Based on the true crimes of Belle Sorensen, this is a brilliantly written account of what could possibly make someone become a serial killer. I think that there is a really good balance between historical fact and artistic licence making the characterisation of Belle very three-dimensional and realistic. Neither glorified or villainised, Bruce makes a fascinating interrogation of the mind behind a serial killer and how she displayed a complete disregard for any value of human life outside of her own. The horror insidiously develops, rippling out to a devastating conclusion.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Triflers Need Not Apply is a fictionalised version of the life of mass murderer Belle Gunness in the 1900s. A horrific attack as a young woman sets Belle on a very different path to that of her peers. She realises that while women may not have had legal power, they can be just as ruthless as the men who seek to keep them down. As the bodies pile up, so too do Belle’s finances. But how long could her killing streak go unnoticed? A gripping, well-written read. You’ll loathe, pity and even admire the main character at times.

This book is a real page turner. It is a story about a prolific murderess based on a true story but heavily fictionalised.

The story is told by Little Brynhild, later known as Belle (the protagonist) and her older sister, Big Brynhild, known as Nellie when she moves to America. Belle has grown up in abject poverty in rural Norway with an abusive father and cowed mother. As a teenager she goes to work as kitchen maid at a large farm and becomes pregnant by Anders, the son and heir of the family. He refuses to marry her and invites her to the lake where "he kicks the baby out of her." Little Brynhild/Belle almost dies from her injuries but on recovering decides to get revenge and never to be poor or hungry again. The monster in Belle has been unleashed as she seeks to relive the "high" she got from getting revenge on. Anders.

At first I was really rooting for Belle but after she moves to America and fails to help her lovely sister Nellie who has made great sacrifices to bring her to the U.S. we start to see a really callous and self obsessed side to Belle aided and abetted by James Lee a depraved character like herself. I've read lot of dull books lately, this one restored my faith.

“Based on the true story of Belle Gunness whose murderous rampage began in Chicago in 1900” - this description had me want to read this book. I had never heard of Belle Gunness. Tell me more, please! As I started reading, the opening scenes were not what I expected, but quickly hooked me. This book does a skillful job of imagining the creation of a female serial killer. At first killing for revenge. Then it becomes something much more.

The world in the 1900’s is made for men (has much changed?). Women are barely second class citizens. They are expected to get married, produce babies, and care for their husbands. But Belle Gunness nee Sorensen quickly finds out that this is not the life for her. She discovers that the world view of women as weak, feeble and helpless will, however, work well in her favour. She can manipulate men, she can steer them into her doing, and above all, she can kill them for her benefit.

From the impoverished farms of Norway, to the big city in Chicago, to her retreat to farm life, Belle forges her own path in life. It is a path unique to her, and not one to be inspired to follow. As tortured as she is, as horrific as her upbringing was, and the events that set her on this bloody journey, it is hard to feel sorry for Belle. Yet you turn the pages with a grim horror, as her life unravels further and further. Just how far will she go to get what she thinks she really wants? What will she stop at?

This book winds fact with fiction in a macabre manner. Where the two meet is not quite clear. But what is clear is that this book will leave you unsettled, fascinated, horrified, and deeply disturbed. How much creative liberty has been taken will be a question on your mind? Was Belle Gunness really that horrifying a character?? Overall I couldn’t put this book down, yet was glad when it was finally over, and people were safe from Belle….or were they??

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This is not a Book for those who are Fainthearted or have a delicate stomach , as it is a tale that becomes more & more gruesome .It starts out in Selbu in Norway with Little Brynhild , who suffers horrific injuries at the hands of a Farmers son with whom she had been having sexual relations with , later after his sudden death she goes to America changing her name to Bella & not long after all sorts of horrific & gruesome events take place . This story is based round Belle Gunness who's killing spree began in Chicago in 1900, read it if you dare , once I started I could not put it down . #FB,#Instagram,#Goodreads, #NetGalley, #Amazon.co.uk,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

I always enjoy reading books based on true events, no matter how faithful to the original story they are. That's part of the fun, doing some research after having read the book. This time that wasn't necessary, since the author's note was very useful to understand the difference between what we know about the real Bella and the one in the book.

