In 1927, Charley Braggs arrived home to find two of his children dead. The doctor who observed the children in their last moments diagnosed food poisoning as the cause. There was no need for an autopsy. His wife, Nannie, blamed tainted grains as the source but Charley wasn’t convinced. Charley didn’t feel safe around his wife. In the middle of the night, he took his eldest daughter and ran for … ran for his life.
The outpouring of sympathy doubled for Nannie when they discovered her husband’s treachery. To her community, she was a sweet lady renowned for her cheerful disposition. But behind the facade was a much darker and sinister reality. A truth that four of her future husbands, two of her sisters, her mother, her mother-in-law, her nephew and her grandson would perilously discover.
Black Widow is a dramatic and chilling account of one of the most shocking true crime stories in American history. Ryan Green’s riveting narrative draws the reader into the real-live horror experienced by the victims and has all the elements of a classic thriller.
CAUTION: This book contains descriptive accounts of abuse and violence. If you are especially sensitive to this material, it might be advisable not to read any further
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I really enjoyed reading this book. Ryan Green writes about killers, in this case a serial killer, without getting into trial specifics that seem to bog down and repeat parts over and over again. I like his books because he gets to know as much as he can about the people involved and the story flows in a way that is entertaining and unputdownable.
An addictive, sinister true crime thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seat. A dark and twisted plot featuring characters full of secrets, angst and rage. If you love true crime as much as I do, you can’t go wrong with this book!
The author, Ryan Green, has a talent for writing a true crime thriller that reads more like a novel. Instead of just the cold, hard (and often dry) facts, he takes those facts and creates a very readable story using the facts.
Nannie Doss had a horrific childhood, being raised in a loveless home with an abusive father. When she comes of age, she starts seeking the romance she reads about in her books. The only problem is that Nannie is easily angered and decides to start trying to improve her life through the use of poison. She seeks husbands through the mail in lonely hearts clubs, but each one of them is lacking in their ability to give her the storybook life she desires.
I had never heard of Nannie Doss, but she seems to have been one of the more prolific female serial killers. If you are looking for a strictly factual account of the life of Nannie Doss, this book might not be for you. But, as a good overview of her horrible crimes and what might have led to them, this is a great book.
The narrator, Steve White, has become the voice for Green’s books and he does his usual wonderful job. His pacing is perfect and his voice keeps your attention throughout the book. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook by the author/narrator/publisher and chose to review it.
Strange people.
Well written, very good and interesting story about a mentally deranged woman
Incredibly incisive account of a serial killer…
This was my first book by this author and I was so impressed with his ability to convey the story of Nannie Doss in such a smooth flowing narrative rife with personal detail. The biographical account of her life almost read like a fictional novel even though it was obviously a thoroughly researched and carefully analyzed timeline of events in the life of this remarkable and disturbed woman. The story is told from Nannie’s point of view (something not commonly seen in true crime books) and was, therefore, not simply a recitation of dates and facts conveyed in a succinct journalistic style which would have yielded a somewhat dry read offering a far less immersive experience. It is obvious that great thought was given to the psychology of Nannie resulting from the severe circumstances of her childhood. The author’s interpretation of Nannie’s behavior is imbued with keen insight into the effects of the seemingly inescapable emotional and psychological suffering she was forced to endure. Nannie’s profound psychopathy may never be completely understood but Mr. Green has certainly provided us with a very readable account of one of the most disturbing “black widow” cases to have come to light in relatively recent times. Without reservation, I would highly recommend this case study to any enthusiast of the true crime genre.
The story of the Giggling Granny is one that is very haunting. I’ve always imagined serial killers to be those who have a type of victim and kill to quench some thirst. They’re mostly guys, sometimes family men, but usually the type of person that after they’re caught can be seen as a killer.
In this case, this was not true. Nannie Doss fooled everyone into believing she was a victim time and time again. Even when she was brought in for murder, the officers had a difficult time believing she was really guilty. Nannie was different from other killers though in that she didn’t kill to satisfy some craving, she killed when people became an inconvenience for her. She had a life in mind that she wanted to live, and she didn’t let anyone stop her from living it.
Narration made this an easy listen.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
Beautifully written. Not to condone murder at all- you can see by the way women were treated at that time what would drive a woman to kill.
Very interesting case of female serial killer. She even preyed on her children though not all family deaths’ were definitively solved.