The Murderess Must Die by Marlie Parker Wasserman

Aug 19, 2021 Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Rampling rated it liked it

I thought this book had my name all over it. Nineteenth century death penalty, true crime with a hint of historical fiction thrown in. Sign me up!
But the reality was far different. My main difficulty was the changing perpectives of the characters, and there were a lot of characters! With only a few pages for each one, I found myself getting thrown from the story each time, and it felt stilted and disjointed to me.
The writing style was obviously written with the language of the time which can be ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

May 11, 2022 Jane rated it it was ok

Shelves: did-not-finish

The premise of this book really intrigued me and I was looking forward to diving into a historical fiction based on a true crime. This type of book is right up my alley. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book. For me, the writing style was off-putting and the pacing was uneven. I picked this book up time and time again, and just couldn't make myself finish it. I am clearly in the minority as several people really enjoyed the book. Perhaps it was just not the right book at the right ti ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2021 Jess rated it it was amazing

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, The Muderess Must Die by Marlie Parker Wasserman.

This book was very well researched and…perfectly executed. #puns

It’s the (mostly historically accurate with some creative liberties) story of the very 1st woman to be executed via the electric chair, Martha Place.

It gives the story of her 1st bad marriage…her putting her child from that marriage up for adoption and the guilt she felt for doing so. Then goes into the 2nd marriage and the strained relationship b ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 28, 2021 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss-storeycartel-re

This is the sort of book one either loves or hates. It is definitely memorable.
I could not read it all in one sitting. It starts out a bit dry, for sure dark and dreary as we learn about Martha's past. Told from multiple points of view, I am positive the author saved us from the worst of these formative years.

Then there is the murder section itself and the irregular and discombobulated way in which it was investigated. The police of the era and surroundings had little, mainly no, experience dea ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2022 Jess rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, The Muderess Must Die by Marlie Parker Wasserman.

This book was very well researched and…perfectly executed. #puns

It’s the (mostly historically accurate with some creative liberties) story of the very 1st woman to be executed via the electric chair, Martha Place.

It gives the story of her 1st bad marriage…her putting her child from that marriage up for adoption and the guilt she felt for doing so. Then goes into the 2nd marriage and the strained relationship b ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 03, 2021 Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, true-crime

THE MURDERESS MUST DIE is a fictional telling of a true crime. Most of the main characters are from newspaper articles of the time and pieced together to make a story.

Was Mattie Place insane? Or a madly jealous stepmother? Or was she someone who had just reached her limit? We will never know for sure, but the author brings her to life and raises questions. As the first woman to be killed by the electric chair, she has some notoriety but has never had a voice.

Told from multiple perspectives, I w ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2021 E.A. rated it it was amazing

My Recommendation: 9.5 Stars
( I received this book free in exchange for my honest review )

As a true crime fanatic, I was excited to read this book. It was fascinating reading it from different points of view and getting that other aspect of the story. My dad always told me there are three sides to every story, yours, there's, and the truth.

This story highlights how you can have multiple views of the same thing and leave numerous different conclusions. But the thing is, you'll never know the wh ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2021 M.M. Hudson rated it it was amazing

I want to begin by saying that I give this book the 5 stars it deserves. It was unbelievably well written. The character development was impeccable. The book is historical fiction but more historical than fiction. The author did an amazing job in using her primary resources to investigate the life, the murder, the trial, and subsequent end to the life of real-life person, Martha (Mattie) Place. From this point, I shall tell you that Mattie was the first women ever to die by electric chair. This I want to begin by saying that I give this book the 5 stars it deserves. It was unbelievably well written. The character development was impeccable. The book is historical fiction but more historical than fiction. The author did an amazing job in using her primary resources to investigate the life, the murder, the trial, and subsequent end to the life of real-life person, Martha (Mattie) Place. From this point, I shall tell you that Mattie was the first women ever to die by electric chair. This is not a spoiler but a fact and the premise of the entire book. So, at this point dear readers, you may think that I loved the book. I did give it five stars after all.

The truth of the matter is...no, I hated it! I hated it so much I kept reading it. I read it because it was a great book but in the same manner I loathed it, the tragedy of it disgusted me. The book begins with Mattie's life. A life full of poverty and abuse. A life full of death all around her as siblings, family, and friends died. Animals dies to as she was the daughter of a farmer who slaughtered animals to survive.

It carries through abusive marriages, giving up a child, and being ostracized by her second husband who favored his daughter many times over her. It poured out how women were second class citizens in the 1800's only risen to a different station in life because of the husband they might marry. At this time, women were not allowed to vote but the ideals were on the horizon with Susan B. Anthony and Caddie Stanton leading the way. Theodore Roosevelt was the governor of New York. Mattie knew of these people.

