The Angel Makers

A Financial Times Best Summer Book 2023

A Waterstones Best True Crime Book

Nagyrev, Hungary, 1929. Over 160 mysterious deaths. A group of local wives conspiring together, and one woman at the centre of it all…

In 1929, a dark secret at the heart of a Hungarian farming village was finally exposed. For more than 15 years, Nagyrev had harboured a group of serial killers, one of the largest murder rings ever recorded. They came to be known as The Angel Makers.

Led by a sharp-minded midwife known as Auntie Suzy, the local wives brazenly rid themselves of unwanted relatives, spooning doses of arsenic into soup and wine, stirring it into coffee and brandy. Murder was just another chore.

Over 160 mysterious deaths later, the unlikely gang of murderesses came to justice in a sensational trial reported the world over. With absorbing detail, Patti McCracken pieces together the lives of Auntie Suzy, her wide network of killers, the unsuspecting victims and the villagers who witnessed it all.

The Angel Makers is the utterly gripping account of an almost unbelievable – yet entirely true – moment in crime history.

Reviews

‘Patti McCracken brings to life this long-forgotten tale in a grimly gripping narrative.’ Financial Times

'The Angel Makers may be foremost the most successful poison conspiracies in our history. But as Patti McCracken makes clear in this fascinating book, it's much more than that – a tale of secrets and superstition, of faith and betrayal, and of the surprising ways that killers can live invisibly among us. As such, it's both an addictively readable book and a wonderfully insightful one.' Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook

‘An immersive and compelling slice of dark history’ Kate Morgan, author of Murder: The Biography

‘Atmospheric … one hell of a story’ Spectator

‘Compulsively readable … a must for true crime fans’ Publishers Weekly

‘A detailed account of the killing spree in Nagyrev … The author weaves in character sketches that suggest the perpetrators’ various motives. Her portrait of Auntie Suzy, a buxom woman fond of her pipe and brandy, is particularly evocative.’ Economist

‘Dramatic and compassionate … simply excellent’ Booklist

About the author

Patti McCracken is an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in Smithsonian, Wall Street Journal, Guardian and many others. She has worked in various newsrooms, including the Chicago Tribune, and was twice a Knight International Press Fellow. This is her first book.