This is not for everyone, but if you have a slightly dark sense of humour then it will definitely appeal!

Belle Sorensen loves men.
She loves them to death . . .

A tale as old as time ... Early in life Belle Sorensen discovers the world is made only for men. They own everything: jobs, property, wives. But Belle understands what few others do: where women are concerned, men are weak.

A woman unhampered by scruples can take from them what she wants. And so Belle sets out to prove to the world that a woman can be just as ruthless, black-hearted and single-minded as any man.

Starting with her long suffering husband, Mads, Belle embarks on a killing spree the like of which has never been seen before nor since.

And through it all her kind, older sister Nellie can only watch in horror as Belle's schemes to enrich herself and cut down the male population come to a glorious, dreadful fruition . . .

Based on a true story, this novel may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I absolutely loved it!

This book was dark and disturbing - made even more so when you realised that parts of the story were actually based on real life events.

When Bella moves from Norway to America in search of a better life, she stops at literally nothing in order to achieve her dreams. The story flits from the perspective of Bella and her sister and is written absolutely masterfully, the difference between the narratives of the two sisters was done brilliantly.

Bella is a deeply flawed individual, a psychopath so that you almost (almost!) understand her journey, but as the book progresses it becomes darker and darker and significantly more gruesome. At times I found it difficult to read, particularly with the interactions with her children.

it's deeply unsettling and will probably stay with me for a long time, probably longer than I would like it to!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this arc.

Triflers Need Not Apply is a fictional reimagining of Belle Gunness’s life; who is one of history's most notorious female serial killer.

This was a perfectly good book - I think one major way it could have been improved is to play around with the timeline a bit. Yes we need to know Belle's backstory from Norway, but I think how this started out was probably the most "boring" element of the book, and it made me unsure whether I wanted to continue, The overall gruesome-ness and grisly-ness was fantastic, and it was written incredibly well, but I just found it hard to get into at times.

This is by far one of the best historical fiction I’ve read. It was gripping, it was emotional, and the author created the narrative so beautifully and professionally that you never feel like you’re swayed in any direction.

I highly recommend this book to those who love true crime, as well as historical books, any one of those you’re interested in, you’re sure to like this story.

I’m in awe of this author’s ability to take a real criminal and tell their story in such a real, raw way without judgment.

Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Oh my .. this was such a juicy read and you just cannot keep the book down! A must read for all murder lovers.. Bodies everywhere!

I had this book on my tbr pile for a long time, probably because of the size, it is over 400 pages!!
The storyline is very compelling and scary at the same time...Bella has a very dark mind that is pushed to the limit with an unfortunate event at 16. It seems that in her fight for survival, all is forgiven and justified but destiny has other plans.
Definitely an interesting reading if the reader has the courage and curiosity to keep going until the end.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this review e copy.

A serial killer story rooted in truth, TRIFLERS NEED NOT APPLY is a bone chilling tale of a villainess descending into bloodlust. I really enjoyed it, though at times I did feel it was going a little too slow. ALIAS GRACE meets SWEENEY TODD, I’d highly recommend!

A fascinating look at a female serial killer and the impact of her secrets and lies on the family around her. I found the research on the true life Bella so intriguing.

When I started this book I had no idea it was based on a true story and what a story it is! Bella is a young woman, she just wants a happy life, a nice husband and a few kids but when a young gentleman comes on a bit strong and ends up getting hurt it is the beginning of an unbelievable tale of a woman that exacts revenge on the male population. Told in two prospective’s by Bella and her older sister Maggie this is a brilliantly gory yet fun story.

As usual I went into this one not knowing what it was going to be about and my eyes were well and truly opened!

This was a retelling of serial killer and ‘black widow’ Belle Gunness an American/Norwegian active in the late 1800s early 1900s.

After a traumatic event in her early adulthood leaving her barren and seeking the ultimate revenge she discovered her love of slaughter and truly developed a bloodlust.

Over many years her killings continued - some deserved - some most definitely not- and how she got away with it for so long I really don’t know!

I did look up the true story of this and I really enjoyed the retelling especially the ending as no one really knows the true story of what happened to Belle and her family.

Brynhild from Norway becomes Bella from Chicago then Belle the farmowner. The transition is marked by abuse, fraud and murder and as Belle's criminal endeavours get more bloody this book gets more interesting. It's difficult to "like" this book based on a real killer, I struggled to be really interested until Belle's schemes started to unravel at the end. Then I wanted to rave through to see what would happen.

