Queen of All Mayhem

PRE-ORDER FOR MAY 13, 2025

The Queen of All Mayhem by Dane Huckelbridge

A Gripping Biography of Belle Starr—the Most Dangerous Woman of the American West
Outlaw. Gang leader. Icon. The untold true story of a woman who defied the rules of her time—and the law.

From acclaimed historian and author of No Beast So Fierce, Dane Huckelbridge returns with The Queen of All Mayhem—a bold and meticulously researched biography of Belle Starr, the infamous bandit who carved her legend into the lawless frontier of the American West.

On February 3, 1889, just days before her 41st birthday, Myra Maybelle Shirley—better known as Belle Starr—was murdered in cold blood, her body found riddled with shotgun blasts near her home in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Her death was as violent and mysterious as the life she led.

Far from folklore, Belle’s life was steeped in real crime and rebellion. She led a notorious horse-thieving gang, rode with outlaws like Cole Younger and Jim Reed, and married into Cherokee royalty through her union with Sam Starr. In a world dominated by men, Belle was an outlaw queen who refused to play by anyone else’s rules.

🤠 Perfect for fans of true crime, Wild West history, and feminist biographies
🤠 Sheds new light on a legendary figure often overshadowed by myth
🤠 Explores themes of trauma, survival, rebellion, and female power in the 19th century

Format: Hardcover 
Genre: Biography, American History, True Crime, Women’s History
Topics: Old West Outlaws, Cherokee History, Female Criminals, Post-Civil War America
Audience: Readers of Erik Larson, S.C. Gwynne, Mary Gabriel, and Candice Millard

✨ The Queen of All Mayhem is an unflinching portrait of Belle Starr, revealing her not just as an outlaw, but as a survivor of war, personal tragedy, and systemic oppression—a woman who chose danger over conformity, and myth over mediocrity.