Some Reviews

Go to Infamous Lady.com: Since publication, readers have been bestowing five star reviews upon Prof. Kimberly Craft's books: Infamous Lady, The Private Letters of Countess Erzsébet Báthory, and Elizabeth Bathory: A Memoire Here's what they've had to say... "Báthory enthusiasts will require Infamous Lady in their collections..." "I absolutely loved this book. I am a "fan" of Erzsebet Bathory and have been searching for a book that gives an accurate portrayal of her life for some time. This is the best I found so far. It was fascinating and appalling at the same time and I found myself unable to put it down. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning about the life of the "Blood Countess". ~ J.Mastrangelo See this review on Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/83073735 Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory Reviews 5.0 out of 5 Stars "As an aspiring historical fiction writer, biographies are something I have to deal with quite frequently. Most are heavy with the politics of the time and very little about the actual people, making it hard to discover anything about the actual person...Infamous Lady is not any of these things. It is the most accessible historical biography I have ever read, Dr. Craft's writing is clear and concise, making the information easily accessible and the book a delight to read.... My own writing would be lost without it, and I recommend this book to everyone, history lover and biography lover alike. With the addition of Dr. Craft's newest work, The Private Letters of Countess Bathory, I'm hoping that the cloud hanging over the infamous Blood Countess will soon lift. ." ~ R.T. Maurice See this Review on Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/182184147 "I couldn't put this book down..." 5.0 out of 5 Stars " I have been searching for an up-to-date and accurate book on Erzsebet Bathory for many years now. Up until then, I devoured everything I could possibly find on her on the Internet. Finally I discovered 'Infamous Lady' on Amazon.com and purchased it instantly. This book answered a lot of my questions...How she lived her life, what aspects of her were myths/legends and what was actually true, what made her do what she did, etc. Intriguing, frightening and exciting all in one, I finished reading this book within two days as I just could not put it down. 'Infamous Lady' definitely has my recommendation to anybody who has an interest in Erzsebet Bathory ." ~ L. Scollo See the full review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2N09O65DN2O19/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm © Copyright 2011 Infamous Lady. All rights reserved. "Great Book!!" 5.0 out of 5 Stars "I enjoyed reading this one, I am a bit of a history buff and have read several books on Erzsébet Báthory. This book sticks as closely as it can to the facts... It has a detailed transcription of the court documents, and correspondence, names of people involved, victims, etc. listed in the appendix. If you are interested in the true history of Erzsébet Báthory, backed up with translations of what original documentation remains of this woman, then this is the book for you!" ~ K. Wiscombe See the full review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3FC64DX838TD1/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm "This is the Bathory book to read." 5.0 out of 5 Stars "As a young person, I read accounts of the "blood countess" but never found a thorough and satisfying historical account of Bathory's life and times. This book breaks new ground and gives us the most thorough historical account possible with existing evidence....It's clear from the book that Bathory lived in violent times, with warfare frequently threatening her lands. Her husband, a national war hero, seems to have been not very bright but brutal. We'll never understand Bathory's thinking, but we get the best available evidence of her actions here...Read this excellent book for probably the best account we will ever have about Bathory and her crimes."~ J.R. Elver See the full review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2CRL10UFL4Y5C/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm "Disturbing, provocative, poignant." 5.0 out of 5 Stars "Elizabeth Bathory: A Memoire" is an unusual, yet compelling story recollecting how the young Countess Bathory's tormented soul and broken heart would eventually lead her down a twisted path that would ultimately turn her into a monster...This book gives us a front-row seat to the macabre and it truly has something for everyone. It is a heady blend of fact and fearless fiction which shines a new light on the scandalous legends that have made Countess Elizabeth Bathory infamous. It appeases scholarly followers with a solid storyline and historical background, yet, entices us with shocking details of her heinous acts of both physical and emotional cruelty...This is also a very provocative and sensual book, not meant for the overly sensitive or squeamish." ~ V. Janik See the full review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/RQ94PSF5YVRX6/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm "The history of the Countess has been sadly neglected since McNally's groundbreaking first modern attempt in 1983...Until now. Stepping in is attorney and legal sleuth Kimberly L. Craft with Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory. The publication of this book is the most important milestone in Báthory research... the first book to read about the historical Mistress of Cséjthe..." "Painstakingly translated for a balanced presentation." 5.0 out of 5 Stars Kimberly Craft's "The Private Letters of Countess Erzsebet Bathory" presents as many of Elizabeth Bathory's correspondence as Ms. Craft could find translated for the modern reader. Invaluable to history buffs wishing to gain as much understanding as possible about Countess Bathory's state of mind during the time of her accused crimes until shortly before her arrest, including her first will and testament. This is more properly a companion piece to Kimberly Craft's "Infamous Lady" (2009), but she has included enough background information for uninitiated readers to follow it as well." ~ J. Haggard See this review on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2FI1564CVSNIL/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm 5.0 out of 5 Stars I really loved this book. I am always looking for new information on Elizabeth Bathory, and this book had dozens of new letters I've never seen. They paint a fascinating picture of the trials and tribulations this woman went through. Her homes and castles were stolen, her people killed, farms burned, land invaded, all the while dealing with the treacherous politics of king, emperor, Turks, revolutionaries and even relatives. The translations are done well and really capture the feel of the period and the voice of this noblewoman. I really felt like I was back in the 1600s. Really interesting look in time, with lots of new information on what life was like then. ~ M. Tan See this review on Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/162312213 Read more reviews of Infamous Lady @: 5.0 out of 5 Stars "...The author does a good job of explaining the events and relating them to the letters written by this mysterious Hungarian countess. What I found so fascinating, and also alarming, was how this woman sounded so completely "normal" in all of her letters--even religious and pious--and yet could be accused of such atrocities in private....I suppose a forensic psychologist would have a field day with this wealth of newly translated material on this infamous serial killer." ~ K. Kemmelmacher See the full review on Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11166176 Read more reviews of Private Letters @: Essential reading on the "Blood Countess" 5.0 out of 5 Stars Kimberly Craft presents new evidence from some forty previously untranslated letters by Erzsebet Bathory, the "Blood Countess" of yore. The book places the letters in a carefully crafted narrative that nicely puts the correspondence in biographical and historical context....Above all, one is left with a vivid account of the very stressful and violent times in which Erzsebet Bathory held her lands and position. The narrative and correspondence combined make it more vivid for the reader than do any previously published biographies of the Countess, so this book is a great contribution to our understanding of her life and times. They were times likely to bring out the worst in a person, as they did with the Countess. ~ S. Schier See the full review on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1PK5YFEDE4WGU 5 out of 5 Stars "...While there are graphic scenes in this book I believe they are appropriate. Bathory was not a gentle woman and definitely killed many girls, although how many may never be known. This book filled in possible missing holes in the story....Unfortunately over the centuries Bathory's story is hard to tell. Trying to separate fact from myth can be hard to do and as her name was forbidden to be spoken for a long time it also added to the mystique... I applaud Ms. Craft for undertaking this task. We will always wonder what really happened with Elizabeth Bathory and what her true story was, but I think this novel does a great job at giving us possibilities of what her life must have been like. I, for one, think it is a sad story. Not just because young girls were tortured and murdered but because Bathory must have lived a miserable life to have been capable of committing such crimes. A person just doesn't suddenly start doing things like this because they one day feel like it. There is always a catalyst and I believe that this novel may be the closest thing we will get to understanding why Bathory might have done all of the crimes she did..." ~ A. Logan See the full review on Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/193051127 Read more reviews of Elizabeth Bathory: A Memoire @: On Infamous Lady: On Private Letters: