Phoenix, her shipping trunks catch the attention of a suspicious porter. By the time they’re pried open, revealing the dismembered bodies of two women inside, Ruth has disappeared into the crowd. Now, let the story begin.
The audiobook was good; the narrator did a good job telling the story. She was easy to listen to and understand.
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Thank you, Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing for the audiobook, and Little A for the Ebook in exchange for my honest review.

One October afternoon in 1931, as passengers disembarked from the Phoenix to LA train, two large trunks were unloaded. When they hit the ground, a brown liquid seeped out, and a foul odor filled the air. The owner, Ruth Judd, was asked to open the trunks, but she claimed to have lost the keys and quickly slipped away. In her absence, the police forced them open, suspecting illegal deer meat. Instead, they made a horrifying discovery—two dismembered, decomposing bodies. But by then, Ruth had vanished.

Inspired by the true story of Winnie Ruth Judd and the 'Trunk Murders,' this book delves into dark and unsettling territory. It unfolds in three distinct parts: the gruesome discovery and manhunt, the events leading up to the murders, and the aftermath of the chase. Like the real case, the mystery of how a young, petite woman managed to kill her two closest friends and transport their bodies across state lines remains unsolved. Notaro skillfully explores Judd's personality, shedding light on her mental health struggles and vulnerability leading up to the murders.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Little A publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Little A for a complimentary copy of this novel!
The Murderess is a true crime fiction novel about Winnie Ruth Judd. The story begins in October of 1931. Winnie Judd is traveling to Los Angeles. She arrives in LA via train from Phoenix. As she tries to pick up her two pieces of luggage from the porters, a terrible smell emanates from them. The porter asks her to open them, but she states they are medical books belonging to her husband and she doesn’t have the keys. So, she tells the porter she’ll return with them. Time passes, the smell worsens, a rust-colored puddle has formed under the luggage. Police are called in and when the luggage is pried open, a scene so terrible and horrifying is revealed!!! It is unfathomable!!! What unfolds in the novel is the story of Ruth and what led to the deaths of her two friends, Sammy and Anne. Their deaths are most gruesome!

Laurie Notaro does a great job portraying Winnie Judd, the Trunk Murderess! She unfolds each chapter bit by bit and takes the reader along the story of the true events that led Winnie Judd to cruelly murder her two friends. 4 Stars
AVAILABLE October 8, 2024

"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurie Notaro comes a haunting true-crime novel about Winnie Ruth Judd, one of the twentieth century's most notorious and enigmatic killers.

It's October 1931. When Winnie Ruth Judd arrives at the Los Angeles train station from Phoenix, her shipping trunks catch the attention of a suspicious porter. By the time they're pried open, revealing the dismembered bodies of two women inside, Ruth has disappeared into the crowd.

The search for, and eventual apprehension of, the Trunk Murderess quickly becomes a headline-making sensation. Even the Phoenix murder house is a sideshow attraction. The one question on everyone's lips: 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 on two people she'd called "my dearest friends in the world"? Everyone has their theories and judgments, but no one knows the whole truth.

What unfolds in this gripping work of true-crime fiction is a collision of jealousy, drug addiction, insanity, rage, and inescapable choices. At its heart, a condemned and tragic mystery woman whose trial - and its shocking twists - will make history."

I don't know why this crime strikes a chord in me, I've heard about it somewhere. Which means I need to read this book to find out why...

It's October 1931 and a young woman by the name of Ruth Judd has arrived in Los Angeles with two trunks containing the bodies of two as-yet unidentified women. She claims she thought the trunks contained nothing but her husband's medical textbooks - the authorities think she knows exactly what was hidden inside them. Who would you believe?

Based on the true story of Winnie Ruth Judd, Notaro guides us through Judd's story and the events that led up to what became known as "The Trunk Murders". The reader walks in Judd's shoes, following the life of a woman who gave almost all of herself to others and was ultimately let down by each and every one of them in return.

Notaro presents us with a detailed fictional retelling of Judd's story which allows the reader to make up their own mind on how they perceive Judd, her actions and the consequences she suffered. I certainly got the impression that the writer's sympathies lay with Judd and, looking at the case through a 21st century lens, the story brings up important questions about justice, misogyny and mental capacity that are still relevant today.

Ruth Judd's story will undoubtedly stay with me and I am grateful to the writer for making me aware of such an interesting and important piece of history.

'This was more than death, more than a torn body, more than a corpse. This was horror'.

On an October afternoon in 1931, as passengers disembarked from the Phoenix to LA train, two large trunks were offloaded. As they were set down, brown liquid oozed and a stench pervaded. Ruth Judd, the owner of the luggage, was asked to open them, however, she claimed to not have the keys and scurried off. In her absence, the police force open the trunks, suspecting smuggled deer meat. To their horror, they find two dismembered, decomposing bodies. But Ruth is already on the run.

Based on the true story of Winnie Ruth Judd and the 'Trunk Murders', this book is a bit dark and disturbing. It effectively reads in three parts: the grisly discovery and manhunt, the past leading up to the murders, and then back to what happened after the manhunt. As with the real-life case, no one conclusively seems to know how a young, petite woman murdered her two closest friends and subsequently carted them across the country. Notaro does a great job digging into Judd's personality and trying to convey Judd's mental health and vulnerability in the lead up to the murders. The story will definitely leave you pondering on what was and what may have been.

'People are hateful, spiteful things, and can be so cruel without a single regret'.

Set in the 1930s, this story explores the remarkable and terrible story of Winnie Ruth Judd - a young woman with apparently impeccable social credentials - who became infamous as the Trunk Murderess after her luggage was found to contain the bodies of two women.

At times undeniably grim, the book considers the mysterious personality and inscrutable motives that might have driven Judd to her awful actions. Why would she hurt her friends? And what responsibility, if any, has her husband - a doctor who's also an addict - for all of this?

While the book does not give the reader all the answers, it does raise any number of questions - about human nature in general, as well as this specific case.

Better known for her comedy, Notaro delivers in spades with this true crime offering. It should be a big hit with readers of the genre.