Would it be dramatic to say The Five was a traumatizing read? Probably not. Any book about the lives of five doomed women, all reduced to mere nameless footnotes in the mystery revolving around the identity of which asshole murdered them, is bound to be an unpleasant experience. Going into each story, already knowing the outcome that lurks around the corner, is in itself upsetting. But the real surprise is learning the tragic circumstances that befell Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elisabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly long before they encountered Jack the Ripper. Read more...

Belle Gunness. Does that name ring a bell? While a myriad of serial killers receive decades worth of continuous analysis and attention, I believe this is the first book dedicated to this particular murderer. Just to set the stage, Gunness is a woman whose first husband died on the one day his old and new life insurance policies overlapped, and whose second husband died 8 months into their marriage when (she said) a meat grinder fell on his head. And she was just getting started. Read more...

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