It feels a bit weird to love this book, given that it is based on a real life serial killer... but it's amazing!!! Hooked right from the start. It is gruesome, and dark.
Highly recommend

When I saw this book on Netgalley I had to request it. I enjoy historical fiction and also enjoy reading thrillers and crime novels. This book promised to be a mix of both.

The novel is based on the true story of a female serial killer who was a Norwegian immigrant to America. What made this novel more of an interesting read was the manner in which the protagonist was treated. The writer uses both Belle (previously Brynhild) and her sister Nellie as narrators. This enables her to explore the nature of Belle’s crimes but also the possible motivations for them, lending an extra dimension to the story. There has been a fair bit of artistic license taken, but the character of Belle is generally well-formed and believable.

Belle’s crimes get progressively violent and shocking - starting with the poisoning of a man who impregnates her and then beats the baby out of her. By her second husband, Belle is burying a meat cleaver in his skull! Some of the descriptions are quite graphic, but personally I did not find them gratuitous. The descriptions served only to demonstrate the horror of the crimes committed, and Belle’s matter-of-fact narration shows her dispassionate and unemotional approach to the murder of the men - a task she likens to farming.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a slightly darker type of historical fiction. It reminded me of Sweeney Todd, and books I have read about Jack the Ripper. So if that is what you enjoy, go for it!

Based on the true story of Belle Gunness whose killing spree 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.

Where do I even begin… this book was fascinating, addictive, sickening and mind blowing. As a far of true crime I cannot believe I have lived my life without hearing of Belle Gunness - a housewife, mother, farm keeper and serial killer. Whilst the book is based on Belle and her history of killing men it is important to remember that most of the novel has been fabricated, however, having now followed up on a few online searches of Belle Gunness you can see why Camilla Bruce chose her as the basis for a novel. There are so many unknowns about her, i.e. her life prior to moving to Chicago, why she chose to do what she did, whether she had help and how many hick ups she experienced while carrying out her mission. The book is certainly thought provoking as you know that this woman did infact exist over 100 years ago and, for me certainly, prompts us to wonder ‘what makes someone a killer’. I’ve always been fascinated with the psychology of serial killers as there is always a question of are killers born or are they made - for me, I always believe they are made. It takes a series of events to turn someone to murder, I can’t imagine someone just waking up someday and becoming a killer - it must be a notion developed over time. And as for Bella, I can certainly imagine her young life being as described in Triflers Need Not Apply and it saddens me. No young person should live a life of hardship, especially to the extent described in the novel but it’s important to remind ourselves that such cases were the “norm” back in the 19th century.

One of the most alluring aspects of Belle’s case is the mystery on her death. I shan’t spoil the novel but a simple Wikipedia search will give the game away as they were never convinced that Belle died in the house fire which claimed her children’s lives - a bit like Jack the Ripper in that regard - we all seem to have a fascination for the ones which got away.

I’d highly recommend this to lovers of not only true crime but to historical fiction fans also as there is much to be enjoyed with the setting and time frame of the book.

Based on the true story of Bella Gunness, female serial killer in the USA at the beginning of the 1900. Bella starts her life in a small village in Norway, where she suffers a vicious beating from the farmer's son that got her pregnant. She then moves to Chicago to be with her sister Nellie (the story is narrated by both Nellie and Bella) - looking for a better an richer life, she gets married, but married life soon becomes boring...and the killings continue.
Chilling and gory trip inside the mind of a serial killer.

I was given an eArc of this book for review on NetGalley and would like to thank the publisher.

Triflers Need Not Apply is part fact and part fiction. It is loosely the story of Belle Gunness, once a young Norwegian girl, who now lives on in infamy as a serial killer in America. I say the story is partly fact in the sense that she did exist, she was a murderer and some of the victims and methods are true. Other parts of the story are either gossip, rumour or entirely made up by the author who fully discloses this in the epilogue of the book.

I enjoyed this book. The writing really brings the characters to life, especially Belle and her motivations for doing what she did. The reality is sadly that we don’t know but I enjoyed the authors take on what may have been the reason. That perhaps she was not just wholly wicked.

I’d recommend this book to someone who has tried to read true crime but struggles with reading non-fiction.

For some reason I was completely muddled on what this book was all about. I was expecting something lighthearted, so the darkness within through me, but eventually hooked me. All the while I was thinking' blimey I wonder who influenced the author to come up with such a dreadful character' only then to find out she was real. A horribly compelling book.

I was really looking forward to reading Triflers Need Not Apply from the blurb on the book but I am sorry to say I found it quite a slog and really slow.

I found it very repetitive and to be honest I nearly gave up but I did want to find out how it would end for Belle. I also thought that some of it was unrealistic with the way Belle was supposed to have managed .getting dead bodies down into the cellar on her own..

I would like to thank Penguin Michael Joesph UK and NetGalley for the ARC cop[y that they sent me.and which I have given my unbiased review.

