She was beautiful. Charming. An excellent cook and … a killer.
Imagine frontier Idaho in the early 1900s. Men naturally swarmed around Lyda Trueblood. They also died around her … rather unnaturally.
Six deaths in five years. A 1921 trial that made her a national sensation. And a nickname that newspapers of the day could not resist: Lady Bluebeard.
How did an Ordinary Wife become one of America’s most chilling, and overlooked, serial killers? One of America’s best known true crime writers joins us to shed light on the story behind the headlines.
We discuss why Gregg Olsen some of the challenges of digging into the past and writing historical narrative nonfiction. The ethics around telling true stories. Why father and daughter collaborated on this. And much more.
Meet Gregg Olsen
Gregg Olsen is the #1 New York Times, #1 Amazon Charts, #1 Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 crime books. Based in rural Washington State, Olsen is a two-time Edgar Award-nominated author whose work has been honored by the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. Gregg’s latest book, coauthored with debut author Morgan Olsen, is Ordinary Wife – The True Story of America’s Forgotten Serial Killer.
Morgan Olsen is the daughter of Gregg Olsen. She and her twin sister spent their childhood tagging along on interviews, answering collect calls from prison, and learning early how not to become a “Dateline Girl.” Morgan is a second-grade teacher by day. An avid runner by night. And the person everyone wants on their side when there’s a mystery to be solved.