The Witch of Delray is a true crime story that captivated the city of Detroit, Michigan, in the 1930s. It revolves around the life of a charming and cunning woman named Viola St. John. Viola was a middle-aged divorcee, known for her beauty and allure. Viola's story takes a dark turn when she becomes involved in a series of crimes, including multiple murders. She lured unsuspecting men into her web, using her charm to gain their trust and then manipulating them for her own gain.

Witch of delray

Cart

• Books
  • Series
  • Imprints
  • Applewood Books
  • Arcadia Publishing
  • Arcadia Children's Books
  • Commonwealth Editions
  • The History Press
  • Pelican Publishing
  • Pelican Children's Publishing
  • Applewood Books
  • Arcadia Children's Books
  • Arcadia Publishing
  • The History Press
  • Pelican Publishing

  Show all filters

  Sort By

  Per Page

  • Zip Code Search
  • Gift Guide
  • Collections
  • Coming Soon
  • Volume Discounts
  • Applewood Books
  • Arcadia Publishing
  • The History Press
  • Pelican Publishing
  • Arcadia Children's Books
  • Commonwealth Editions
  • Careers
  • Newsletters
  • Visitor Help Center
  • Website Support
  • Retailer Support
  • Media Queries
  • Make Me an Author
  • Newsletters
  • Collaborate
  • Shipping
  • Billing & Refunds
  • For Our Authors
  • Royalties
  • Privacy
  • Billing Terms
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Notice of Data Security Event
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Diners Club
  • Discover
  • Meta Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Mastercard
  • Shop Pay
  • Visa

  © 2024 Arcadia Publishing

  Designed and built by Supadu

  84: The Witch of Delray w/ Karen Dybis - A True Crime History Podcast Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

  Rose Veres, known as "The Witch of Delray", was tried in 1931 for murdering one of her tenants in Detroit, and has been suspected of killing others throughout the 1920s. Karen Dybis, author of "The Witch of Delray: Rose Veres and Detroit's Infamous 1930s Murder Mystery" is my guest on this week's episode of Most Notorious, and not only tells Rose's story, but helps separate legend from the true-life, historical account of her story.

  The author's website: https://www.karendybis.com/

  Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious
  Most Notorious on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MostNotorious1
  Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • More Episodes
  • Copyright Erik Rivenes

  Rose Veres, known as "The Witch of Delray", was tried in 1931 for murdering one of her tenants in Detroit, and has been suspected of killing others throughout the 1920s. Karen Dybis, author of "The Witch of Delray: Rose Veres and Detroit's Infamous 1930s Murder Mystery" is my guest on this week's episode of Most Notorious, and not only tells Rose's story, but helps separate legend from the true-life, historical account of her story.

  The author's website: https://www.karendybis.com/

  Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious
  Most Notorious on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MostNotorious1
  Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  The Witch of Delray: Rose Veres & Detroit’s Infamous 1930s Murder Mystery

  Detroit was full of stark contrasts in 1931. Political scandals, rumrunners and mobs lurked in the shadows of the city’s soaring architecture and industrious population. As the Great Depression began to take hold, tensions grew, spilling over into the investigation of a mysterious murder at the boardinghouse of Hungarian immigrant Rose Veres. Amid accusations of witchcraft, Rose and her son Bill were convicted of the brutal killing and suspected in a dozen more. Their cries of innocence went unheeded—until one lawyer, determined to seek justice, took on the case. Author Karen Dybis follows the twists and turns of this shocking story, revealing the truth of Detroit’s own Hex Woman.

  Genres True CrimeHistoryNonfictionMysteryAmerican History

  128 pages, Paperback

  Published October 30, 2017

  Book details & editions Loading interface. Loading interface.