Ultimately, her station in life would fail her. The author's resources revealed a court system run by men. A court system that Mattie had to navigate with several inept lawyers and newspapers that never agreed on anything. A system that that had only electrocuted men in a fairly brand new invention, the electric chair.

Mattie's story unfolds in first person accounts that waver back and forth throughout the book. (Again, this is the brilliance of the book.) Details are revealed that may have helped Mattie in her tragic story but again, may not have. Some of these accounts are fill-ins and possibilities of different outcomes but in any case, still leads to one conclusion. None-the-less, it makes readers ponder, maybe feel for her, and want to discuss her, just as the papers did to sensationalize her in the 1800's.

Did she do it? History says so, but the details of history has been known to fail before. Even though her fate has now been sealed, at least Mattie is finally getting a voice to tell her story, her way.

Yes, I hated everything that happened throughout this book but I urge you to read it, to know, and maybe learn something and decide for yourself.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 27, 2021 Star Gater rated it liked it

The premise appealed to me. The story is one that I had never thought about or read anything on. I believe I would have gotten more out of the research and historical facts the author used if this had been written in a different format. Each person, and there are a lot, has a heading tells their part, then another header, etc. It's too much and short of putting the relationship or title in parentheses around the header, a flow chart could be used. The saddest part of this format is that it took ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2021 Pat Fayo Reviews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Murderess Must Die tells the story of Martha Place, the first woman in the world to be executed in the electric chair. It’s also the story of being poor, abused, married, divorced, being a single mother, losing a child, remarrying, becoming a stepmom, being constantly undervalued and judged, and ultimately having a nervous breakdown.

This story is told by multiple people in the first person throughout the entire book which made it very easy to follow and understand each character’s perspectiv ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2022 Carol Keogh (Goodfellow) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A woman with a difficult past who marries up and goes on trial for murder. Great story line, all the principal characters here give their accounts of Martha Place, first person narratives are always interesting because one sees the personality of the leading protagonist through many lenses. Based on true events, the author writes with style and conciseness and breathes life into the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and recommend highly. My thank to Netgalley, the publishers and the au ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 16, 2021 Louise rated it liked it

I much preferred the first part of this book.
Mattie was an excellent narrator,with just the right amount of attitude towards everyone.
I felt that by the time the crime had been committed,there were too many characters popping up for a page or so,and they were all a bit bland.
Worth hanging in there though for the further musings of the main character.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2022 Martha rated it really liked it

A vivid account of the life of Martha Place. Martha Place is a fictional character based on the actual person. She was accused of murdering her step-daughter and attempted murder of her husband in the 1890's. The book tells the story of Martha and what lead her to this point. You find yourself with a sea of mixed emotions about Martha. She was found guilty and became the first woman to die in the electric chair. The author captures your imagination with her descriptions. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 22, 2021 Lori Sinsel Harris rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: historical fiction fans