Possibly my favourite thing about this novel is the double POV. Having Nellie's (Bella's sister) POV gives us a very nuanced vision of the events. We, as readers, go through a similar path when learning about everything Bella did. On the one hand, it's something terrible. However, we also get to see a more human side and can't help but feel some sort of empathy towards her. The way the character of Nellie shows us how hard it can be for someone to come to terms with the fact that the person they love is guilty of something was the perfect contrast to Bella's ruthlessness.

Bella's story, of course, is fascinating. Both the real one and the modified version of this novel. I was a bit worried about her ending but ended up very satisfied with it.

Overall, this was a terrific book. Even better than I expected and I highly recommend it to anyone that finds the premise interesting.

Based on the true (as-known) account of Belle Sorenson Gunness, the infamous Norwegian-American female serial killer, this book had pretty much everything in it!

I have to admit, whilst I seem to have a *healthy* fascination with all things serial killer-ish, I hadn't come across Belle. Looking back, I'm not sure why not given that she certainly stands out when it comes to the typical femme-fatale.

Having read this embellished account of her life and death/disappearance, I shall definitely do some further reading around her.

This is an interesting mix of fact, fiction and artistic interpretation and it works so well. I enjoyed the alternating POV from Belle and her sister, Nellie; hard to believe these two women were related.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of a dark and twisty tale, has an interest in the slightly macabre, and enjoys historical fiction. It definitely ticked a lot of boxes for me - though, the only criticism I have is that it was a bit waffly at times, and could do with a good edit. Ended up being a lot longer than was strictly necessary, in my honest opinion.

This is an unusual and compelling book which follows a young Norwegian woman as she emigrates to the USA after a traumatic experience when she is raped by her employer's son. This kicks off a life where she gradually develops a disdain for men, becoming a serial killer. Based on a true story, I think, this book is told from Bella's point of view and also that of her sister as she watches things unravel from a distance. This book kept me reading right to the end.

Thank you for approving me for this ARC.

Like many people I have a macabre interest in serial killers but I had never heard of Belle Gunner before which intrigued me. Especially when I realised what a prolific killer she was I don't remember having read or seen anything about her.

Triflers Need Not Apply is a reimagined historical drama into the life of Belle, from her early life in Norway, to Chicago and eventually Illinois, as described by Belle herself, and her sister Nellie who watched in horror the drama of her sister's life.

Whilst this is an intriguing novel, meticulously researched with a deep dive into Belle's head and motives,. the novel is just to long. I found at for the last few chapters I was skim reading.

I came away feeling terrible for Nellie and her family, and a certain level of disbelief that I had never heard of her before.

This novel could have been 4 stars it was just to long for me.

Triflers Need Not Apply is based on the true story of Belle Gunness and follows her killing spree in the 1900’s in Chicago.

I thought it started well in Belle’s homeland of Norway and we get a glimpse of things to come. She then emigrates to America to be with her sister, Nellie, and to find a husband. She eventually marries (for money, not for love) and due to infertility, fosters and adopts children.

I am going to be open an honest and say that this is as far as I got. I have been reading it for over two weeks (admittedly not every day) and I’m still only at 37%! There is an awful lot of story that for me, is very slow and has involved very little murder (yes, this is a bit macabre but it’s what you want from a book about a woman on a murderous rampage isn’t it?). I decided to check out some other reviews to see if I was alone in my thoughts and when I saw another which suggested it didn’t get going until 75% and the reader found it a slog - I decided to call it a day. I not feeling like I want to pick it up and nor am I particularly bothered about finding out how it ends unfortunately. It’s a real shame as I thought the blurb sounded brilliant but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Based on a true story.

Belle Sorensen believes that the world is made for men. They seem to own everything. But Belle knows that when a woman is involved men are weak.
Belle decides to be as cold and ruthless as a man and sets off on a killing spree. No-one has experienced the likes of it before.
How will it end?

