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True Crime Explicit #6
The Deadly Soap-Maker of Correggio: The True Story of Leonarda Cianciulli a Superstitious Mother Who Turned Victims Into Soaps and Cakes
Imagine being invited in for tea and cakes… only to later learn you were fed human remains.
From suicide attempts, to claiming her mother cursed her, to miscarriages and losing ten of her fourteen children, Leonarda’s life wasn’t easy. Protecting her four surviving children became something of an obsession for the woman. Perhaps tragedy loosened her grip on reality, or maybe the fear of losing her oldest to war caused a mental break.
Whatever the cause, Leonarda’s chilling deeds will raise the hair on the back of your neck and leave you wondering if those around you are capable of the same evil.
Follow along her twisted journey that’ll make you question how much one person can take before they do the unthinkable… or if her tragedies were simply an excuse for murder, desecration, and turning remains into cakes and soap. Read and judge for yourself in this true account of Leonarda Cianciulli, the superstitious mother who turned victims into soaps and cakes.
From suicide attempts, to claiming her mother cursed her, to miscarriages and losing ten of her fourteen children, Leonarda’s life wasn’t easy. Protecting her four surviving children became something of an obsession for the woman. Perhaps tragedy loosened her grip on reality, or maybe the fear of losing her oldest to war caused a mental break.
Whatever the cause, Leonarda’s chilling deeds will raise the hair on the back of your neck and leave you wondering if those around you are capable of the same evil.
Follow along her twisted journey that’ll make you question how much one person can take before they do the unthinkable… or if her tragedies were simply an excuse for murder, desecration, and turning remains into cakes and soap. Read and judge for yourself in this true account of Leonarda Cianciulli, the superstitious mother who turned victims into soaps and cakes.
91 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2022
431 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 19, 2022
The Deadly Soap-Maker of Correggio is a true crime book about Leonarda Cianciulli. She was a very twisted "mother" who frequently turned her victims into soaps AND cakes.
The author does SUCH an amazing job with this series. She provides factual information about what has "led" these criminals to their depraved crimes. I've found that in a lot of true crime stories, the people around the criminal often disregard or shrug off some major red flags.. which always blows my mind. I mean, sure no one wants to believe the person they know could be a criminal, but man, we really all need to open our eyes more, huh?
Leonarda seemed to have absolutely no remorse about her crimes. She did have a fairly traumatic life involving miscarriages, losing ten of her fourteen children, issues with her mother, suicidal attempts and more. However, this is clearly no excuse for committing the tragic crimes she did.
I'll definitely be reading others in this series.
The author does SUCH an amazing job with this series. She provides factual information about what has "led" these criminals to their depraved crimes. I've found that in a lot of true crime stories, the people around the criminal often disregard or shrug off some major red flags.. which always blows my mind. I mean, sure no one wants to believe the person they know could be a criminal, but man, we really all need to open our eyes more, huh?
Leonarda seemed to have absolutely no remorse about her crimes. She did have a fairly traumatic life involving miscarriages, losing ten of her fourteen children, issues with her mother, suicidal attempts and more. However, this is clearly no excuse for committing the tragic crimes she did.
I'll definitely be reading others in this series.
June 2, 2025
I probably won’t be eating any cakes for a while after reading this! It was fascinating to learn the backstory of the serial killer and understand what led her to the state of mind that drove her to kill three women rather than just reading about the murders themselves.
August 1, 2022
Strange Story
How cruelty can drive a normal child to madness add an adult... I felt sorry for her until her thoughts drove her crazy..
How cruelty can drive a normal child to madness add an adult... I felt sorry for her until her thoughts drove her crazy..
July 4, 2022
I read this book via an Amazon KU [KINDLE Unlimited] download.
These days, while I’m a rather voracious reviewer of nonfiction Christian books, being a Christian woman, I’m also a Christian blogger and author. Yet, I can’t resist allowing myself to engage in reading and reviewing books dealing with the gene of True Crimes as I did when my old secular self. Being a Christian woman, I’m more fascinated than ever as to whys anyone would commit such heinous acts, especially those who are women.
I find it imaginable how a single woman could have perpetrated such an evil act of murdering individuals and turning their corpses into soaps and cakes. The individual here is Leonarda Cianciulli. In this outing, True Crime author Genoveva Ortiz does a superb job of giving her readers a detailed accounting of what brought about this murderer’s acts of depravity without a sign of remorse.
In the description for this book, we’re told of suicide attempts, claiming her mother cursed her, miscarriages, and losing ten of her fourteen children; Leonarda’s life wasn’t easy. Protecting her four surviving children became something of an obsession for the woman. Perhaps tragedy loosened her grip on reality, or the fear of losing her oldest to war caused her to experience a mental break.
By giving her readers, like me, a detailed expose of what might have caused the murderous acts of Leonarda Cianciulli and giving them a better understanding of the origins of such acts; I’ve given Ms. Ortiz 5 STARS for her endeavor here.
