Trigger warnings: child death, brutality, murder, domestic violence, and dismemberment.
When I saw this title in the Netgalley-verse, I was immediately intrigued, as I remembered the My Favorite Murder episode about Belle Gunness. Bruce makes an imaginative deep dive into the background and crimes of the real Belle Gunness and I really enjoyed it, despite the heavy subject matter.

Brynhild is a young woman in rural Norway, eking out an impoverished existence in the late 1800s. She gets an invitation from her married older sister in Chicago to come live with her and her husband. Before leaving, Brynhild commits her first murder. After her arrival in Chicago, she changes her name to Bella to fit in with her new surroundings and begins to socialize with the Norwegian community there. The story is told through the perspectives of Belle and her sister Nellie. You can see the progression of Belle's thought process about what she needs for survival, as well as Nellie's growing horror as notices that the men who know her little sister often mysteriously disappear.
The corruption arc of Belle's struggle for survival is really sad and it is clear that in the beginning, Belle feels trapped by her situation, the patriarchy, and the men in her life and sees the removal of those men as the only means to gain freedoms for herself. As she accumulates more wealth and agency, she ramps up her killing frequency - she still sees murder as the only way to move forward, even though there are several better ways to get around obstacles. Belle's victims and Belle's process for getting rid of bodies are described, which are upsetting, but they do not feel overly salacious.
This book was great and empathetic, but it is not for those with weak stomachs. Triflers Need Not Apply.

“Triflers Need Not Apply” is written by Norwegian author Camilla Bruce and is based on history’s most notorious female serial killer, Belle Gunness (nee Brynhild Storset). Commencing her murderous rampage in Chicago 1900, the story explores the Norwegian/American woman’s determination to pay men back for all they have taken, in the most heinous way possible.

- Early in life Belle Sorensen discovers the world is made only for men, but she understands what few others do: where women are concerned, men are weak. 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 . . .

I knew as soon as I started reading this book it would be a five star read for me, I just love true crime that’s written as fiction. Camilla Bruce hasn’t just included factually correct events but has attempted to intriguingly understand who Belle actually was and why she did what she did, regardless of her twisted and deadly justifications.
Belle was a very strong woman, both physically and mentally who knew exactly what she wanted out of life and worked hard to attain it. No man would stand in her way of achieving that lifestyle and as the disappearances of more and more men accumulated, she became a notorious female serial killer of the likes never seen before. Having a morbid fascination for my own city’s female serial killer of the 1800’s - Sunderland born Mary Ann Cotton, better known as ‘The Black Widow’ - I was therefore excited by the prospect of “Triflers Need Not Apply” and I wasn’t disappointed. The attention to detail was second to none, I could visualise every scene clearly due to the author’s ability to convey the sights, smells and sounds, from the roast chicken cooking in the stove to the dismembering of the bodies with the meat cleaver.
Apart from Belle’s story, I found Nellie’s equally interesting and her developing emotions as she begins to discover her sister is not quite the woman she thought she was. Can she stay silent when she suspects Belle of being more than a very unlucky woman in love? And could she be putting her own life at risk, involving herself in Belle’s murderous affairs.
I researched Belle after reading the book and enjoyed seeing how much the storyline mirrored the true events but with the author’s own fictional understanding of who Belle was. On seeing her photo, I am now able to see her as she actually looked in real life and this has left me with a permanent vision of her and her story.

A pre-warning, that this is a serial killer story that doesn’t hold back on the killing, so if you’re a little squeamish this might not be for you. There’s also some upsetting scenes involving children which may distress. However, if you’re a hardened crime reader of the twisted and macabre kind, you should devour this fabulously written historical true crime fiction like I did. “Triflers Need Not Apply” will stay on my favourite shelf for ever and I will revisit the enigmatic Belle again for sure.

5 stars for this utterly chilling read….

At first I sympathised with Little Brunhild, even when she killed Anders. But I grew less sure with her attitude to Nellie and her shocking treatment of poor Mads, who came across as a decent man with whom she should have been content. Her killing of Peter was shocking and even worse her attitude to the death of his daughter. From then on the book became a gruesome account of a serial killer which, had it not been based on truth, would have been unbelievable. I have to say I 'enjoyed' (if that's the right word) the second half of the book more, as it was about whether she'd get away with it - which she probably did. It was well written and researched.

Belle Gunness was clearly (and thankfully) a very unusual woman. Born in Norway, she has a skewed view of life and, shaped by her experiences, does not suffer being crossed. She persuades her sister Nellie to send money to help her move to Chicago, where Nellie lives. The story then evolves into a killing spree of immense proportions as Belle, fuelled by her sometimes lover, attracts men with deadly consequences. Seeing her story from her viewpoint and that of her sister made an interesting counterpoint.

