Richly Detailed and Legitimately Spooky!
I almost didn't order this book for the teen section of the library where I work, and I was honestly surprised at how fantastic it was when it came in. The pen and ink illustrations are beautiful and detailed, and Geary tells the story with interest. All of our staff members are hooked on this series now, I'm currently reading "The Case of Madeline Smith" and love it! Great series for fans of true crime..

Another Treasury of Victorian Murder, and another hit.
The Saga of the Bloody Benders by Rick Geary is part of A Treasury of Victorian Murder put out by NBM Comics Lit. Geary has done another bang-up job merging history, murder, and detailed drawings to pull the reader into a time that is often difficult to understand. Without the historic underpinnings the Benders killing spree would seem a bit comical to the jaded readers of today -- as we lock up our cars, our houses, keep aware of our surroundings. Could the Benders do what they did if they existed today? But that would be a different tale -- and you'll want to enjoy the chill horror of this one.

The story of the Benders and their place in the history of Labette County, Kansas, along the Osage Trail is one that highlights the dangers faced by the settlers as they began moving west to find a better life for themselves and their families. Without the historic overview of Kansas becoming a state, the demographics of the settlers, and the geographical overview of the Osage Trail -- it would be difficult to understand how the Benders could do what they did for so long before anyone began to even suspect that something wasn't right at the Bender Inn and Grocery.

It was 1871 and inquiries were coming to the local officials from relatives, friends, or business associates trying to locate a person known to have traveled along the trail but who had not been heard from after passing through Labette County. Later it was found that the disappearances began shortly after the Bender men, Pa and John Bender Jr., bought land, built a Inn and Grocery at a high point along the trail and sent for the women, Ma and Kate Bender. The Benders kept to themselves -- dour and silent. Kate however was a beauty and fairly outgoing -- setting up a side business telling fortunes. Most thought them eccentric but harmless.

What happened to the Benders? How did they manage to kill so many people undetected? Why did it take so many years before anyone even looked closely at the Bender Inn and Grocery? Geary gives you a sense of place and people leading you step by step through the setup and discovery and aftermath of the crimes. The illustrations are such an intrinsic part of the narrative that often you forget that his is a graphically told tale because the flow is so smooth you're drawn into the pages and the story.

The "Treasury of Victorian Murder' series does not disappoint.
Geary has opened a chapter in history in a very accessible way with this graphic novel series.

And "The Bloody Benders" is a fine addition to the series, recounting th history of a family of robber/murderers in the West that kill by stealth, & could easily appear in today's headlines. Their disappearance as mysterious as their lives.

Geary's art & writing improve steadily as time goes by, & while the first volumes in the series are very, very good, this one has a fine polish to it.

If you like it, try these--
The Big Book of the Weird Wild West: How the West was Really Won! (Factoid Books)

Daisy Kutter: The Last Train (Daisy Kutter: The Last Train (Turtleback))

Excellent action and high drama mystery
Rick Geary's graphic novel series A TREASURY OF VICTORIAN MURDER returns with volume 9 of the series especially recommended for prior fans of his graphic novel mysteries. Black and white drawings illustrate the story of four strange people who use seduction to attract wealthy victims, whom they then kill. Excellent action and high drama mystery lends to a fast-paced graphic novel story hard to put down, and recommended for any general-interest holding strong in graphic novels.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Things get rolling
I think this is the first in the series. There is an intro to Victorian times and figures, followed by three stories

The Ryan siblings story is over before it begins, and has no more complex story arc than "two siblings were horribly killed and noone knows why or who did it." I wish there was two more pages of intrigue.

I have forgottne the 2nd one which I read just a week ago.

The third story and last of them is more gruesome than the others.