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Devil's Rooming House
Devil's Rooming House: The True Story of America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer | M. William Phelps
5 posts | 13 read | 39 to read
The gripping tale of a legendary, century-old murder spree *** A silent, simmering killer terrorized New England in1911. As a terrible heat wave killed more than 2,000 people, another silent killer began her own murderous spree. That year a reporter for the Hartford Courant noticed a sharp rise in the number of obituaries for residents of a rooming house in Windsor, Connecticut, and began to suspect who was responsible: Amy Archer-Gilligan, whod opened the Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids four years earlier. Sister Amy would be accused of murdering both of her husbands and up to sixty-six of her patients with cocktails of lemonade and arsenic; her story inspired the Broadway hit Arsenic and Old Lace. The Devils Rooming House is the first book about the life, times, and crimes of Americas most prolific female serial killer. In telling this fascinating story, M. William Phelps also paints a vivid portrait of early-twentieth-century New England.
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callielafleur
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Pickpick

This was fine. The beginning was interesting, the tie-in with the 1911 heatwave was interesting, but the overall tone was occasionally too conversational for my taste- for example, men are often referred to as "this guy". But the story itself is so fascinating that I'm bumping it to a pick.

74 likes5 stack adds
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callielafleur
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Taking some Callie time this morning at my favorite coffee shop. ☕❤️📖

OriginalCyn620 Enjoy! 👍🏻 5y
JoScho Looks lovely 🧡 5y
82 likes2 comments
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callielafleur
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Got a good way into this one, but now it is time to go with my mom to a craft fair. Fingers crossed that I remember to spend more on others than myself!

83 likes3 stack adds
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HiddenGemBooks
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As a terrible heat wave in the summer of 1911 killed more than 2,000 people, a silent killer began her own murderous spree. That year a reporter for the Hartford Courant noticed a rise in the number of obituaries for residents of a rooming house and began to suspect Amy, who‘d opened Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids. She would soon be accused of murdering up to 66 of her patients with lemonade and arsenic. This is her story.

Reviewsbylola Wow, this sounds incredible! And I truly don‘t know how they lived before AC. Especially considering how voluminous clothes used to be. 6y
bookish_wookish I love reading books that take place in my state! I have to add this to my ever growing TBR! 6y
emilyhaldi WowZa!!!! 6y
51 likes13 stack adds3 comments
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LeahBergen
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#Criminals

This is my latest true crime purchase and the inspiration for the film, Arsenic and Old Lace - the real story of the woman who murdered her two husbands and up to 66 (!) boarders in early 1900's New England.

#NotableNovember

Tamra Very sinister cover! 6y
DGRachel I didn‘t realize the movie was based on a book. I love that film. 6y
See All 14 Comments
KVanRead Whoa that‘s a lot of yellow fever victims for poor Teddy to bury.😂 I love that movie. 6y
andrew61 Years since I've seen the film but i recollect its darkly funny with a couple of little old ladies - may try and look it up. 6y
TricksyTails Oh this looks good! Love me some true crime. 6y
DeborahSmall Arsenic and old Lace is fantastic ❤️ 6y
Hollie Yikes! 6y
LeahBergen @Tamra @rubyslippersreads Right?? Yikes. 😬 6y
LeahBergen @DGRachel @KVanRead @andrew61 @DeborahSmall I was surprised to read how much nastier the real story is. 😬 6y
LeahBergen @TricksyTails Me, too. 👍🏻 6y
LeahBergen @Hollie Yep! 😆 6y
kspenmoll Have to read this as I live with in 15 minutes of where it happened ( Windsor, CT) yet I have never heard this story! 6y
LeahBergen @kspenmoll I never knew that Arsenic and Old Lace was based (somewhat) on a true story. 😮 6y
95 likes9 stack adds14 comments