Thanks to Penguin for a review copy.

This is the fictionalised story of America’s first female serial killer, Bella Sorenson (although she does have a couple of other names in the book). In the author’s notes she explains how she has tried to cast as much of the true story as she has been able to ascertain into a readable form and, as such, it works very well.

The story is told by two characters, Bella herself and her sister Nellie. Both women write in the first person (and past tense). The story opens with Bella’s early life in Norway where she lives with her abusive father and weak mother. An event takes place there which will shape her whole future life and, to a large extent, mould her into the person she will become.

She soon moves to America to join her sister and start a new life but finds herself unable to recover from the trauma she has experienced.

It is almost impossible to read the book without feeling some degree of sympathy for Bella, despite the fact that her deeds become increasingly evil as the story moves on. There is no doubt that she had some form of mental illness and that this drove her to commit her crimes. With the far greater understanding around these issues which is prevalent today someone in her situation could seek help and treatment before things got out of hand, however back at the turn of the twentieth century no such assistance was available and Bella had to cope on her own.

Nellie does her best to help her sister whilst trying to protect her own family but as the book goes on she realises what is going on and has to wrestle with her conscience as to the best course of action.

The book reads in many ways like a thriller but seen from the perspective of the ‘baddie’ rather than those trying to catch her. It is, without doubt an exciting and compelling read, albeit tinged with tragedy as we know it is, to a large extent, a true story and the victims were real people. There is a twist at the end which those, like me, encountering Bella for the first time may well not see coming and which I found to be really quite shocking.

This is not my ‘usual’ sort of book, I was kindly invited to read the story rather than requesting it. I am glad I did; it is a harrowing and unflinching account of one woman’s tragic spiral into a truly dreadful and horrifying series of crimes and yet the reader can see her despair as she becomes more aware of the illness that increasingly governs her actions.

Whilst undoubtedly being a page turner it is not an easy read but it is certainly worth the effort for those who enjoy true crime. Camilla Bruce has managed the hugely difficult task of making a pretty unpleasant person much more understandable. Using Nellie as the voice of sanity and the conscience that Bella lacks is a brilliant touch as her chapters provide some relief from the growing darkness that clouds Bella and her victims’ unhappy lives. If nothing else reading this story should reinforce the truism that, no matter what, there are always two sides to every story and however evil someone may appear to be, they too have a tale to tell.

I know you shouldn’t but I just loved the evil side to this book. The fact that women have been overlooked and ignored for years makes this book all the sweeter. Very cleverly written.

A rollicking roller coaster of a read that gradually got darker the more one read.
Suberbly written characters from the main one to the secondary characters.
It transported me to the time and place of the late 1800's early 1900's,really made me think I was living and breathing that time period so engrossed was I.
A truly spellbinding read!.
Well done to the author I loved it!

This was an Historical Fiction about a Norwegian s0ciopath who moved to America, and got away with multiple murders. It was a fascinating story but unbelievable that she wasn't brought to book over any of the murders. I am not entirely sure of which were true and which not so difficult to comment further..

Triflers Need Not Apply is a fictional recreation of real-life serial killer Bella Sorensen/Gunness and follows her as she grows from a young girl in Norway, moves to the US and commences a murderous rampage killing men, women and children alike.

The story is told from two perspectives: Bella and her sister, Nellie, an ordinary hard-working woman torn between protecting her baby sister and horror at her unfolding actions.

Bella is clearly disturbed and violent but the author writes her so well, that you can sometimes find yourself rooting for her (especially against those who have done her wrong).

The book is written almost like a diary with both sisters talking directly to the reader. It’s fascinating to get into Bella’s mind and see how she views her own actions and the emotionless logic she applies, making her a cold yet captivating narrator.

This story has a real anxious energy, making you nervous for what she will do next and instilling fear for the characters you have come to know. A really gripping thriller and a unique way of telling the story – I loved it!

Belle Sorrensen lives a hard life in Norway. She works hard while living in poverty with her family. A violent encounter with her employers son opens her eyes to the way society treats women and starts her campaign of remorseless revenge.
She emigrated to America with help from her sister, who immediately notices her cute little sister has changed and is now quite a cold, ambitious person. Belle is not content to work her fingers to the bone for a few pennies and makes it quite clear that she intends to improve her status so she can live without worrying how to provide for her family. Unfortunately for her husband and future husbands, this involves a few suspicious fires and more than one hefty life insurance payout.

This is an exciting tale that's was difficult to put down. Just when you think Belle can't get any worse she sinks lower and lower until she loses all sense of morality. To make matters worse, Belles story is based on the real life serial killer of the same name.

There are lots of interesting characters that help to show how wicked Belles crimes are, but also to show how she could have become such an evil person. The love her sister pours over her constantly is really heartwarming
What shines through most of all is the love Belle has for her young children. She has an overwhelming maternal instinct that shows the only glimmer of humanity left inside her.
A fantastic but utterly wicked book.

