Serial killers often captivate the American imagination, but they are often depicted in a way that perpetuates this fascination. This portrayal ignores the fact that these killers are often ordinary individuals who are caught due to their own mistakes or escape prosecution due to the errors of others. Victoria Kielland’s book, MY MEN (Astra House, 194 pp., $25), challenges this by telling the story of the turn-of-the-20th-century serial killer Belle Gunness. In the book, Kielland manages to humanize a killer who murdered and buried untold numbers on her Midwestern homestead before disappearing.
Despite initial reluctance, Kielland was successful in this undertaking. The book, which has been superbly translated by Damion Searls, offers a glimpse into Belle Gunness’s life and showcases the reasons why she ended up becoming a killer. We see her first as Brynhild Storset, a maid who is a victim of brutality in Norway, then as Bella, a traumatized young immigrant with no hope, and finally as the obsessive and calculating Belle who has committed multiple murders and cannot escape her fate.
“The Man in the Corduroy Suit”: James Wolff’s Entrancing Espionage Tale
THE MAN IN THE CORDUROY SUIT (Bitter Lemon Press, 294 pp., paperback, $15.95), by James Wolff, is the last book in his Discipline Files trilogy. MI5 officer Leonard Flood is tasked with spying on other spies allegedly working for the Russians. The book considers the question of who deserves loyalty and whether governments and people can be trusted. Wolff’s writing style is sharp and edgy, with abrupt surprises that keep readers engaged.
“Charlotte Illes Is Not A Detective”: A Delightful Mystery
CHARLOTTE ILLES IS NOT A DETECTIVE (Kensington, 372 pp., paperback, $16.95), the rollicking debut by Katie Siegel, tells the story of a young woman who used to be a detective as a child. Charlotte is living with her parents in suburban New Jersey, with a string of failed job applications and dull dates. When her brother asks her to solve a case involving his girlfriend, she initially resists, but eventually relents and applies her old investigative skills. The story moves at a good pace, with Charlotte being a standout character that readers will enjoy.
“The Long Ago”: Michael McGarrity’s Tale of Family and Crime
THE LONG AGO (Norton, 364 pp., $28.95) by Michael McGarrity is a family saga that deals with crime. The book tells the story of the Lansdale siblings, Ray and Barbara, who were able to escape their tumultuous childhoods by retreating into a shared fantasy world they call the “Long Ago.” As adults, Ray becomes an Army soldier in the early 1960s, and Barbara flees their hometown. Ray returns from the Army and searches for her. This book deviates from McGarrity’s prior Western trilogy and Kevin Kerney series, and while it is filled with crime and violence, it is more about family history than a true crime novel.
