⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 "Murder is one of the very few human activities that can horrify and delight us." For those who know this case (or have not for that matter), you will be unable to put this book down. Looking into the different theories, and providing succinct theories, it leads you to really think as to whether we will ever find out who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

Who put Bella in the Wych Elm? The partial skeletal remains of a women was found in a wych elm in Hagley wood by four young boys on the 18th of April 1943. They initially planned to tell no one of the discovery of the skull, until the guilt got far too much for one of the boys and he told his parents. When the police arrived they found that there was still some hair attached to the skull and that she was missing some teeth. There were irregularities in her jaw which led detectives to believe that they would soon find the woman via dental reports. However, to no avail. The discovery was made during the way and even though missing person reports were scoured, "Bella" could not be found. Since the discovery of the remains, hundreds of theories have come about as to what could have happened to "Bella". From the work of the occult, too that of espionage, or even that of a ritual death. However, nearly 80 years later, the question still remains. Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?

This is one those cases that people just seem to know and have their own theories on such as the disappearance of Madeline McCann and the identity of Jack the Ripper. I had known of this case many years prior to having read this book and could not believe how wrong I was in believing what had happened. It began with simple misunderstandings I previously had- the boys were schoolboys (they were not they were of age for school but were working, we don't know for certain which boy found the body, we don't know for certain where the tree even was (the infamous photo is of something different entirely), and I think most importantly, her name isn't Bella. This book explores all of those discrepancies previously established, and I think for anyone who knows the case, to definitely give this a read. I am a big true crime podcast listener, but to actually read a book where evidence is scrutinised, theories are debunked, it was a whole different experience.

The book also explores at the start (what I believe to be extremely pertinent right now) the implication that the media had on this case. There were incorrect reporting about her clothing for one. It was repeatedly mentioned how the papers wished to sell the juicy story, the one where the fact that a young woman has died is eradicated. The theories of the occult, the theories of Nazi espionage, the theories of her as a lover of an intelligence officer are what this case is known for. However, the fact remains that the identity of the woman remains unknown.

The author provided his own theories at the end, and it was just such a jaw dropping moment as each sentence something else was tied in to another. It was incredible, and the first I had heard of such a theory. However, for now this case has been formally closed, her clothes are no longer, nor are her remains in a disclosed location. It is unclear whether we will know her true identity, but until that day, this book will provide you with all you need to know. Thank you netgalley for the arc!

Bella, whose skull was found by four boys wedged in a tree’s hollow near Hagley in Worcestershire England on 18 April 1943 along with remnants of clothing and finger bones dispersed around the trunk. The Police where then contacted and set to work. They contacted every dentist in the country, hoping to identify the victim by her distinctive teeth which protruded forward, plus one of her front teeth was missing. And it was proved that it had been removed within the last twelve months. Sadly, not only did dentists remove teeth but back street people would remove a bad tooth with no credentials back then. The police also painstakingly eliminated all missing persons from the area which turned up nothing.
Painstaking detective and forensic work did not reveal who the victim was. Sadly, the mystery has endured because of sporadic outbreaks of graffiti in the area, which first started appearing six months after the body was found Was it the killer or somebody who knew her tormenting the police.
Unfortunately, That crucial piece of evidence the skull has been lost by police along with other evidence over the years. But the more pertinent question is, who was Bella?
Bella’s body had rotted in the woodland for at least eighteen months before she was found. The murder could be ritualistic and had all the hallmarks of a Satanic ceremony. Some say Bella was a Nazi spy, Others believe she was slain after tripping upon a Third Reich “cell”, Was Bella the spy’s lover and a singer or a gypsy girl who got in the wrong crowd and became a prostitute.
These are some of the questions as Bella’s body still to this day has never been identified. In this book there are a few different people she could be that have never been identified. Is she Clara Bauerle or somebody else entirely. To this day it has proven to be as enduring a mystery.
M.J. Trow has researched and written an excellent book and has come up with his own theories which I found very interesting but the book has left me pondering the question of who put “Bella” in the wych elm. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.