Non- fiction that reads like a gripping fiction? Hell yes!
This is the ultimate story of a woman who goes on to become a serial killer exacting her revenge. And the most surprising thing? It actually happened and that the woman actually existed. Raw and gory at parts, it'll rub you rough with the facts and thrill you with her journey.
I'd ask anyone who likes to read non- fiction storytelling to pick up this book and read. I assure you, that you're not going to put it down once you embark on this journey.
Happy reading!
Thank you Netgalley and the publishing house for granting my request, it's much appreciated.

My apologies I haven’t yet got to this book as life has got in the way. But I will hopefully get to it soon and leave a review in all the relevant places.

Hmmm, where to start with this one.
I found it incredibly hard to get into, the beginning felt quite stark yet overly detailed, rather like a foreign language book that had been badly translated into English.
It was far far far too long and I really felt could have done without the sister Nellie's chapters or viewpoints, she really didn't add anything for me - especially as Belle was such a detailed narrator.
But the subject matter was extraordinary, fascinating, and I really can't believe we haven't heard more about Belle and her incredible campaign against men! So it was an amazing read in that respect and I certainly appreciated the author's research and ability to bring the story to life. It prompted me to do some real life digging of my own and have found the whole experience gruesomely interesting!
So whilst I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book as such, I'm really pleased I read it and loved the intriguing ending, even though it took far too long to get there.

Ive just spent about five days with Bella. Bella was hurt very badly when she was younger, almost beyond repair. She nearly gave up, however, she decided she would live to spite! 'It is the mark of a true survivor...we adapt and we change whenever we have to'..
What a fantastic adaptation of a true story!

Triflers Need Not Apply, is fictionalising based on the true story of Belle Gunness whose killing spree began in Chicago in 1900.This fascinating tale, tells of how a woman's pain and suffering at the hands of a man in her youth turned her into a cold hearted murderer.

Highly recommend.

This is the fictionalisation of a true story. Belle Gunnsen was a serial killer in the USA. Of Norwegian origin, she is thought to have killed at least 14 men, perhaps as many as 40.

I found this a difficult book to read. Not much happens other than the murders. Apart from the first two, she kills them all in the same way either poisoning them with cyanide or with chloral in which case she often has to finish them off with a cleaver. It's a brutal, demoralising read and has in my opinion, little to redeem it. Belle, as you might imagine, is not an attractive personality in spite of the author trying to inject some humanity into her by making her a loving mother. I heartily disliked this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Having suffered a brutal attack which almost killed her, Brunhild persuades her parents to send her to Chicago where her sister has settled. But once she arrives in America, Bella (as she’s now known) finds herself dissatisfied with her new life. The husband she finds, whilst rich, fails to live up to her expectations, and so she embarks on a scheme to rid herself of him.

Based on the antics of a serial killer in 1900s America, Triflers Need Not Apply is not an easy story to read. Bella is a hard character to like, not showing any love, care or even gratitude for everything that people do for her. With few redeeming features, she is not your typical heroine!

Sadly I struggled to get going and didn’t enjoy reading it at all. Not one for me.

This book is a fictional account of the life of a real person known as Belle Gunness, a woman who was responsible for over 40 murders during her lifetime.
Camilla Bruce gives us a very believable rendition of Bella’s life and she writes in a style that I found easy to read.
The story kept me interested right to the bitter end. All in all a very enjoyable read.

I love learning about true serial killers from history – the psychology of their minds in particular fascinates me. However, a lot of American podcasts and books just assume you know every detail about their most famous cases and jump in without giving a good amount of backstory. Triflers Need Not Apply is a real treat – a fictional story based off the real-life story of Belle Gunness who is thought to have killed 14 people and possibly faked her own death.

From the authors note at the end of the book it seems that this story was very well researched and crafted by Camilla Bruce. There’s a mixture of true incidents and facts mixed in with well researched assumptions and guesses as well as other real-life characters and events added into the story for dramatic effect. This results in a book which is engaging and interesting but also feels realistic and grounded at the same time.

Belle is written in a way that means you sympathise with her to a certain extent. There’s a childhood trauma, the expectations and behaviour of men in her life and an ambition which cannot be sated within societal values and constraints at the time which really make you feel for her as a character. As the story progresses however, you start to feel the chill of her sanity going off the rails and priorities shifting to an unlikeable person who has gone too far. The ending is really sad but also fitting and made me want to look up all I could about the real-life Belle.

