Author of The Women Are Not Fine

A century ago, in a quiet village in Hungary, a group of women launched a crime ring that spiraled into one of the deadliest mass poisonings in history. Most of the victims? Their husbands. In The Women Are Not Fine, I turn to the archives to understand what happened — and uncover the lives behind the headlines. This book is about survival, power, and what happens when women are pushed to the edge.

PRAISE FOR THE WOMEN ARE NOT FINE:

“A riveting, remarkable true story that raises questions like the best dystopian fiction.”
—PEGGY ORENSTEIN, author of Girls & Sex

“A gripping story of female solidarity, female violence, and the public's fear of and fascination with women who exact revenge. Equal parts riveting and insightful, it has much to teach us about our assumptions, the stories we tell about the past, and how we understand our present day.”
—JILL FILIPOVIC, author of The H-Spot

“A feat of investigative reporting, The Women Are Not Fine is a powerful sociological analysis, illuminating of the issues of our time … Reese proves that our past is present.”
—ELIZABETH FLOCK, author of The Furies

“A moving story of desperation, violence and survival.”
—HELEN LEWIS, author of the bestseller Difficult Women

“A meticulous examination of a little-known case of collective female violence … A stark meditation on gender, survival, and our enduring cultural fascination with so-called ‘black widow’ narratives.”
—ROSE HACKMAN, author of Emotional Labor

“'A meticulously researched and sensitively rendered portrait of a community of women.”
—ERIN KEANE, author of Runaway: Notes on the Myths That Made Me 

“Profound, angry, and tender all at once.”
—VIRGINIA FEITO, author of the Sunday Times bestseller Mrs March

“Enthralling … A fascinating read.”
—STEPHANIE COONTZ, author of Marriage, a History

“Hugely well-researched — an intriguing antidote to stereotypes of gendered violence.”
—GINA RIPPON, author of The Gendered Brain