Recommended to Lori by: liked blurb

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is an exceptional novel of the fictionalized account of a crime committed in the late 1800s that sent a woman to the electric chair for the very first time ever.
Martha Place is accused of throwing acid in the face of her beautiful stepdaughter, hitting her with an axe and suffocating her, also of then trying to kill her husband with the same axe, though he suffered severe injuries he survived to testify against Martha.
Despite having some eight lawyers work her case over the year it took This is an exceptional novel of the fictionalized account of a crime committed in the late 1800s that sent a woman to the electric chair for the very first time ever.
Martha Place is accused of throwing acid in the face of her beautiful stepdaughter, hitting her with an axe and suffocating her, also of then trying to kill her husband with the same axe, though he suffered severe injuries he survived to testify against Martha.
Despite having some eight lawyers work her case over the year it took to come to the trial's conclusion, Martha never was allowed to tell her side of the story, this novel gives Martha a voice, allowing her to speak from the grave. She tells her own story, her way. In some places her memory is incomplete but with the help of her lawyer the gaps are filled.
We not only hear Martha's voice in this novel, but the voices of her husband, stepdaughter, her brother, several lawyers, policemen and doctors, along with the guards from the jail where she was held awaiting trial. The story is told in an interview form, with each person telling their version of events as they happen. This made for very interesting reading as you can see how one person's interpretation of an event can vary drastically from another person's witnessing the exact same event at the same time.
We are left with many questions, was Martha an evil stepmother, so jealous of her stepdaughter that she kills her so viscously? Or was Martha an abused housewife at the end of her rope who finally snaps when the abuse becomes unbearable? Or was she simply insane? Martha was brought up in poverty with an abusive family life, did this contribute to what happened on that cold day in February? We will never really know the answer to why a respectable woman, married to a respectable professional man, living in a nice house in a good neighborhood suddenly snaps so violently.
This book was very thought provoking and the fact that she was the very first woman in the world to ever die from the electric chair makes it even more interesting, not to mention that the governor of New York who refused to give Martha clemency was none other than a young Theodore Roosevelt!
5 stars for sure, all historical fiction fans will like this fantastical tale of jealousy and murder! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 11, 2021 Lori Sinsel Harris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is an exceptional novel of the fictionalized account of a crime committed in the late 1800s that sent a woman to the electric chair for the very first time ever.
Martha Place is accused of throwing acid in the face of her beautiful stepdaughter, hitting her with an axe and suffocating her, also of then trying to kill her husband with the same axe, though he suffered severe injuries he survived to testify against Martha.
Despite having some eight lawyers work her case over the year it took This is an exceptional novel of the fictionalized account of a crime committed in the late 1800s that sent a woman to the electric chair for the very first time ever.
Martha Place is accused of throwing acid in the face of her beautiful stepdaughter, hitting her with an axe and suffocating her, also of then trying to kill her husband with the same axe, though he suffered severe injuries he survived to testify against Martha.
Despite having some eight lawyers work her case over the year it took to come to the trial's conclusion, Martha never was allowed to tell her side of the story, this novel gives Martha a voice, allowing her to speak from the grave. She tells her own story, her way. In some places her memory is incomplete but with the help of her lawyer the gaps are filled.
We not only hear Martha's voice in this novel, but the voices of her husband, stepdaughter, her brother, several lawyers, policemen and doctors, along with the guards from the jail where she was held awaiting trial. The story is told in an interview form, with each person telling their version of events as they happen. This made for very interesting reading as you can see how one person's interpretation of an event can vary drastically from another person's witnessing the exact same event at the same time.
We are left with many questions, was Martha an evil stepmother, so jealous of her stepdaughter that she kills her so viscously? Or was Martha an abused housewife at the end of her rope who finally snaps when the abuse becomes unbearable? Or was she simply insane? Martha was brought up in poverty with an abusive family life, did this contribute to what happened on that cold day in February? We will never really know the answer to why a respectable woman, married to a respectable professional man, living in a nice house in a good neighborhood suddenly snaps so violently.
This book was very thought provoking and the fact that she was the very first woman in the world to ever die from the electric chair makes it even more interesting, not to mention that the governor of New York who refused to give Martha clemency was none other than a young Theodore Roosevelt!
5 stars for sure, all historical fiction fans will like this fantastical tale of jealousy and murder! ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 12, 2021 Bonnie rated it liked it

I think that I would give this a 2.5 stars. The topic is very intriguing, and the story was unvarnished, and gritty. It is the story of Martha Place, a true figure in history, a convicted murderess, and the first woman to be executed by electric chair in the United States.

But I found that the way it was written did not appeal to me, as it was in a series of statements from individuals involved in the story, including Martha, the family and other people involved in relationships with her, even t I think that I would give this a 2.5 stars. The topic is very intriguing, and the story was unvarnished, and gritty. It is the story of Martha Place, a true figure in history, a convicted murderess, and the first woman to be executed by electric chair in the United States.

But I found that the way it was written did not appeal to me, as it was in a series of statements from individuals involved in the story, including Martha, the family and other people involved in relationships with her, even tangentially, including matrons, lawyers, maids. It felt very fractured to me. Through most of it, I felt like I was reading a transcript for a true crime reality show, like Fear Thy Neighbor or some such show. So it was hard going and several times I just wanted to stop, but once I got through the halfway mark, I just kept on.

Again, it was very gritty and unvarnished. There was no romanticizing of the characters involved, but on saying that, it was sometimes hard to develop any connection to some of the characters. Martha Place obviously had a hard life that was lacking in warmth and love, and that seemed to make her into a hard woman who had difficulties having relationships with others as as adult. But it was also hard to have sympathy for the others around her, including her victims. Most of the people involved in her story seemed to me to be generally weak or deplorable in some way.

The topic was intriguing though and the author did inject some question as to Martha's guilt and whether or not someone else was involved, but ultimately, it was about Martha and her road to the electric chair, and it was left up to the reader's imagination whether there was other theories, especially as this was a story of over 100 years ago, and any evidence otherwise would likely have been either unexplored, or lost.

This was a story that I did find made me think and question. Especially about how relationships impact individuals and past relationships impact future; familial relationships. Also about the treatment of women during the turn of the century, and the role of news media. However, I would have to say that this was written in a way that I found personally found enjoyable.