I liked the fact that Camilla added the close relationship with Belle’s sister Nellie which helped add a conscience to the story. I also liked the addition of a psychotic lover who helped shape Belle into who she was as well as supporting and helping her. My only criticism would be that the book felt a little long in places – it dragged as too much detail was put into small every-day events which did not drive the story forward.

Overall, Triflers Need Not Apply is a well-crafted story based in historical truth that also keeps the drama and tension high. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin – Michael Joseph UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This fictionalised account of the life of real serial killer Belle Gunness had me hooked from the start. The author has taken the known facts of Belle's life and history and elaborated and expanded on them to create a novel that is as compelling as the crimes it describes are disturbing.

Whilst not exactly making her a sympathetic character, Bruce has given Belle a backstory which goes some way to explaining how she came to be the way she was. As a reader, watching the character develop and move from crime to crime is fascinating yet, despite everything, the terrible conclusion of her life of crime still comes as something of a shock.

If you like true crime or historical fiction with a gruesome edge, then this is the book for you.

Really disappointed. Uploaded this book on several occasions and had numbers between paragraphs which were very distracting while I was trying to read it so gave up in the end

Didn't really work for me. I felt I knew more about other characters, particularly the sister in Chicago than I did about the main character and I just lost interest.

It is well written with some really evocative descriptions.

Triflers Need Not Apply is both perfectly heartbreaking and disturbing at the same time.

It is a fascinating novel, based on a true story, about how one woman became a serial killer. The story is absolutely captivating and very character driven but it is a little slow in parts.

This novel is perfect for true crime lovers!

A novel based on the true story of Belle Gunness, a Norwegian immigrant in late 19th Century USA who became a serial killer. It is a very dark and gruesome read but I liked the period detail and the insights into Belles twisted pysche. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc

I found it to be quite a dark and chilling read, as you would expect when reading a book about a serial killer! Camilla Bruce gives an unflinching account of Belle Gunness’ crimes and there are some upsetting scenes that I didn’t enjoy reading.

It’s clearly really well researched but I also liked how the author tries to explain who Belle Gunness was as a person. You can almost emphasise with her in the first part of the book but as the story progresses she becomes more disturbed and obsessive and her crimes just cannot be justified.

I did feel there were some unnecessary details that, although factually correct, didn’t really add to the story. It felt a bit stilted at times and I found it a bit slow going in places. It did however pick up the pace again towards the end as the story reached its grisly climax.

The story was told from alternating viewpoints and we read from both Bella and Nellie’s perspectives. It perfectly showed the difference between the sisters, as Nellie’s sanity and sense of decency clearly highlighted Bella’s callousness.

I enjoyed the add on by the author at the end where she explains the liberties she took with some of the facts. It was good to know what was based on real events and what was purely fictional.

I found it really interesting to read about Belle Gunness, it just didn’t grip me as much as I would have liked.

Not my usual type of book, but am so glad I chose to read something slightly different from my usual genre. A fascinating, if not gruesome read at points! This book tells the story of Bella Gunness - born Brynhild Paulsdatter - a real person, who lived at the latter part of the 1800's and early 1900's. The book is written as historical fiction, based on true events known about Bella, which the author clearly shows she has based alot of events on her research, but has also added some fictional parts to the narrative. The story begins in Norway, Selbu, where Little Brynhild is growing up and working on a farm. However, grievous events, that will eventually stay with Bella for the rest of her life, lead Little Brynhild to seek a new life with her sister Nellie across the pond to Chicago, where she changes her name to Bella. Striving to make a better and richer life for herself, we begin to get to know her character and fiery nature, and how she will stop at nothing to get what she wants from life. The tale is told from the eyes of Bella and her sister Nellie, in alternating chapters. Reading from Nellie's perspective helps you as a reader to try and understand the actions of Bella Gunness and think about morally what you may do if someone blood related to you was committing such activities, but also gives us an insight in Nellie's turmoil. Camilla Bruce acknowledges in her afterward that the creation of Nellie was fictional, but helps provide this other perspective of events in the book. Bella is a very unlikeable character, not just with the traits of her personality, but with the events we are to witness by her as we read. However, for me this just added to the fascination of such a character, and in some way, trying to even begin to understand the mindset of such a person and their actions. The book was well written, with pacey dialogue at times, which helps moves the narrative along, but as I read was keen to know how the end would all pan out for Bella; something which still remains part of a mystery, again adding to the enthrallment of who Bella Gunness really was? A great read for anyone else interested in historical fiction, but be prepared for some graphic descriptions of some heinous events. My thanks go out to Penguin Michael Joseph publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Bella is almost killed by her lover, but is driven by pure spite to survive. Her survival instinct will see her cross continents and defy the expectations of society.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Little Brynhild grew up as a lowly tenant's daughter on a farm in Norway. All she has ever known is hunger, poverty, and constant hard work. Her fortune seems to change when she catches the eye of the rich farmer's son Anders - but he is not the charming prince she thought.