Belle Gunness is possibly history's most notorious female serial killer. She thought to have killed over 14 people, including two husbands, not to mention unsuspecting men she invited to her farm as a wealthy widow, through newspaper ads no less.

Triflers Need Not Apply is a fictional reimagining of Gunness's life, in turn of the century Chicago. It's an account that will appeal to true crime fans and historical fiction aficionados. Bruce traces Belle's history from her origins as a child in Norway, right through to her mysterious demise. It's a compelling story, and despite the gruesome content, and largely unsympathetic main character - the reader is captivated.

Bruce balances the narrative well, interspersing chapters narrated by Belle with those of her sister, which acts as a foil and relief from the intensity of Belle's voice. Nellie's own realisation of her sister's crimes and her wrestling with her conscience adds a further dimension to the story; Bella isn't simply a villain, she has a sister that loves her and wants to protect her. Bruce doesn't paint her main character as wholly heartless; Belle has suffered serious trauma and she longs for her own children to raise and care for. Yet we also see that Belle's nature may have had roots earlier that the hardships she has faced, hinting at an element of nature vs nurture.

Belle's story is part of historical record, so what happens is no secret, however provides ample fodder for Bruce's imagination. Yet for one of the most notorious female serial killers, Gunness hasn't been mythologised in the same way as her male counterparts, and so readers may come to her story without knowing the mystery that surrounds it. The way Bruce handles this ending is clever, and almost makes you root for her macabre anti-heroine. Almost.

Trifler's Need Not Apply is a clever and much needed imagining of a lesser known figure in crime and murder mythology. It's certainly not for the faint-hearted but crime and historical crime lovers will adore this dark thriller. I can't wait to see what Bruce does next.

I mustn't have read the full description, as it wasn't until I got to the author's note that I realised that this novel was based on a true story.

If I had realised this beforehand, it would have made sense as to how there was so much story being told, across so many years.

At first I couldn't quite get to grips with the amount of time passing between chapters, but the more I read, the more I enjoyed. And upon completion i can see that this was definitely a good way to keep the story interesting.

The book was really well written, so much so that the murder committing main character actually comes across as being quite likeable (on occasion) and you really do believe her perspective on how she has been scorned by her suitors.

Love historical fiction, love true crime, do not gore and horror..!

Personal preference I think this book was a bit much for me, but objectively it’s written well, it’s interesting and it shed’s a light on one of history’s most prolific female serial killers.

I started this book after seeing many good reviews on social media. I didn’t have much idea what it was about at all.

The book starts off in 19th century Norway, introducing Little Brynhild, who has dreams of moving to America like her sister. She’s had a rough time in Norway and a fresh start is what she needs. Finally, she has enough money to move and live with her sister and her family. She changes her name to Bella and eventually marries Mads. He’s unwell for many years and dies suddenly. Bella’s sister suspects she was involved in making her husband so ill. A string of men visit Bella, and most are never seen again.

Initially, I found the story quite interesting and readable, but unfortunately it became very slow and tedious for me. The pace slows right down and every little thing is described.

I didn’t warm to any of the characters and I think this added to the story dragging on. For the latter part, I was just reading to get it finished and had stopped enjoying the story which is a shame.

Once I got to the end and read the author’s note, I learnt that Bella Sorensen was a real serial killer, but very little was known about her and her victims. The author has tried to work out what Bella was like and given her a story.

Unfortunately for me I lost interest in the book and it was just too dragged out. If it was a more concise book, I think it would have been better.

2.5 stars rounded to 2.

Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for a copy to review.

I so wish I had picked this book up and read it sooner. It was fabulous, and one I genuinely didn't want to put down. And what made it better was that it was based on real people and real murders.

The character building was great and I couldn't decide if I sympathised with Belle for her past or disliked her for her selfishness. This uncertainty I think is a sign of a realistic character.

Not for the faint hearted as it can be a little graphic in places, but a rea page turner.

Bella Sorensen is quite an unlikeable character. I wouldn't say it was interesting per se but it certainly was something to see, as the pages turn, how things spiral can spiral out of control during a spiteful quest for revenge. This was a chilling tale of a serial killer in the early 20th century and it's hard to believe it's based on a true story.