These days, while I’m a rather voracious reviewer of nonfiction Christian books, being a Christian woman, I’m also a Christian blogger and author. Yet, I can’t resist allowing myself to engage in reading and reviewing books dealing with the gene of True Crimes as I did when my old secular self. Being a Christian woman, I’m more fascinated than ever as to whys anyone would commit such heinous acts, especially those who are women.
I find it imaginable how a single woman could have perpetrated such an evil act of murdering individuals and turning their corpses into soaps and cakes. The individual here is Leonarda Cianciulli. In this outing, True Crime author Genoveva Ortiz does a superb job of giving her readers a detailed accounting of what brought about this murderer’s acts of depravity without a sign of remorse.
In the description for this book, we’re told of suicide attempts, claiming her mother cursed her, miscarriages, and losing ten of her fourteen children; Leonarda’s life wasn’t easy. Protecting her four surviving children became something of an obsession for the woman. Perhaps tragedy loosened her grip on reality, or the fear of losing her oldest to war caused her to experience a mental break.
By giving her readers, like me, a detailed expose of what might have caused the murderous acts of Leonarda Cianciulli and giving them a better understanding of the origins of such acts; I’ve given Ms. Ortiz 5 STARS for her endeavor here.
June 1, 2022
From the time she was born, Leonarda Cianciulli’s life wasn’t easy. Her mother hated her, and drove her to attempt suicide. Once she was married, tragedy dogged her heels with miscarraige after miscarriage drove her to be protective of her surviving children. Yet, there is no excuse for what she did next.
True crime stories fascinate me, and I had only heard brief mentions of this one. Be warned: when it says it is an explicit crime, it is. The details are not glossed over and if you are a little squeamish, you might want to pass on this one. From rape to the murder of three innocent people, this case is not for the faint of heart.
Reading about the life that Leonarda Cianciulli endured did inspire some empathy for her. No one should have to deal with all she did. Yet, when she turns to violence, believing that she can sacrifice other lives to save her son, all I could feel was horror. Especially when she used the bodies to make soap and tea cakes.
An interesting and quick read. Again, not for a reader who isn’t prepared for a detailed telling of a murderer’s actions. I was provided a free copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are my own.
True crime stories fascinate me, and I had only heard brief mentions of this one. Be warned: when it says it is an explicit crime, it is. The details are not glossed over and if you are a little squeamish, you might want to pass on this one. From rape to the murder of three innocent people, this case is not for the faint of heart.
Reading about the life that Leonarda Cianciulli endured did inspire some empathy for her. No one should have to deal with all she did. Yet, when she turns to violence, believing that she can sacrifice other lives to save her son, all I could feel was horror. Especially when she used the bodies to make soap and tea cakes.
An interesting and quick read. Again, not for a reader who isn’t prepared for a detailed telling of a murderer’s actions. I was provided a free copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are my own.
May 21, 2025
overprotective loving mother or psychopath?
Why not both? She was always an overprotective loving mother just trying to do her very best to keep her kids alive despite the reading she was given on her palm the first time while her loving husband does everything he could to make her feel better. However, in the end was when she became the psychopath. She had all the traits of a psychopath while she was only trying to protect her son when he goes away with the military. You can’t help but feel sorry for the woman as you read this book but at the end, she deserved everything she had handed to her. No one really knows what happens to the family after that, and I guess we will never know.
Why not both? She was always an overprotective loving mother just trying to do her very best to keep her kids alive despite the reading she was given on her palm the first time while her loving husband does everything he could to make her feel better. However, in the end was when she became the psychopath. She had all the traits of a psychopath while she was only trying to protect her son when he goes away with the military. You can’t help but feel sorry for the woman as you read this book but at the end, she deserved everything she had handed to her. No one really knows what happens to the family after that, and I guess we will never know.
September 21, 2022
the soap killer
I bought this because I am a hobbies soap maker and a true crime nerd. So when those two things aligned it was natural to pick this up. It reads a lot like a high school report. It’s not boring but it also isn’t detailed in the way I expect true crime books to be. I think this comes from a lack of sourcing and language barriers since the original source material would be in Italian. Either way, this was worth the time and it was fascinating. Kind of wild that this lady just turned people into soap and cake and went about her day.
Overall 4/5 stars.
I bought this because I am a hobbies soap maker and a true crime nerd. So when those two things aligned it was natural to pick this up. It reads a lot like a high school report. It’s not boring but it also isn’t detailed in the way I expect true crime books to be. I think this comes from a lack of sourcing and language barriers since the original source material would be in Italian. Either way, this was worth the time and it was fascinating. Kind of wild that this lady just turned people into soap and cake and went about her day.
Overall 4/5 stars.
March 6, 2025
True crime
Leonarda Cianciulli was an Italian serial killer. Better known as the Soap-Maker of Correggio, she murdered three women in the town of Correggio, Reggio Emilia, in 1939 and 1940, and turned their bodies into soap and teacakes.
