Mary Flora Bell: The Horrific True Story Behind an Innocent Girl Serial Killer

Title: Mary Flora Bell: The Horrific True Story Behind an Innocent Girl Serial Killer

Author:  Nancy A. Veysey and Ryan Becker

Publisher: Sea Vision Publishing

Series: Real Crime by Real Killers, Volume 5

ISBN: 9781987467888

Length: 92 pages + "Preview of True Crime Stories: 12 Terrifying True Crime Murder Cases, Vol 3"

Obtained: Library copy (from another library system, but not ILL)

Comments:

The grammar, particularly the punctuation, needs work.  The story itself is somewhat scattered and could use being reorganized.  It is also much to conversational, rather than what I would expect from a book.

I'd never heard of Mary Flora Bell or the murders she committed.  Something about an 11-year-old girl murdering children caught my attention.  I've actually been to Newcastle upon Tyne in England where Mary lived, so the location was of interest as well.  The book is brief, moving from Mary's youth and abuse, to the murders, to her trial and on to her sentencing and the remainder of her life.  The authors provide quite a bit of commentary on Mary, her circumstances, her actions, and the consequences she faces.  I tend to feel this is something better left to the reader.  However, these also provide some of the authors' more amusing remarks.  No references or resources are provided, though, so statements are made as fact with nothing noted to back them up.

The last 40ish pages of the book are the preview for another title.  I went on to read this preview, and it sounds both interesting and more evenly written.