That the story is factual makes it more interesting. I found the first part of the book rather slow; it improved in the second half as we learned more about Belle and her compulsion to amass money at any price. The author's note was very interesting, as it explained what was fact and what she had added to make a good story or provide some explanation for what happened.

An interesting read. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The narrative is based on the true story of Belle Gunness and her body farm.. an American settler serial killer. The author has adapted and changed so much of the origins that it shouldn’t be approached as a real true crime and the reader definitely ought to read the afterword.
We are presented with two points of view and narrative - that of Belle and her sister. The sister helps present a sympathetic character who tries to understand Belle’s motives and reasons with her about her actions. The reader is presented with an “origin story” whereby Belle as a young girl in Norway is made pregnant by her landlord’s son and in order to avoid responsibility, the man deliberately causes a miscarriage and tries to murder Belle. She gets revenge and then moves to the USA to make her fortune by murder and insurance scams.
The angle not so explored is Belle’s manic acquisition of wealth and insecurities around having enough food. Initially she hoards food to excess and always wants more than she has got. Is this linked to the America of dreams and possibilities, that she feels this way? Once in the US, she becomes ruthless in her drive for money and security; never satisfied with her lot like her sister.
There is a lot of tragic innocent death within this story and due to the lack of any justice by the law or otherwise, it felt very much that life was disposable in the ultimate goals of this psychopath.

From the publisher: Belle Sorensen loves men. She loves them to death . . .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 the true story of Belle Gunness whose murderous rampage began in Chicago in 1900, Triflers Need Not Apply is a novelistic tour de force exploring one woman's determination to pay men back for all they have taken.

I found this to be quite an unusual read, though undoubtedly Belle Sorensen did have a most unusual life. From her early experiences in Norway and through the gruesome murders she commits in America, this was a dark and unsettling read. The quality of the writing was excellent although I did find some parts perhaps over detailed and maybe too long. However, the voices of Belle and her sister Nellie did shine through. I had difficulty with the typesetting of the Kindle edition, there were numbers throughout the text and the spacing was very erratic, it made it difficult read to read fluently but it was possible. I didn't read up in advance so I don't know how much of it was true, nevertheless, a gritty and sombre portrayal of a woman not to be messed with.

*A big thank-you to Camilla Bruce, Penguin Michael Joseph UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I never heard of this female serial killer before I picked up this book. The author gives voice to two sisters, immigrants from Norway, who at the turn of the 19th century Chicago try to better their lives. The younger sister, Belle, survived a most tragic event that results in her wish to dominate over men and make them pay for her suffering. The older sister, Nellie, feeling responsible for Belle, tries not to notice some signals until the moment comes when she has to confront her sibling.
The author succeeds in presenting the period and setting well and in telling a true crime story in an engaging way. This is not a high quality writing, however, the fictionalized version of events reads really well.

This book starts off like a kind of revenge story, reminded me of the saying "A woman scorned" but the more you read you soon start to realise it's a twisted, bloody, gory, horror, haunting book, but OMFG I loved it. It may sound weird but I loved Bella Gunness, even though she is a twisted serial killer, I am very glad I wasn't born a man living in the 18oo/1900's though. Camilla described the look that Bella gave to people so well that I really felt she was actually looking at me, and that scared the shit out of me. The details of Bella's butchery was really gory and sick but I just could not stop reading. When Bella accidentally killed her children it was heart breaking, more so than when she killed the men in her life. The characters in this book will stay with me for a very long time. It's the best true crime, fictional book I have ever read and I really hope this get's made into a film or even a series. It truly is a PHENOMENAL read and I will be recommending it to everyone.

Bella Sorensen may live in a man’s world, but she knows how to get what she wants from it (and them). Mindful of what she needs to do in order to triumph, the would-be protagonist – you’ll sort of root for her and against her equally throughout reading – intends to prove to the world that women have it in their hearts to be as ruthless and cut-throat as any male. What happens next? A killing spree that will surprise and shock readers, though you sort of admire Bella in the process. Her older sister Nellie watches on in horror as Bella’s antics increase and increase until a glorious crescendo. The reader is afforded the sisters’ world through both their perspectives, which adds to your understanding of Bella – to think of her only as a cruel murderer is too two-dimensional and doesn’t do her, or Camilla’s writing, justice. This is based on the true story of Belle Gunness, the original female serial killer.

Just fantastic!

I was utterly engrossed by this book, utterly.

It’s upsetting, hilarious, gruesome, but also full of love, and had me on tenderhooks quite a lot.

