In the quiet Belgian farming settlements near Green Bay, Wisconsin, whispers traveled faster than truth — and Jean Philippe Soquet counted on it.

He was known as the Bay Settlement Bruiser, the Belgian Archfiend, and something whispered only in private: the murderer of his three wives. Determined to uncover the truth, Pauline Villiesse—sister to Soquet’s third wife—refuses to let the past be buried. With the help of Xavier Martin, a respected translator navigating both language and loyalty within the Belgian immigrant community, she begins a relentless pursuit of justice.

Set in the decades following the Civil War, this riveting true story reveals a world shaped by faith, survival, and tightly bound traditions—where secrets are protected, reputations are everything, and justice is far from guaranteed.

Drawn entirely from archival court records and primary sources, Disposable Wives is the true story of the women Wisconsin's justice system failed — and the woman who refused to let them be forgotten.

For readers of Erik Larson, Kate Moore, and Karen Abbott.