A woman offering to off your annoying husband? Based on a true story? Are you hooked yet? If you’re married then you definitely are….go in with caution and with the expectation this will be disturbing and a difficult read….don’t take this just to be a light hearted read. It’s not

Norway late 19th century. Brybhild is the youngest child to a family who have very little. The mother tries her best but the father drinks too much and is a wastrel and violent. Brynhild is ambitious and makes herself available to the son of the farmer who she works for as a kitchen maid. When she becomes pregnant and insists that the young man must marry her, he beats her so badly that she loses the baby. She bides her time and gets her ultimate revenge. She also persuades her eldest sister who is married and living in Chicago USA to help her emigrate.
Once she gets to America she ignores giving help to her sister who is pregnant and goes exploring.
Brynhild is now calling herself Bella and soon persuades an older man to marry her. He will soon wish he hadn't. Bella cares for nobody but herself. Once she meets James Lee a psychopath, who sees in Bella a kindred spirit, they commence on a trail of destruction that leave many dead in their wake. You feel sorry for Nellie who is Bella's elder sister. She wants to think the best of her sister because of a difficult home life, but it starts to dawn on her that her sister is dangerous, and she fears for herself and her family. Bella will use her sexuality and her cunning to get what she wants.
Apparently based loosely on a true story, this can be a difficult read. Very interesting though. The sub title is "in the garden of spite".
This is the third novel by a Norwegian author. Recommended.

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and Michael J Books.

This is such a fascinating book! And it’s based on a true story which makes it even more interesting!

I thought this was going to be a story where a discreet advert is placed in newspapers offering to kill husbands. Not someone who murders men that annoy her.

I did find it to be a bit long winded in places. It took me nearly 2 weeks to read it because it was slow and too detailed. It could be edited a bit to shorten it so it’s less waffly.

At the end it does detail which bits are fact and which are fiction. However, I loved the combination of the authors interpretation mixed with the facts of Belle’s life.

This book has sparked an interest in this woman and now I need to do further reading into her history.

I had never heard of Belle Gunness but was intrigued by the book’s description. A story that explores one woman's determination to pay men back for all they have taken. Yep – give me some of that!

Belle’s childhood is harsh. She lives in poverty and as she approaches womanhood is brutally assaulted. It is this event that leads her to wreak revenge for the first time. The ramifications of this assault haunt her all her life. It’s almost as if an empathetic door shuts inside her and she refuses to ever open it again. From now on, she will put herself first and she will be the one who decides her fate. And this involves manipulating, exploiting and killing men. Is it always for revenge? For financial gain? Or something deeper? She feels most alive after killing and begins to crave that feeling. Towards the end of the book, she no longer needs the money, but still, she entices men with promises of marriage to her rural farm. It’s as if we are allowed access into a deeply damaged and slowly unravelling mind.

The writing is often lyrical – especially in the opening sections and later, when Belle falls in love with her babies. There is a mid-section that is slow, and I felt as if we were witnessing the same events over and over. I also felt that the second pov voice of Nellie, her good-hearted sister, was at times frustrating. She loves her younger sibling but please – acknowledge what she’s capable of and go and stop her doing it, would you?

I turned the pages with horror and often felt quite distanced from the action (I think to protect myself!). Yet throughout (and this is due to the quality of the writing) I never once wanted to put the book down and forget about Belle. It was an unsettling read. Belle is deeply disturbed. But she is also a victim of a childhood trauma that has broken her. Watching the horror develop and so many lives ruined was not exactly a pleasurable read but was certainly one I will not forget.

Not knowing anything of the remarkable true story that lies at the heart of this book, it was an extraordinary read! It was gripping from the first page to the last. It's hard to believe that a woman could have been responsible for so many murders and to have got away with them so effortlessly, or so it seemed. Camilla Bruce has done a sterling job of filling in the blanks and inventing plausible reasons for why Belle turned out the way she did. I can only imagine it being quite a disturbing process, being inside the head of a serial killer.

I would thoroughly recommend this book to all lovers of real life crime.

This was a fascinating read about Bella a young Norwegian girl who travels to Chicago to start a new life after suffering a horrendous ordeal. However the young naive girl she was has now turned into a bitter adult with a macabre vengeance on men. Well written this was a book I couldn't put down to the finish!

Belle Gunness was a piece of Norwegian folklore and my goodness, if she had existed according to our author, she would have been quite terrifying! I couldn’t say I enjoyed this story - it’s just not that kind of book! However, I did find it fascinating and was intrigued to know the outcome according to the author! A troubled young Norwegian girl travels to Chicago to escape her awful history and to stay with her sister.
She soon moves out and marries a fellow Norwegian but the marriage ends in suspicious circumstances, fires and deaths seem to follow Belle! Her sister Nellie has her suspicions but is afraid to confront them! Babies appear but husbands disappear! Things become rather gory and at times a little implausible. Certainly a very different tale of life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century America!