  About the author

  Karen Dybis 6 books 29 followers

  Michigan native Karen Dybis is a metro Detroit writer who has blogged for Time magazine, worked the business desk at the Detroit News and jumped on breaking stories for a variety of publications. She is the author of four books: "The Ford-Wyoming Drive-In: Cars, Candy & Canoodling in the Motor City" and "Better Made in Michigan: The Salty Story of Detroit's Best Chip," "The Witch of Delray" and "Secret Detroit," which will be released in April 2018.

  She lured unsuspecting men into her web, using her charm to gain their trust and then manipulating them for her own gain. The men who fell for Viola's charms often ended up dead, their money and possessions stolen. The crimes committed by Viola became known as the "Delray Murders," named after the neighborhood in Detroit where she operated.

  Ratings & Reviews

  What do you think? Rate this book Write a Review

  Friends & Following

  Community Reviews

  225 ratings 34 reviews 5 stars 52 (23%) 4 stars 56 (24%) 3 stars 77 (34%) 2 stars 35 (15%) 1 star Search review text English Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews 952 reviews 45 followers

  Sometimes you just gotta take a chance on the unexpected stuff on your library’s new books shelf: lady murderer in 1930s Detroit! Sold! I’m not into true crime, but I am interested in that era of Detroit history so I plowed through this rather short book, which has as its inciting incident the death of a man at his boarding house in the industrial Delray neighborhood of Detroit and the subsequent trial of his landlady, the titular witch, and her son for his murder. This book was oddly written in that there didn’t seem to be enough information on the murder investigation and trial to fill out even this slim volume, so the author wandered off on many different avenues that were in connected in time and place to this event, covering the various personalities in Detroit law enforcement and government, the rampant corruption of the era, and then padded out the pages with pictures, even if the subjects were only mentioned in passing. Rose Veres herself retreats from the narrative for much of the book, sentenced to jail for murder under very shaky circumstances before another heroine emerges in the second half of the book. Enter lady lawyer, Alean B. Clutts who ends up taking Rose Veres’ case and using all of her legal wiles to push for a retrial, which is ultimately successful, freeing Rose and exposing much of the ineptitude and corruption of Detroit’s legal system. Alean Clutts is a figure I am embarrassed to say I had never heard of before despite this book’s depiction of her forceful personality and intense drive for justice. Her story by itself deserves attention and recognition starting with her determination to become a lawyer despite prejudices against women in that day, her divorce of her abusive husband, her devotion to her extended family, and the many clients she helped with her legal smarts. I look forward to reading that book very soon, just as soon as someone writes it!

  . more 6 likes 47 reviews 3 followers

  I’ll admit when I first saw the title, The Witch of Delay, I conjured up in my mind a story about your typical witch. The kind of witch story that I evoked in my mind involved potions, curses, and even hexes. The interesting thing is, The Witch of Delray, will take the reader into the story of Rose Veres who some saw as a witch.

  I realize that opening paragraph may grip the attention of people as you ask yourself, where is Delray? Is she really a witch?

  The answer to the first question is that Delray is an old part of Detroit, Michigan. The Delray area in the early 20th century saw many Hungarian immigrants call the area home. This background is shared with in the pages of the book by author, Karen Dybis. She does a great job explaining how things where in Detroit during the period of the book, mentioning everything from the Great Depression, to corruption, crime, and race riot in the 1940s.

  As for Rose Veres, you must realize the period of the story. This was a period when many old fears followed immigrants from their native lands. It is where neighborhood stories could lead others to fear a woman’s piercing glare as an evil hex. It of course did not help Rose that she had a husband die, mysteriously and even some of her borders also die. You see, Rose and her husband Gabor, took in borders and after his death she continued to take them in. It was just Rose and her children in the house along with their borders, and it wasn’t till one of them died.

  The Witch of Delray will delve deeply into the reported murder of Stephen Mak. He was one of the borders, and like so many during the depression, had trouble finding work. He would help with some chores around the Veres’ house and it was on one of these occasions he met with a horrific end. He either was pushed, or fell, off a ladder while working on a window in the home. The following police investigation would lead to the multiple events within this book.

