A review by nixbix_reads
Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce

4.0

I always find true crime stories fascinating - I like knowing what makes these horrible people tick & how they try to justify their crimes. This story is the fictionalised story of the real Belle Gunness, widely known as one of America’s first female serial killers. Fact is intricately woven with fiction and at first I felt sympathetic towards Belle - the circumstances of her life have lead to an existence that is less than what she desires - but that sympathy soon left. As Belle goes through life, we see her flatter & manipulate the people around her in her pursuit to be more than what she came from, only leaving her true colours for those she is comfortable with or for those that she feels don’t matter. While most of the book is from Belle’s perspective, I enjoyed those chapters that were from Nellie’s perspective. Belle’s older sister shared my growing horror with what Belle was doing & I can certainly understand why Nellie was both afraid of and afraid for Belle. I also appreciated the author’s note about what was fact, what was fiction, and what was embellished. This was a disturbing & morbid read that was also a compelling page turner.