There's not too much I can say about this book other than with a name like the Butcher of Men I expected so much more. While Schechter is witty as a writer I can say that I honestly didn't enjoy his writing style. Most of the words he used and how he described things just didn't sit well with me. Is he a bad writer? Absolutely not, he just is not my cup of tea. I was just so disappointed with this book, I am appreciative all the work that Schechter went to when it comes to research and compiling his data as the book is well researched. It just felt like I was reading a long essay and I was bored. So I put the book down and just have not wanted to pick it back up. I refuse to spend my time reading books that I don't enjoy. ( )

Ah Harold, it seems sometimes you tend to get a little long-winded just for the purpose of adding pages to your book. There was a lot of extraneous information in this book that was really rather unnecessary to the story. While historical in nature, it really didn't serve much purpose in my opinion. ( )

I read the Kindle copy while listening to the Audible version. I thought the narrator, Malcolm Hillgartner, was good. He held my attention. My guy, who was listening, thought he did well too.
I followed along on the Kindle because it is a twisted tale. Her crimes were committed over years and there were a number of theories about what happened. I like that the authors gave us what was known and thought then let us decide what we thought happened. The Kindle book has a number of interesting things to look at that I may have missed if I had just listened.
We both found this a fascinating book. This is our second book by these authors. We are definitely planning to read more by them. From the two books we have read, we believe, they do extensive research to write well written books that are interesting and thought provoking. We have been having numerous entertaining discussions. Both of us recommend this book to those interested in true crime cases. ( )

There's not too much I can say about this book other than with a name like the Butcher of Men I expected so much more. While Schechter is witty as a writer I can say that I honestly didn't enjoy his writing style. Most of the words he used and how he described things just didn't sit well with me. Is he a bad writer? Absolutely not, he just is not my cup of tea. I was just so disappointed with this book, I am appreciative all the work that Schechter went to when it comes to research and compiling his data as the book is well researched. It just felt like I was reading a long essay and I was bored. So I put the book down and just have not wanted to pick it back up. I refuse to spend my time reading books that I don't enjoy. ( )

A true crime speed read about Belle Gunness, a serial killer of gullible Norwegian immigrants whose money and lives she stole after soliciting their aid in running her farm through ads in Norwegian newspapers, promising marriage and property if they came to her with all their cash and no inconvenient personal encumberments (like inquisitive family members who might miss them if they disappeared). Not overly graphic, but not sparing of details as she dismembered and buried the hapless fellers in rapid succession on her "lovely farm" in Indiana during the first decade of the 20th century. In addition to the prospective husbands, there is also a distinct possibility that Belle murdered several children entrusted to her care. I was disappointed that there were no photographs except the one on the cover in the library edition I read, especially after one review particularly mentioned "cool graphics and evidence and photos throughout the book". Most non-fiction needs illustrations, I find. And references to photographs of main actors in the drama should always be accompanied by those photographs,no? Schechter has a reads-easy style, doesn't play sensationalist games with the reader (although the chapter headings are a bit of a tease), and readily admits that even though he had hoped to solve the mystery of Belle's own uncertain demise, the facts are simply not conclusive. ( )