The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster

A March Indie Next Pick * A Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Nonfiction Book of 2026 * A Barnes & Noble Reads Best Book of February 2026

From the author of the national bestseller The Dark Queens, an incandescent work of true crime and feminist history about Elizabeth Bathory, the woman alleged to be the world's most prolific female serial killer.

There have long been whispers, coming from the castle; from the village square; from the dark woods. The great lady-a countess, from one of Europe's oldest families-is a vicious killer. Some even say she bathes in the blood of her victims. When the king's men force their way into her manor house, she has blood on her hands, caught in the act of murdering yet another of her maids. She is walled up in a tower and never seen again, except in the uppermost barred window, where she broods over the countryside, cursing all those who dared speak up against her.

Told and retold in many languages, the legend of the Blood Countess has consumed cultural imaginations around the world. But despite claims that Elizabeth Bathory tortured and killed as many as 650 girls, some have wondered if the Countess was herself a victim- of one of the most successful disinformation campaigns known to history. So, was Elizabeth Bathory a monster, a victim, or a bit of both? With the breathlessness of a whodunit, drawing upon new archival evidence and questioning old assumptions, Shelley Puhak traces the Countess's downfall, bringing to life an assertive woman leader in a world sliding into anti-scientific, reactionary darkness-a world where nothing is ever as it seems. In this exhilarating narrative, Puhak renders a vivid portrait of history's most dangerous woman and her tumultuous time, revealing just how far we will go to destroy a woman in power.

Author: Shelley Puhak
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 02/17/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.41h x 6.37w x 1.19d
ISBN: 9781639732159


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 01/01/2026
Shelf Awareness 01/01/0001
Publishers Weekly 12/01/2025
Library Journal 01/01/2026 pg. 66
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2026

About the Author
Shelley Puhak is a critically acclaimed writer whose work has appeared in the Atlantic, Smithsonian, Time, Lapham's Quarterly, Virginia Quarterly Review, and other publications. She is the author of The Dark Queens and three books of poetry, including the Anthony Hecht Prize-winning Guinevere in Baltimore and Harbinger, a National Poetry Series selection. She lives in Maryland.