This novel is based on the true story of a notorious murderer from the early 1900s. The writer uses her in depth research combined with artistic licence to recreate the woman's story, allowing the reader to get into the killer's mind. The story is well told and compelling in a macabre way with a great deal of the material sticking to the original facts. Although not for the squeamish, it makes compelling reading and the author's notes that follow are interesting as well as offering some sense of closure on the real life story. A different kind of crime novel that is definitely worth reading.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it was based on the true story of possibly America’s first female serial killer and possibly still one of the most prolific. There is no accurate data about the total number of victims but Bella Gunness was a real person who killed. A lot! The book is an imagining of how she may have come to that. She started life as little Brynhild (her much older sister being big Brynhild) in Norway working as a servant for a farming family. Her own family was very poor. Little Brynhild was treated shockingly by Anders, the farmer’s son, and she vowed revenge. Which she got. From then though her dream was to follow in her older sister’s footsteps and make a new, better life in America. Through hard work and some help from her sister (who now calls herself Nellie) she finally sets sail to the new country. And that is when I stopped relating to her.

And yes - the story was good and I did like the ending, it worked for me. But what I didn’t enjoy about the book was, mainly, it’s length. It was far too long. There was too much unnecessary detail about the minutiae of the lives of all the characters - their clothing, what they ate, irrelevant discussions and so on. I soon lost interest in everyone. It got boring. Then little Brynhild, who now calls herself Bella, is obsessed with one thing only - money. She wants to ‘prove herself’ somehow. She thinks she deserves a better life so she marries a man of some means. Of course she doesn’t love him but she loves his money. When she has spent it all, she kills him. From the insurance she buys a farm about 100 km from Chicago. From then on it is just rinse and repeat - she lures men to her, steals their money and kills them. Over and over. It was very repetitious. I started to wonder if I should simply DNF. But I slogged through. She was also desperate to have children but unable to conceive. So, through a business associate and friend (with benefits) babies were procured for her to raise as her own.

Eventually of course it all started to unravel. Her killing spree was in the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century so obviously forensic science still had a long way to go but people were starting to gossip about ‘the widow of La Porte’. Nellie, her sister, finally cottoned on and gave her an ultimatum to stop killing or she would see Bella hanged. But no. It was still going on until she made a crucial error. Did she get away with murder or not? I’ll leave you to be the judge of that but her insatiable greed which led to all of it made her, for me, a deeply unsympathetic character. I would have been happy to see her hanged. She was evil, mean, manipulative and a lying cow and I was glad to see the back of her at the end of the book. A lot of the other characters were wishy washy and ineffectual. A one word summary would be - tedious! Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review**

As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I wanted to read it. As a long-term fan of the 'My Favorite Murder' podcast and a self-confessed murderino, I was familiar with Bella Gunness and her infamous "Triflers need not apply" advertisements (the phrase itself being one of the early catchphrases of the MFM hosts). While I remembered the broad outline of the story, I didn't know any of the details and knew I'd enjoy the book.

It's important to note that this is historical fiction based in and around various facts and rumours about Bella, her life and crimes. A lot is unknown and the author has added details and characters to create different perspectives of Bella and imagine how a woman in her times could become such an infamous serial killer. I also enjoyed the ending to the story that Bruce added because no one knows if she escaped the consequences of her actions or died in the final house fire.

A darkly-fascinating book, highly-recommended for anyone interested in true crime, historical crime or historical fiction. Be warned, you might never eat an orange again...

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded down

This book is a fictional insight into the life and times of Belle Gunness - The first female serial killer!!! It was that premise that drew me to read this in the first place. I thought it would be dark and some what gruesome. However, I just felt that there were large parts where nothing much happened, lots of repetition of unnecessary details, and all of the characters were annoying. Having said all that, I wanted to complete it and see how the story ended. It was a slog and I got there but not sure it was worth it. Belle Gunness is certainly a fascinating person but this book fell short, for me, in capturing that.

Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for ARC.

The publicity blurb for this novel suggests this is about a woman paying back men for all they have taken, a kind of howl of rage, but the reality is something else.
The intriguing premise is that this is a fictionalised account of Norwegian American serial killer Bella Sorenson-Gunness, active around the turn of the 20th Century. It is told in alternating points of view - that of Bella and that of her older sister Nellie, who first brings her to America and later discovers the truth by degrees.
The early part of the novel describes the squalor of Bella's family life in Norway and the events that result in her desire to flee the area, then the hardships she faces on arrival in Chicago, where her sister does not live as Bella imagined. It's an empathetic portrayal of the child and young woman and some of the events that shape her. I found the language of this quite stiff, but accepted that it's meant to reflect the period and the context.