This book reimagines the life of infamous serial killer Belle Sorenson, and as such has some very dark and shocking moments.
For the most part, though, it follows Brynhild's life, as she moves to America, with the help of her sister and brother-in-law. She takes on the name Bella, as it's easier for Americans to pronounce.
Bella may be a little on the odd side, but there is nothing unnatural about what she wants from life, and in the beginning, it's hard to see how the character becomes so extreme.
But the author does a great job of creating a believable change into becoming a murderer.
I thought the way Bella was portrayed... she never (except for one or two moments) becomes a monster. Which I think made it all the more terrifying, that you can relate to most of a murderer's thoughts and drive. She is never truly unlikeable.

The narrative is split between Bella and her sister Nellie.
Nellie's life is such a modest contrast to Bella. She moved to America, but never moved away from the Norwegian community. She never learnt English, and she has no drive or ambition, beyond caring for her husband and children.
When Bella lived with her sister, it showed the harsh light of life for women, and the best they could expect. They are supposed to keep their heads down, accept any male attention, and be grateful for their small lives.
Nellie's chapters weren't really about Nellie though. For the most part, it solely focussed on Bella, giving an extra viewpoint of how Bella's life is progressing.

I thought there were lags in the pacing, in the middle and towards the end.
Bits felt like they were getting repetitive. Which is understandable - the book covers the whole of Bella's life - not all of it is newsworthy.
And after the shock of the first murders in the second half of the book, Bella's murderous routine gets a bit samey. Which I can't believe I've just written about a serial killer...

Anyway, this was an interesting look into a disturbed person, and had some very powerful moments.
It kept me hooked throughout, and I look forward to reading more of the author's work.

A story that seems to be based in truth, with some embellishments for the sake of fictionalising it, but one that seems so far-fetched I’m surprised this woman’s name is not more widely known.
Belle Gunness…a woman who was not afraid to do whatever it took to preserve her way of life.
Her story begins in Norway, where she and her family are (for reasons we’re never told) despised by the villagers they live among. She is hoping to be asked to wed the son of her employers, but when she tells him she is pregnant he attacks her. He beats her so badly the baby is lost and her survival is in doubt. Once she survives this, she determines that no man will have such sway over her ever again.
A plan is concocted, and she moves to America to settle with her sister. She determines to find a husband who will help her. That could have been it…but Belle finds herself in thrall to a man who seems to have a taste for murder. He seems to inspire something in Belle and so begins a murderous career.
If the story is to be believed, Belle murdered two husbands and made a lot of money through insurance scams. Once settled on her farm, Belle establishes a way of bringing in money. Under the guise of looking for a partner, men come to visit the farm. They bring cash…but after one night are never seen.
The details come about quite naturally. Our sympathy, initially, is with Belle but once she sets on this path it seems she has numerous faults and is quite an unpleasant character. We get some perspective from others, but never anything that really sheds light on why.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Sadly the formatting is not correct. This leaves this book unreadable on my kindle so I cannot leave a review/ I have a policy I will only review if I am able to finish a book as otherwise I feel this is unfair and sadly I just cannot finish this book due to formatting each line has numbers at the end of it.

Triflers Need Not Apply is an astounding crime thriller from Camilla Bruce. Based on the real-life antics of the infamous Belle Gunness and her killing spree in the early 1900s.
I had never heard of Gunness ahead of reading this novel and now I'm so curious to learn more.
The story is told from perspective of Belle and her sister Nell. Both women have endured a terrible abusive childhood. And whereas Nell strives to forget the past, Belle is determined to feel her revenge of those responsible for her pain. However, she doesn't stop at killing those men from her past but turns to killing any man that crosses her path. I cannot same more about the story or I'll be giving away spoilers.
There is one hell of a high body count in this novel and parts are truly grisly. But it is worth sticking with the novel for the interesting characters and brilliantly drawn scenes of Chicago and life for our protagonists.