Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History
by Tori Telfer
Buy on AmazonInspired by author Tori Telfer's Jezebel column “Lady Killers,” this thrilling and entertaining compendium investigates female serial killers and their crimes through the ages. When you think of serial killers throughout history, the names that come to mind are ones like Jack the Ripper, John Wayne Gacy, and Ted Bundy. But what about Tillie Klimek, Moulay Hassan, Kate Bender? The narrative we’re comfortable with is the one where women are the victims of violent crime, not the perpetrators.…
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"Men are far more likely than women to kill, making Lady Killers’ title a grim pun – though Tori Telfer does her gruesome best to even up the body count. For ages, the received wisdom had it that female serial killers did not actually exist (Aileen Wuornos aside). Like female rocket scientists and cage fighters, these women had to wait for the new millennium to be properly recognized. With selections that are exceptionally well-sourced and engaging, if gory, Lady Killers profiles more than 14 subjects with widely differing motivations for ending multiple lives."
NPR Books We Love — 2017 · apps.npr.org