Bedelia (novel)

Bedelia is a novel by Vera Caspary first published in 1945 about a blissfully happy newlywed couple in which the husband learns that his wife may have a criminal past. His growing suspicion and discovery of corroborating evidence lead him to think that she might be a serial killer, and that he could be her next victim.

Set in small-town Connecticut in the winter of 1913–14, Bedelia, whose eponymous heroine was called "the wickedest woman who ever loved" on the cover of an early edition of the book, is usually subsumed under the genre of pulp fiction. However, a 2005 annotated edition published by The Feminist Press is said to show that Caspary's novel can be seen as a contribution to feminist thought.

Bedelia is dedicated to film producer Isadore "Igee" Goldsmith, then Caspary's husband.