Reviews

"An incredibly well-researched book about Anna Hahn... who sends shivers up the back of every student of true crime... If you can get through the chapter on her execution without shedding a tear, you're made of tougher stuff than I am."

Laura James - CLEWS

"The tersely written book is filled with riveting details, gleaned largely from the voluminous accounts of a trial that made news from coast-to-coast."

Columbus Dispatch

"An incredible story, and that it is true and makes it all the more puzzling. Was she [Anna Marie Hahn] truly out of her mind, or was she a calculating, cold-hearted charmer, luring old men (and nosy neighbors) to their deaths to feed her own gambling addiction? The book transports you back to the Depression years, to the 1930s, and into the life of a pretty immigrant whose attempt to live the American Dream turned tragic."

Jan Vaughn - Warren Tribune

"This is a first-rate, gripping, jaw-dropping account of an incredibly complex woman who committed a most audacious string of murders. Not only does Franklin present exhaustive research in a page-flipping style, but places Anna Marie inside a complicated web of personalities and social/judicial forces. Clear your calendar before picking up this book. You won't be able to put it down until the end."

Avid Reader, Toledo, Ohio

"Bizarre, bizarre....This tale of the beautiful "blonde Borgia," who fleeced & then poisoned kindly elderly gentlemen to feed her gambling mania, started slowly, but by the time the police arrested her, I was hooked in and had trouble tearing myself away. The detailed trial and execution coverage which followed is not only a grisly real-life murder mystery, but also an engrossing look into the major media of the 30s, and the ghoulish way they were already immersing themselves in sensational cases...sixty years before the O. J. Simpson circus."

Piri Halasz, New York City, New York

"I understand that "The Goodbye Door" is the author's first effort at true crime. You would never know it. The way she describes the packed Cincinnati courtroom in the opening chapter and concludes with serial killer Anna Marie Hahn's final minutes in the electric chair is gripping, even intoxicating, reading. I would place Diana Franklin in the top rank of true crime authors, and I look forward to her next book in this genre."

Adam Lewis, New Jersey

"The Good-Bye Door" is an enthralling read for both true crime fans and history buffs. Although a sensation at the time, Anna Marie Hahn has not only vanished from the popular conscience but, as the author points out, she has also nearly disappeared from official public records. Diana Franklin's five years of painstaking research, based largely on newspaper accounts, trial transcripts and Hahn's own handwritten confession, has yielded the chilling tale of a headstrong young German immigrant who arrived in Cincinnati in 1929 as an outcast following the birth of her illegitimate son. Trading on her youth and good looks, Hahn preyed on some of the most vulnerable members of society for five years before being caught. Franklin's straightforward, dispassionate retelling of Hahn's crimes and punishment avoids the popular sensationalism of the 1930s and lets her shocking story speak for itself."

S. Roush, Kansas City, Missouri

"Beautifully researched, the author takes you through the door of a fabulous tale that rocked Cincinnati in the late 1930s and continues to fascinate. Anna Marie Hahn is an incredibly complex woman: on one hand a seeming devoted mother, on the other hand a thief, liar, and serial killer. Franklin's skill as a writer keeps you absorbed. The reader has a front row seat in the trial of the century. Even 20 years after her execution, the judge who ordered it couldn't forget her."

G. M. Obrien, Huntington Beach, Cailfornia

"This is a little known but wonderful gem of a true mystery story. The book is written with great pains to give the reader a truly historical and accurate vision of what actually occurred. I forewarn anyone who reads this book into the last several chapters, you will never be able to put it down! I stayed awake until 4:30 a.m. devouring every last page. It is the kind of book filled with details which stay in your mind and you will find yourself thinking about this story weeks after you finish reading it. This is a must buy for any lover of murder mysteries on your gift list. Excuse the pun, but it is a killer!"

Philip Lorito, Long Island, New York

"As an avid reader of true crime, I thoroughly enjoyed "The Good-bye Door." How this incredible story, told in such captivating detail by the author, escaped attention all these years is hard to fathom. In its day, it was describled as "the greatest mass murder in the history of the country." Fortunately for history, this author took the time to chronicle Anna Marie Hahn's arrest, trial, incarceration, and execution in Ohio. "The Good-bye Door" is engrossing from beginning to end. I loved it."

William Blackburn, Seattle, Washington

Although I've lived in Ohio for most of my life, I had never heard the story of Anna Marie Hahn. Her story is fascinating and is clearly detailed in Franklin's entertaining book. It is obvious that a lot of investigative work was done before the writing. Franklin uses actual newspaper articles and notes from the judge and lawyers to lay out Anna's story. Franklin's wry sense of humor helps to lighten the mood of the subject and its implications--that a beautiful woman can take the lives of so many elderly, and hardly no one notices. From beginning to end the story is riveting, and I highly recommend it.

Julie Harms, Beavercreek, Ohio

"This is a fascinating true story about America's first female serial killer to die in the electric chair. The book covers Anna Marie Hahn's life as a favored child in Bavaria, to her descent into crime as a serial killer, and finally to her execution. The book is an easy, but compelling read--I couldn't put it down and read it in less than 2 days! I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Diana Franklin, and discussing the book with her. Diana's thorough research investigating these murders (which took place in the mid- to late-1930s) and the resulting trial and media coverage is clear. She was able to recreate Anna's actions in astounding detail. Anyone who is interested in reading true crime stories should definitely add this book to their list of "must reads"!"

A. Cole, Cincinnati, Ohio

"I could not put this book down! Diana Franklin's exhaustive research unearths the pieces of a true-crime puzzle which took place in the 1930's. I am surprised this trial is not more well-known today... it has all the elements of a contemporary high-profile case. The factors which motivated Anna Marie Hahn to commit the acts, the serial nature of the crimes, and the outcome of the trial make for fascinating reading."

Elizabeth Wilson, "Jersey Girl'