Brought into this world from a rape, treated horribly by her mother. Unloved and encouraged to commit suicide from her mother, it's no wonder she had insane actions. Married multiple times, her last marriage resulted in numerous miscarriages, and infant deaths, with only 4 children surviving. Well written and very informative true crime
Leonarda Cianciulli was an Italian serial killer. Better known as the Soap-Maker of Correggio, she murdered three women in the town of Correggio, Reggio Emilia, in 1939 and 1940, and turned their bodies into soap and teacakes.
Brought into this world from a rape, treated horribly by her mother. Unloved and encouraged to commit suicide from her mother, it's no wonder she had insane actions. Married multiple times, her last marriage resulted in numerous miscarriages, and infant deaths, with only 4 children surviving. Well written and very informative true crime
April 6, 2025
This was a slightly shorter book in this series, but it was no less sad and frightening as Leonarda's plight was detailed from the very first chapter. Her pain, terror, and heartbreak were vividly described. Her obsession with her children was understandable, but then it went completely off the rails. Then things got really wild! This was an intense read for sure.
January 9, 2023
Lacks detail
I love the fact that your books in this series are straight to the point, quick reads. Unfortunately this book lacked too many details. But I love your books and I am on to the next one!
I love the fact that your books in this series are straight to the point, quick reads. Unfortunately this book lacked too many details. But I love your books and I am on to the next one!
August 11, 2023
This book was absolutely crazy. Once i started reading this book I just could NOT put it down. This book is about Leonarda Cianciulli, she was a soap maker that had trouble conceiving and when she did, her children were sick and died shortly after birth. She had one child that survived, a son! When her son announced that he was going into the army, Leonarda absolutely hated the idea. This news put her into a fight or flight response, and she was going to do whatever she had to do in order to protect her son. Leonarda invited people into her shop saying that she was going to help them with whatever they needed help with in life. Once she had them in, she gave them a glass of wine and then when they were close to being unconscious, she would beat them on the head with an axe. once that was done, she dismembered their bodies and used all of the fat in their bodies and turned it into soap.
September 30, 2024
Good Read
I like the writings of Genoveva Ortiz. She gives insight into the life of the people she writes about, giving the reader history of the subject. Probably the best writer of the True Crime 7. Her writing style flows well making reading most enjoyable.
I like the writings of Genoveva Ortiz. She gives insight into the life of the people she writes about, giving the reader history of the subject. Probably the best writer of the True Crime 7. Her writing style flows well making reading most enjoyable.
October 24, 2024
An e-book short, at under 100 pages. The book takes place in Italy in the early 1900's. I felt a little sympathetic to this woman who had an abusive mother and husband until she started killing people and cutting up their bodies to make soap and cake.
January 23, 2025
enter the mind of a superstitious mind of a mother turned killer
Must read to learn about the incomprehensible logic of a mother who will commit unimaginable acts based on fear stemming from her superstitious beliefs
Must read to learn about the incomprehensible logic of a mother who will commit unimaginable acts based on fear stemming from her superstitious beliefs
Read
March 10, 2025This isn't written very well (IMO), but it's a good resource for details that I otherwise struggled to find online about this case. As per usual, no rating because I read this for work/research purposes.
May 15, 2022
Quick but Timeline is Off
Quick read with just enough details to not have to be longer, but the timeline and how fast everything is made to seem happen doesn't match up.
Quick read with just enough details to not have to be longer, but the timeline and how fast everything is made to seem happen doesn't match up.
May 31, 2022
Yikes!
Never heard not this case before!! Wow. This is def a "lost" crime case. Definitely not a book for the squeamish, though extremely interesting! Five *****'s!!!!!!
Never heard not this case before!! Wow. This is def a "lost" crime case. Definitely not a book for the squeamish, though extremely interesting! Five *****'s!!!!!!
May 31, 2022
3.5 rtc
July 10, 2022
Deadly
Too violent. Not happy with the content. Very unstable woman who others never really saw her. That is it thank you.
Too violent. Not happy with the content. Very unstable woman who others never really saw her. That is it thank you.
August 5, 2022
Good book
I had never heard about this serial killer. This book was very interesting. I like reading only the information needed for the story. This book really kept my interest.
I had never heard about this serial killer. This book was very interesting. I like reading only the information needed for the story. This book really kept my interest.
November 30, 2022
Interesting story, dryly composed. Short, quick read.
April 6, 2024
easy reading
I enjoyed this book. It was very easy to read and very straightforward. Finished the book in 2 nights. I look forward to reading the others.
I enjoyed this book. It was very easy to read and very straightforward. Finished the book in 2 nights. I look forward to reading the others.
May 29, 2025
Nature vs nurture, once again.
November 16, 2022
“Ask any parent about what he most important thing in their life is. No doubt they will say their children. Everyone knows parents would do anything for their families - but how could such a seemingly delicate mother turn to murder so suddenly? Was it evil? Madness? Or a twisted sort of love?.”
A sad but puzzling story.
How some of the victims were killed is just awful and frighting!
A sad but puzzling story.
How some of the victims were killed is just awful and frighting!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews