The Devil's Rooming House: The True Story of America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer

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More About This Book

Overview

A silent, simmering killer terrorized New England in 1911. A heat wave unlike any that had come before killed people in the streets, caused others to drown in the waters where they sought relief, and drove still others to suicide. As more than 2,000 people died during the natural disaster, another silent killer began her own murderous spree. Amy Archer-Gilligan operated the Archer Home for Elderly People and Chronic Invalids in Windsor, Connecticut. What was thought to be a respectable business run by a pioneering woman was exposed as little more than a murder factory. Amy would be accused of murdering both her husbands and dozens (as many as sixty) of her elderly patients with cocktails of lemonade and arsenic—all for money. She would be convicted and sentenced to hang, and her story would shock turn-of-the-century America and provide the inspiration for the Broadway sensation and classic film Arsenic and Old Lace. Acclaimed crime writer M. William Phelps has written the first book to tell the true story of greed and murder even more shocking than its fictional counterpart.

 

Readers will enter a kind of Twilight Zone where a Bible-thumping caretaker and entrepreneur of the nursing home industry became one of history’s most evil female serial killers. With first-hand accounts from Amy’s “inmates,” riveting trial transcripts, and accounts from the investigative journalists who covered the case, Phelps puts readers face-to-face with a woman who was both a Black Widow and an Angel of Death. And Phelps paints a vivid, spine-chilling portrait of turn-of-the-century New England.

 

This is historical true crime at its best.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781599216010
  • Publisher: Globe Pequot Press
  • Publication date: 4/1/2010
  • Pages: 303
  • Sales rank: 596,376
  • Product dimensions: 5.80 (w) x 8.40 (h) x 1.30 (d)

Meet the Author

M. William Phelps, whom Radio America called “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer,” is the author of many books, including Perfect Poison: A Female Serial Killer’s Deadly Medicine. He consulted on the first season of the Showtime TV drama Dexter, and his dozens of national TV appearances include the Discovery Channel, CBS’ Early Show, and Good Morning America. 

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 69 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(13)

4 Star

(24)

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(15)

2 Star

(10)

1 Star

(7)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 69 Customer Reviews

  • Posted September 27, 2010

    A Very Interesting Read

    I picked up this book with some trepidation, given the very bad review given by the previous reader. However I am now not sure he and I read the same book. This is an interesting true story of a female serial killer in the early years of the 20th century, a woman who ran a sort of boarding house and then murdered her "inmates" for financial gain. Whereas the other reviewer took exception to the background setting of the severe heatwave of 1911, I found it interesting as well as providing a background for the tale. And while the loss of the Titanic did not directly impact the story, it did give us a contex in which it was set. I found the book well written, well put together and exhaustively researched, and if I would fault the author on anything it would be for the overuse of a few catch phrases like "backing down". The personalities and motives of the main characters never fail to interest, and one thing I found worth reading about was what life was like before regulation. I mean how does a private citizen buy 10lbs of arsenic and no one appears to think twice about it. While I would not put this alongside "The Devil in the White City" I did find it a page-turner in the best sense. Recommended.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 4, 2011

    One of my favorites

    I really enjoy this authors writing style and the way he tells this story. I have read 6 of his books and this was one if my favorites, a page turner, and very well researched as is the case with all his books!

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  • Posted January 28, 2011

    An eye-opening read

    The Devil's Rooming House is a well-researched account of what can happen when lack of governmental supervision allows well-meaning intentions to meet abject greed. Although, the plot of this story is evident, Phelps, leads us through it play by play. Documenting one of America's prolific female serial killers, we find ourselves asking, sadly, where are the authorities? Despite its' lack of suspense, the book is riveting read.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 23, 2010

    Interesting read if you're into American History.

    I was expecting a slightly different type of book when I started reading it. The beginning was slow due to being interrupted with a side plot of a heat wave that wasn't really beneficial to the story. Loved how the story was written in regards to Amy Archer and her horrendous deeds. Decent writing about a little known incident in American history. Enjoyed it very much.

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  • Posted November 19, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Excellent read!

    Unlike most people I didn't know anything about a heat wave in 1911 - and what I had heard about Arsenic and Old Lace was confined to the movie...

    Wow.

    This book takes you through what has to be one of the most chilling cases of serial murder in history and with a female killer to boot - if you like good detective stories and excellent historical documentation and writing, grab this book.

    It's well worth every penny and then some.

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  • Posted November 6, 2010

    Very Intriguing

    This book starts slow with a lot of background history of the happenings of the early 1900's, but I think it helps create a solid foundation for the story of Amy Archer-Gilligan.
    I didn't mind reading all about the heat wave and enjoyed the other random facts of those years. It helped paint a picture of what life was like back then.
    I felt very sad for Amy's victims - especially Franklin Andrews.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 31, 2010

    boring.....

    poorly written. like bad first semester student work. you would think it impossible to make serial killings boring...especially when the crimes happened in your own childhood town! well, this writer has done the impossible. it's a page turner in that you cannot turn the page after page about the weather fast enough. early on the author writes @ length about a weather related suicide. i spent several chapters waiting for him to connect this person to the story. but there was no connection. he even writes about the titantic. don't ask me why. the titantic is not related to the murders either.

    0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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