Customer Reviews

The Enigma Woman: The Death Sentence of Nellie May Madison (Women in the West)

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The doctrine of self-defense has always required an "imminent" danger. To a man, "retreat" involves a physical act. But a beaten woman who decides to get her man before he gets her often preemptively strikes while he's incapacitated.

Alas, the law has always shaken a finger at slaying a sleeping drunk.

Nellie Madison woman shot her sleeping husband in the back, and the lawyers and the press didn't know what to make of it. Indeed, her lawyer kicked women off the jury and refused to put on the evidence that would explain why she did it, and the puzzled jurors contemplated the bloody bed set up in the courtroom and sentenced her to hang.

This book finally tells us the entire tale of Nellie Madison for the first time, and it is so terrifically researched, so well put together, you might forget the story took place in 1934. It's supposed to be an "academic" book, and was published by The University of Nebraska Press, yet it's anything but a stuffy academic treatment, and it's a physically lovely, beautifully produced book.

The crime rags were quick to put a moniker on Mrs. Madison, referring to her as "a real-life Roxie Hart," among other names, and dubbed her crime one of the most mysterious in the annals. An investigator called her "the coolest woman I have ever questioned."

Purple prose never fades, and the author couldn't help but quote some of the press accounts. My favorite, courtesy the Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express:

"Like the opening of a detective mystery will be the prosecution's evidence in the trial of the comely 'enigma woman.' There will be told in court the screams of a woman at midnight, excited footfalls in dim halls. Then, like the closing chapters of a 'thriller,' in which the mystery is solved, the story of Mrs. Madison will unroll before the jury, providing, it is hoped by the defendant and her counsel, an adequate excuse for blasting Eric Madison into eternity as he lay on his bed that fateful night."

She was an unusual woman; she began her marital adventures at 13 and was divorced several times -- this when divorce rates were in the single digits -- and yet she never had children.

Then she bought a handgun and made herself a widow. Witnesses originally thought the gunshots came from the adjacent Warner Brothers Studio. Despite the Hollywood backdrop, Nellie May missed her cue; she didn't weep into her handkerchief for the press. Indeed she refused to say anything at all about the murder until she was behind bars and sentenced to swing.

Then she told a story of rib-cracking abuse -- and it was backed up by the dead man's other loves, who told virtually identical stories of stranglings and beatings and humiliations that the flashpoint-tempered Eric Madison heaped upon the many women in his shortened life.

The Enigma Woman is a wonderful piece of storytelling, masterfully constructed, and the author obviously put many miles on her car getting the full story. I wish I'd written it, and I stand in awe of anyone who can glean so many fascinating details from a case that's coated in decades of dust.

I also noticed Amazon is pairing it for sale with The Good-Bye Door, the book out last fall about electrocuted 1930s serial killer Anna Hahn, another I enjoyed very much for the same qualities.

The Enigma Woman is top-shelf stuff for votaries of high quality historic crime stories. Professor Cairns will keep you mesmerized in contemplation of a most curious murder case, one in which our recalcitrant heroine could not speak until she was within the shadows of the gallows, one in which the victim may well have had it coming in spades and by golly got it.

I first became aware of Nellie Madison in the summer of 2006 when I was told that she was buried at the historic Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernadino, CA. Well, I was told that a "woman who was on death row" was buried there, but no further information was given. A few months later I located Nellie's victim, her husband Erik Madison, at Vallhala Cemetery in North Hollywood and the pieces of the puzzle all came together. Then I heard that Proferssor Cairns was about to publish a book about the entire case! Talk about it being a small world.

The book is excellent. Sources are cited throughout, no tabloid style writing, no sensational prose. A welcome relief from most true crime stories. She did an amazing amount of research, interviewing people connected to Nellie, obtaining archival photos, everything you would hope to see but rarely do.

Nellie Madison's story deserved to be told, and Ms. Cairns did an excellent job sharing it.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it. Ms Cairns has managed to achieve a perfect balance between academic quality and readability. Personally I always think that a well written biography or history book should fire the interest of the reader into wanting to find out more about peripheral characters mentioned in the book or the historical period in general, once you have read this book you will want to do both. "The Enigma Woman: The Death Sentence of Nellie May Madison" would appeal not only to those interested in true crime but also to anyone interested in the history of California or the 1930's generally. The main focus of the book is obviously the trial of Nellie Madison which was fascinating however Ms Cairns does her best to provide a good overview of Nellie Madison's life which is extremely interesting and unconventional, especially for the period in which she lived.

The author now has a web page which includes different pictures of Nellie Madison after she left prison and remarried. If you are interested it is called Inside Info on Uncle John's Nellie.

This book has something for everyone. It's a compelling crime drama, a carefully layered character study and a cultural history that provides insights into gender roles, the legal system and the media of the 1930s and the 1940s.

Nellie May Madison was an unusual and at times a desperate woman, but she found the inner strength to avoid being a victim on two occasions. The author masterfully re-creates her story, including pain-staking research about her Montana pioneer family.

The book has lots of surprising legal twists and turns. But what sets it apart is the larger story it tells about the life and times of Southern California during that period.

One note of caution: don't start the book if you need to go to bed early, I couldn't put it down.

This book is about my aunt(through marriage) and I personally know the author did a lot of research. I commend her.

was used by Nellie's attorney! She should have listened to her ex-husband the first time he advised her to contact another lawyer. Of course, that might have squelched the drama, changed the outcome, and totally eliminated this book.
The Enigma Woman was very interesting and was an easy read. I would have loved to have been told more about Nellie's previous husbands and her relationships with some of the movers and shakers mentioned in the book, but I suppose those details have been lost to time. Because of the circles she moved in, I believe the verdict would have been much different if she'd been represented by an attorney who allowed her to tell the truth and called more witnesses for the defense.
How I would love to read an autobiography from Nellie!
It's been a few weeks since I read this book and this review is sketchy, but I'd encourage anyone interested in historical true crime to add this book to your collection. I don't think you'll be disappointed. If you're a person who reads a book more than once, I believe you'll hold on to this story of Southern California in the 1930s, society's view of women at that time, and the power of the press.

I usually read non-fiction when I need help getting to sleep. Not so, Enigma Woman. I was up until 1:00 A.M. finishing it.

Well written, good historical background, and an exciting real life story.

I highly recommend this book. But don't plan on falling asleep reading it.