  Author Karen Dybis does her homework in writing this true crime story. She had to obviously do a lot of research digging into archives and stories from the events. Dybis looks not into the primary characters from Rose Verse, son Bill, but into those who prosecuted her. Dybis looks into the history around the events, the characters and the eventual outcome. Readers will be introduced to Detective John Whitman, Reporter Vera Brown, Prosecutor Duncan C. McCrea and female attorney Alean Rose Brisley Clutts. The book will span over a few decades and will give readers a larger picture on the “witch” of Delray.

  What I really enjoyed about this book is something one will not see on the countless of real crime TV shows out there. We get beyond the story of the murder but that of parties involved. We get a chance to see how those involved either met with fame, or failure. The thing book really does is show us everything has consequences and sometimes they have far reaching impacts.

  2 likes 497 reviews 4 followers

  I wanted to love this slim true crime book. I really did. I cannot fault the author's research nor her obvious desire to bring to light the fact that sometimes our courts just get it wrong. What I can fault are the constant misses of some of the most interesting parts of the story! It was so dry and, dare I say, boring! The woman at the heart of this is considered by some to be a witch that made them too afraid to testify, but the reasons for this belief are barely mentioned. (I get it, Dybis wants to dispel those rumors and focus on the injustice. but it is a true crime story with some important if also salacious details!) The scandals that rocked the law firms and politicians are clinically approached. Even the heroine, the female lawyer bucking trends and getting the job done is so blandly represented despite having many hints of some more interesting back story herself. The phots are plentiful which is awesome and enhance your sense of the era of Detroit. But, their placement often seems arbitrary and the captions even spoil plot developments that come pages later. oops! This was slim, well researched, and actually quite well edited, but it lacks heart and I need some cheese with my true crime!

  2 likes Author

  7 books 21 followers

  Although this book was a short one, it packed a lot of punch. I wanted to read it because my great-grandmother's brother owned a grocery store in Delray (part of Detroit) 100 years ago. The terrible injustice done to Rose Veres and her son back in the 1930s was appalling. The woman was an Hungarian immigrant who spoke no English and she was railroaded by her supposed 'friends and neighbors' along with questionable law enforcement officials who later went to prison themselves. Dybis did a fine job of telling the story, which detailed not only Veres's case, but also the major corruption going on in Detroit at that time. If you are looking for a good story from the past, I highly recommend this book--whether or not you had a relative who once owned a grocery store in Delray.

  2 likes 64 reviews 1 follower

  This book is a great dive into the history of not only a neighborhood “witch” but the cast of characters involved in her prosecution and re-trial. It’s a window into Detroit and Michigan history, and well worth the read.

  I especially liked leaning about the prominent women who played a role in her story in an era where men were the norm. But a female journalist and lawyer factor in heavily and enhance the story.

  Overall I appreciated the insight into some forgotten history in one of Detroit’s forgotten neighborhoods.

  2 likes 348 reviews 23 followers

  I really enjoyed this book. It is a slim book but what it loses in size it makes up for in content. I was extremely interested in this book because I am from Michigan and my parents came back to the United States from Hungary in the 20s and 30s to settle in Delray, the center of the Hungarian community in Detroit back then. It is located on the Detroit River next to the major industries and factories that Detroit was known for as well as the infamous Zug Island. Therefore it always had its pollution problems. As my parents were born in this country and then moved back to Hungary as toddlers, they were able to easily return here along with a sister each. They settled in Delray which was a big hub for the Hungarian immigrants coming to this country. There was a lot of work to be had in the local industry. My mother worked for a family who owned a bar and restaurant. My dad worked for Ford for awhile and ultimately GM. They met in Delray and married in 1939. They were both in their early 20s when they moved to Delray although my father was older and he settled there in the late 20s right when the story takes place. In fact he lived in a boarding house like many of the men did back then. Unfortunately I don’t remember him talking about this case when I was young and neither did my mom.