I received a free copy from NetGalley, and this is my freely given opinion.

...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 07, 2021 Kathleen rated it it was amazing

In The Murderess Must Die, author Marlie Parker Wasserman provides the reader with a riveting historical crime fiction tale that is based on the true crime case of Martha Place, who was convicted of the murder of her stepdaughter Ida Place, and was the first woman to die in the electric chair in Sing Sing Prison on March 20, 1899.

The story revolves around the last thirteen months of Martha's life while in Sing Sing Prison, she tells her life story before and after the murder to a missionary and In The Murderess Must Die, author Marlie Parker Wasserman provides the reader with a riveting historical crime fiction tale that is based on the true crime case of Martha Place, who was convicted of the murder of her stepdaughter Ida Place, and was the first woman to die in the electric chair in Sing Sing Prison on March 20, 1899.

The story revolves around the last thirteen months of Martha's life while in Sing Sing Prison, she tells her life story before and after the murder to a missionary and prison guards while awaiting the date set for her execution. Told in the first person narrative, Martha tells of her difficult childhood growing up in a poor family on a farm in East Millstone, New Jersey; her disastrous first marriage and having to give her son up for adoption; to her second marriage to William Place, and the events that led up to the murder of her teenage stepdaughter Ida Place; and the subsequent trial that consisted of an inept defense and a biased 1898 justice system, conviction, and execution. Intertwined within Martha's account are the alternating first person perspectives from people who knew Martha.

In The Murderess Must Die, the author provides a riveting story that easily draws the reader into Martha's story. You can't help but get drawn into this complicated, fascinating, and multi-layered story. From the true crime aspect, I couldn't help but Google Martha Place on Wikipedia, which provided the accuracy of the case that the author depicted in her book, while interweaving the historical fiction aspect of Martha's own voice from the grave. This is a compelling story that narrates Martha's difficult life story, and the subservient place women held in the 1890s male dominated society and criminal justice system.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspo... ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 08, 2021 Felicia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction

I enjoyed every word of this amazing read of historical fiction even if I cared for few of the characters. But don’t get me wrong. Not liking most of the players had nothing to do with flat, boring characters and everything to do with how well-written they were. While several characters possessed few redeeming social qualities, for me the worst was N.B. Thompson, the Places neighbor. All of his “efforts” to “help” made the former clergyman come across as self-serving, seeking attention and notor I enjoyed every word of this amazing read of historical fiction even if I cared for few of the characters. But don’t get me wrong. Not liking most of the players had nothing to do with flat, boring characters and everything to do with how well-written they were. While several characters possessed few redeeming social qualities, for me the worst was N.B. Thompson, the Places neighbor. All of his “efforts” to “help” made the former clergyman come across as self-serving, seeking attention and notoriety in the midst of death and suffering. The press came in a close second, behaving much like present-day media… writing news with a few facts buried in sensationalism.

Though told for the most part from Martha “Mattie” Place’s point of view, several POVs from her siblings to her husbands to her defense counsel are included. And every single word enriches the story.

While her life began as one of poverty, abuse, and neglect, for me, Mattie was still an unsympathetic character. I hesitate to call her a protagonist because the woman could try and antagonize the patience of the saints.

Mattie is also a losing argument for nature versus nurture. She eventually rose from poverty to a life of status but it didn’t change who/what she was. To be fair, it was in part because she was still looked down on and treated with contempt. All that did was make a mean Mattie Place even meaner!

Despite her flaws, it didn’t help that most of those Mattie had contact with during her life saw her as a means to an end, even when she tried to do the right thing. Even the main concerns of the many members of her defense team was payment for their services and how representing “the murderess” could bolster—or harm—their careers.

Along with her own words and actions, in the end, it was also the treatment of women near the end of the nineteenth century that completed Mattie’s undoing.

Based on a true crime, Wasserman’s flawless writing makes it difficult to tell the historical from the fiction. The Murderess Must Die is an engrossing read I highly recommend!

Enjoy! ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 10, 2021 Katreader rated it really liked it

THE MURDERESS MUST DIE
By Marlie Parker Wasserman

Born in 1849 Martha Garretson Savacool Place knew loss and hardship and was no stranger to meanness. Told from her point of view, as well as those of others who played a part in her life, we bear witness to her abusive childhood, her first marriage, including the joyous birth of her son, and her disastrous second marriage which led to her being charged with the murder of her teenaged step-daughter. We learn details about the trial and its aftermat ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 17, 2021 Bethany Swafford rated it really liked it

In 1898, hundreds were eager to see the woman many of them called the murderess. Martha Place was charged with throwing acid in her stepdaughter's face before hitting her with an ax and suffocating her to death. Is she a cold-blooded killer? A woman pushed too far? Were her actions justified? Was there more to the story?

