Local author focuses on local true crime

Lynda Drews, a local author in Brown County, is reaching the final stop on her publication journey for her next true crime narrative, Disposable Wives: Murder and Menace in Green Bay’s Rural Belgian Settlement.

“A gripping account of crime in Wisconsin’s Belgian settlement, this well-researched work provides a rich portrait of the life, laws, and traditions of the era, and the challenges of seeking justice in a new land,” wrote the Belgian Heritage Center on Lynda Drews’ website.

“The big thing here is that it’s not just a story, but truly, we had a serial killer here in the area back in this era,” said Drews. “I really want people to take away what the community was like at this time, how difficult survival was at the time… for farmers, especially, and for women, in particular.”

“Thought-provoking and engrossing… This tale embraces moral ambiguity, legal system failures, the rights and perceptions of women in this society… As it spins an engaging backdrop of early America’s communities and their leaders,” wrote the Midwest Book Review on Drews’ website.

Drews started working on “Disposable Wives” as soon as she finished writing “The Maid and the Socialite” in 2023.

“This one is much quicker… Three years… I knew how to do more research in this one. That’s why it was so much quicker,” said Drews, “I could still use the area research center out of UWGB that had all the court records. Also, I was very lucky that the Belgian Heritage Center was up there. They have a large amount of Belgian photos, documents, everything in UWTV, too, in their archives.”

“You know, I’ve written five books since I retired… so this might be my last one, but I like it that I got like a whole grouping of books now that I think people enjoy. I still like to share that — to be able to share that and share the history of our area,” said Drews, when asked what she is most looking forward to in the final steps of her author journey.

Lynda is set to release her brand-new book on May 12 and will be hosting a variety of events across northeast Wisconsin.

To learn more or order one of her books, visit lyndadrews.com.