  I think the author did a very good job giving a rather brief but detailed synopsis of what happens in this case of suspected murder and how it was ultimately affected by the corruption and graft in the Detroit legal system and state and local politics with the Mob controlling so much of that criminal enterprise. Add to that the fear and suspicion of immigrants in general particularly those with a “gypsy” label and you have the makings of a very interesting story. It was really interesting reading about the important characters of the time who were ultimately uncovered and indicted for their corrupt practices. I thought the murder case was poorly tried. Let’s just say they did things differently back then and that’s an understatement! I won’t give any more details other than to say I found out about the first major female attorney in Detroit who was in solo practice for over 30 years and made quite a name for herself. That would have been extremely hard to do back then. Her dedication to justice and helping women and children is what led to the ultimate decisions in this case and it was really historically ground breaking in my opinion. She was quite the feminist, having also to put up with an abusive husband. In all honesty despite the emphasis on the men in this book who ran everything back then, the women dominated the story to the ultimate denouement.

  There are also interesting pictures scattered throughout the book. This was very nostalgic for me even though it was way before my time. Granted this book will be more interesting for people from the Detroit area, especially those who knew people from that area back then, like my parents and their friends. I thought it was well written and concise with just the right amount of detail. It was a fun trip back for me. I visited Delray multiple times when I was a kid. I’m sure it’s nothing like it was back then. Detroit was a shining gem in those days, despite being in the midst of a Depression, with its rapid growth and industry which was turned to making artillery in WWII. Unemployment was still rampant and these young immigrants were lucky to live as well as they did in Delray. My parents stories and pictures aren’t all bad. Lean years yes but so much to look forward to in this city of the future! Hopefully this area, like many others, will be rejuvenated because it is a beautiful spot along the river.

  Overall a very good true crime book!

  

  The community was terrified by the mysterious deaths and the realization that a seemingly innocent woman was capable of such heinous acts. The police eventually caught up with Viola, and she was arrested and charged with the murders. Her trial became a media sensation, with newspapers covering every detail of the case. Viola's story fascinated the public, who were both repulsed by her actions and intrigued by her ability to manipulate others. During the trial, Viola maintained her innocence, claiming that she was a victim of circumstance. However, the evidence against her piled up, and she was eventually found guilty. Viola was sentenced to life in prison, where she lived out the rest of her days. The Witch of Delray remains a notorious figure in Detroit's history, representing the darkness that can lurk behind a seemingly ordinary face. Her crimes serve as a chilling reminder of the depths of human depravity. The story of Viola St. John continues to intrigue true crime enthusiasts and serves as a cautionary tale for would-be victims of manipulative individuals..

  Reviews for "The Witch of Delray: A Trail of Terror in the Motor City"

  1. John Smith - 2 stars - I found "Witch of Delray" to be a disappointment. The plot was slow and lacked any real suspense or excitement. The characters were one-dimensional and uninteresting, and I had a hard time connecting with any of them. The writing style was also quite dull, with long, descriptive passages that didn't contribute to the overall story. Overall, I was unimpressed with this book and would not recommend it to others.

  2. Emily Johnson - 1 star - "Witch of Delray" was one of the most boring books I've ever read. The story dragged on and on, with no real direction or purpose. The characters were forgettable, and I struggled to keep track of who was who. The author's writing style was dry and lacked any kind of spark or creativity. I was really looking forward to this book, but it fell flat in almost every aspect. Save your time and skip this one.

  3. Sarah Thompson - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Witch of Delray," but unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. The story felt disjointed and didn't flow smoothly, making it difficult to follow along. The characters were underdeveloped, and I didn't feel any emotional connection to them. Additionally, the ending was unsatisfying and left me with more questions than answers. Overall, I was let down by this book and wouldn't recommend it to others who are looking for a captivating read.

  The Witch of Delray: The Truth Behind the Legend