I hadn't heard of this case before I began reading this book, so it was all new to me. I kept pausing to check what I was learning, but it seems there is not much information abo ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 20, 2021 Michelle Kidwell rated it it was amazing

The Murderess Must Die
by Marlie Parker Wasserman
Level Best Books
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers | True Crime
Pub Date 06 Jul 2021

I am reviewing a copy of The Murderess Must Die through Level Best Books, Independent Book Publishers association and Netgalley:

During a cold winter day in 1898 hundreds of spectators gather at a Brooklyn courthouse, scrambling for a view of the woman they label a murderess. Martha Place has been ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 21, 2021 Joan rated it liked it

This is both a compelling and disturbing fictionalized account of the actions leading up to and including the first woman put to death in an electric chair at Sing Sing. Wasserman has done a good job of developing Martha, the murderess. We get a good sense of her childhood and then her character as it developed. We know, of course what is going to ultimately happen but Wasserman creates a narrative leading us up the actual murder, the ensuing court case, appeals and finally the execution that ke ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 06, 2021 Janelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2021

I was familiar with the story before reading the book, because I watched an episode of Deadly Women about her (one of the MANY true crime shows I watch) and I found this book wholly thought provoking and exciting from start to finish.

The way Wasserman wrote this book in multiple POVs allows the reader to view the event from different perspectives and also allows the reader to see all “sides” of the story. It potentially allows you to come to your own conclusions about what really happened.

Th ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 26, 2021 Jill rated it it was amazing

5 stars
The Murderess Must Die
by Marlie Parker Wasserman
This is by far the best book I have read in 2021! Based on a true story, I had never heard of Mattie Place prior to reading this book. I loved all of the varying voices telling in the exact same story. It was unique and fresh and so wonderfully deep. I had a very hard time putting the book down until I was finished!
It isn't often that an author makes me feel for the murderess but I did. I connected deeply with all of the people in this book, ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 23, 2021 Firetruckmama rated it really liked it

I read an online version of this book, provided by NetGalley.

I greatly enjoyed the historical work the author put into this book. Reading older newspapers, there are so many times names and reports are inaccurate that creating a timeline and sense from conflicting articles is difficult. While I didn't know much about this case, I had come across Ms. Place's name a number of years ago. This book filled in a lot of information about what she did and her eventual fate.

There are many characters in ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 22, 2021 BookAddict rated it liked it · review of another edition

Thanks to NetGalley and High Level Books publishing for this eARC. I was looking forward to this on terms of the storyline. A novel about the first woman electrocuted in NY, Martha Place is not a likable character. Yes, she had a miserable upbringing and life was, and still is not kind to poor women but I struggled with this in terms of writing style. Written in the first person and with alternating POV sections from the myriad of people in her life, it rambled at times and I never really got a ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 29, 2021 Katie rated it liked it

I just couldn't get myself really interested in this book. I did not like Mattie as a character. She was just so . . . . . unlikeable! I think the word shrew fit her quite well. And when I don't like a main character, it just doesn't bode well for me. I thought that the changes in POV were a little much, too many characters, but it did show how multiple people can witness the exact same thing, yet come to vastly different conclusions. It did not answer the question of exactly why Mattie did what ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 01, 2021 Heather Thorup rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The first woman to be electrocuted for murder. I was pulled in right away. The book was written from the viewpoint of a dozen different characters, telling the story from their eyes while moving events along. The childhood of Martha was so heartbreaking, excruciating really. You're taking everything in, trying to figure out the person she became. Knowing what's coming but not how or why. After the murder and the trial and legal proceedings begin, I admit my interest faltered. But I kept on to th ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 30, 2021 Danielle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review !

The Murderess Must Die
by Marlie Parker Wasserman

Great historical mystery based upon a true crime and real figures of 1898.

Martha Place has been arrested for the murder of her step daughter and the attempted murder of her husband. This story revolves around the series of events that lead up to the crime and Martha's time in prison.

Told in different time lines, this is a captivating read with well defined characters. A highl ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 10, 2021 Angie Blocker rated it it was amazing

AMAZING 👏 I just read such an amazing masterpiece!!! I actually felt like I was there. The author did a fantastic job of making me feel for this murderess. Crazy!!! This woman's crimes were unfathomable and the Author had the ability to write her back story so well that it would make it impossible to not feel something. I loved each perspective that was in this book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is based on true events! This was by far my favorite historical fiction this year! I ...more

flag Like · see review