The Murderess (2024) by Laurie Notaro is a historical true crime novel based on notorious “trunk murderess” Winnie Ruth Judd. In October 1931, Judd arrives from Phoenix at the Los Angeles train station and her trunks soon attract attention from the station porters, as there appears to be blood oozing from them. By the time the trunks are opened, revealing the dismembered bodies of two women, Judd has disappeared, and a frantic search begins. When Judd is eventually apprehended, the media and the public demand to know what led a young doctor’s wife to kill two of her best friends. Even though Judd’s actions are horrific, her story up to the point of the murders is one of untreated mental illness and dealing with an unstable husband, set against the backdrop of the Great Depression. This book will appeal to true crime enthusiasts and historical fiction fans who are able to deal with some very gruesome passages.