The mood shifts when Bella marries a man she meets through the local church. She finds being married alone is not enough, and she continues to yearn - for children, for a stronger man, for more money. This book sets out how she goes about doing that, brushing off suspicions as she goes.

I'm afraid I found this book a slog; the slightly stilted language becomes more fluid, and things move at a more rapid pace from about the three-quarter mark to the truly grisly conclusion, but I lost interest in the story of Bella, her appetites and her motivations.
I was reading through gritted teeth a lot of the time and did not enjoy it, in truth. Other readers have very different views.
I happened to come across the US cover and title for this novel and it had a very different feel. I would probably still have wanted to read it. I'm curious to read other work by this Norwegian writer working in English.

This book was so disappointing. The synopsis sounded fantastic, but when I started reading it I couldn’t for the life of me understand why I’d picked it to read.

I reread the synopsis; again it sounded brilliant. I persevered.

But it was so SLOW! It wasn’t until about 75% through that it started to get interesting, but then it just felt really rushed. Was it gruesome? Sort of, but very underwhelming.

The first part of the book talks about Bella’s childhood in Norway. It’s vaguely interesting, but goes on for far too long. Apart from one key event nothing much happens and it could have been a lot more concise.

When she arrived in America it’s slightly more interesting, but manages to feel slow and rushed at the same time.

Bella is a good character: strong, feisty and evil. Yet at times you can see the lost girl she once was. Her sister Nellie is weak and doesn’t really add much to the story. The children do tug on the heartstrings and this provides more of a shock impact at times.

The ending is underwhelming and I felt cheated. I appreciate that this is based on a true story, so the author has to fill in a lot of gaps, but it was lacking. If the prologue were changed to something that revealed her later murderous life, it would draw readers in.

Unfortunately, the book takes too long to get to the drama and those interested would be much better off reading a non fiction account.

The cover of this book drew me to it and its contents definitely matched my expectations. This is a well researched crime novel whose grisly events, if you didn’t know that it was based on a real life serial killer, you might find difficult to believe had taken place. To best appreciate the story it is better not to know too much about these true events.
The killer in question is Bella Gunness, a woman who cons men into her life only to kill them sooner or later. With the help of her sister Nellie, Bella is able to move from her native Norway to join her in Chicago to make a new life there. Candice Bruce merges fact and fiction and develops a back story of abuse and poverty in Bella’s formative years and asks whether this is the reason for her hatred of men and pursuit of money. However, as events unfold she also questions if it is something in Bella’s psyche which enables her to butcher, lie and take greater risks as her bloodlust increases. Is she simply addicted to murder?
Bella is a complex character: one who clinically kills but who adores her adopted children. Bruce’s mesmerising writing makes compulsive reading : her descriptions of people make them immediately real so the reader becomes more fearful for anyone that Bella encounters.
Highly recommended.

This is a really strange book where horrible things are done by a woman but often I was cheering her on! Not all her crimes of course and she does take revenge to the ultimate. Based on a true-life character this is very different and tells of where a person with the capacity to kill is presented with extreme justification for doing so and then continues. Fascinating.

Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce is an odd one. I’m not sure how much I actually liked the book, but I couldn’t put it down at all. This is the story of Belle Gunness, one of the few female serial killers in history. And to clear up any confusion, this same book was published earlier this year in the US as In The Garden of Spite – I was a bit confused myself there. While based on a historical tale, this is fiction. The story follows Belle/Bella from her childhood in Norway through to her supposedly faked death in a fire in middle age. It is an utterly compelling story, but also an uncomfortable one. Bella is an absolute sociopath and I kept waiting for someone to pick up on what she was doing and to actually do something about it – and it felt like people were so close so many times, but it just never happened. I hated her and pretty much every other character in the book so damn much and that makes writing about the book kind of hard. But if you’re into true crime and villains, do check this out!