The author’s style of writing really made the whole story come to life, and I felt every page. I couldn’t wait to pick this book up every day just to see what was going to happen.

Yeah, she may be a mass murderer, and I did get flashes of horror of what she was, but overall….I liked her!

Really huge thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

I'm really sorry, but I couldn't get into this book at all and didn't finish. I won't be posting a review. My apologies to the publisher and the author, thank you for giving me the chance to read it.

I’m a big fan of historical fiction, so I knew this would be right up my street! The fact it’s based on fact made it all the more grisly and harrowing, and I raced through it.

The first part was a bit of a slow burner and became a little repetitive at times, but by the time the killing began I was hooked!

Worth a read!

Wow, make sure you have plenty of time when you start this book as you won't want to put it down! This is historical fiction, based on the true story of Bella Sorenson. She emigrated to America from Norway in the 1890s. Bella was treated badly by a man when she was young, so she decided to wreak her revenge and turned into one of the most prolific female serial killers ever. Her older sister Nellie tries to support and help her, but ends up suspecting her little sister of dreadful things. This book hooked me from the start, Bella is one of those 'love to hate' characters and knowing the story was based on actual events is shocking. I'd highly recommend this book.

Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce
Pub Date 5 August 2021
Belle Sorensen loves men.
She loves them to death.
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 glorious, dreadful fruition . . .
Based on the true story of Belle Gunness whose murderous rampage began in Chicago in 1900, Triflers Need Not Apply is a novelistic tour de force exploring one woman's determination to pay men back for all they have taken.
I was looking forward to reading Triflers Need Not Apply, but unfortunately, I did not finish it.
Unfortunately, not for me this time.
I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph UK and Camila Bruce for a pre-publication copy to review.

I started this book with great anticipation, I really enjoy historical crime. Somehow I had missed that this was based on a true story and that made it all the more terrifying. It was extremely grim, Belle was not a person that you could warm to despite the author’s valiant attempts to soften her outlook and give potential explanations for her character and subsequent actions. I felt more empathy for Belle's sister and how she was torn between supporting her little sister and stopping her from murdering more people. It would be hard to say that I enjoyed reading this, as it’s about a real person and I prefer fictional crime. But I did get involved with the characters and was intrigued to see how it would end.

Little Brynhild grows up in poverty and violence in late nineteenth century Norway. She hopes to improve her lot after becoming pregnant by the son of the farmer she works for, but rather than agreeing to marry her, he beats her almost to death, causing a miscarriage. Eventua,lly he will pay. She then decides to follow her older sister Nellie to make a better life in America, where she becomes Bella and finds herself a husband, but he does not satisfy her constant hunger for more- more money, more fine food, a more prosperous life. She takes matters into her own hands, and rekindles the thrill she once found in killing the men who disappoint or harm her, and is soon an unstoppable force, murdering for profit and pleasure and escaping detection by the skin of her teeth. Based on the real murderer Belle Gunness, this is an attempt to explore the reasons for her reign of terror. She is seen to have been prone to anger and the need for vengeance even before the attack, and to enjoy inflicting pain, although her constant suffering from the jaw injury caused by the farmer’s son keeps reminding us of this seminal incident. It reads as Victorian gothic horror with a hint of black comedy, and Bella did not seem like a real person tome but rather a villainness from melodrama. The first half of the book gets a bit repetitive and slow before her killing spree begins, and Nellie didn’t seem to have a significant role except to provide a moral contrast to her sister and the voice of disapproval as her suspicions grow. Towards the later part of the book, the descriptions of murder and body disposal become very visceral, which changes the tone. Overall, I found it a bit unsavoury and felt it didn’t add much psychological insight into the mind of a prolific killer.

I really struggled with this one. I tried to persevere but it just didn't hit the spot for me. I'm sorry, I don't like to leave negative reviews

Based on real-life events in the early 1900s: Belle Gunness is a serial killer.
I loved how gruesome it was; she really gets through the bodies! I enjoyed some of the fictional additions, her childhood and the lovers, but wasn't fussed on the parts from Nellie's point of view.

Overall, I thought it was an entertaining read.

[I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. A fascinating fictional account of a real life serial killer. Well written and the author placed you in 1800's America so it seemed you were actually there. Good character's and well paced.

Deliciously dark and marvelously macabre, this new release by Camilla Bruce tells a fictional account of the true (and terrifying) story of Belle Gunness.
Bruce captures the feel of Chicago as it enters the 20th century brilliantly. I can't be sure it's accurate but it feel real enough.
The darkest characters in fiction tend to be male so to have a female subject who intentionally sinks to their level is fascinating.
I couldn't label this a fun read, but it's certainly a fascinating one and it will stay with you long after you put the book down!