Disposable Wives: Murder and Menace in Green Bay's Rural Belgian Settlement - Paperback

by Lynda Drews (Author)

In the quiet Belgian farming settlements near Green Bay, Wisconsin, whispers traveled faster than truth.

At the center of it all stood Jean Philippe Soquet--a man known by many names: the Bay Settlement Bruiser, the Belgian Archfiend... and, to some, a murderer. Over four decades, suspicion followed him, especially in the wake of multiple disturbing deaths and disappearances--including those of three of his wives.

What began as gossip soon hardened into something far more troubling.

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.

Through courage, persistence, and an unyielding search for truth, Pauline and Xavier confront a chilling question:

How many lives can be lost before a community is willing to see what's been there all along?

Author Biography

Lynda Drews is the author of five books including her most notable, The Maid and the Socialite: The Brave Women Behind Green Bay's Scandalous Minahan Trials and Run at Destruction: A True Fatal Love Triangle. She and her husband Jim have lived in Brown County, Wisconsin, since 1974 where Disposable Wives takes place.