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sevaspeto's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not going to sugarcoat this: this book was kind of a struggle to get through. Part of that isn't really Telfer's fault -- about 80% of the murderers chronicled in this book are poisoners. That sort of comes with the territory when discussing female serial killers, but the unfortunate reality is that after awhile, the stories all just kind of bleed together. Different locations, but with slight variations on the motivations and temperaments and details, but not enough to really firm more than a couple of them in my head. And my other main gripe is probably owed more to the format, spending a chapter per killer -- 15 to 30 pages is enough to give you some context for each killer profiled, but not enough detail to give you a rich understanding about their history, their upbringing, their motives, etc. Telfer does provide that, but in regularly Spartan detail, it just continues to blur the lines between one killer and the next. I don't know -- it's well-written enough, but to me, it's in that grey area where each chapter is too long to be entertaining, but not long enough to be informative and retentive ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
casihamilton's review against another edition
4.0
What can I say? I find serial killers fascinating. But what was really enjoyable about this book was the author herself. I liked her quirky writing style and the way she told her stories. This book also lead me to further reading and I've added at least four other books to my To Read list based off the women in these pages. Definitely an easy read, well structured, informative, and entertaining.
kphelps's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting read with humor scattered throughout to keep it from being too dark. Very human.
breevee's review against another edition
3.0
Unapologetically sensational and often taking on the more speculative tone of tabloid articles and armchair psychology, Telfer doesn't take herself too seriously in this book. She does however take pains to give us a broad range of subjects both in nationality and social status, and contextualizes their lives and crimes in their own era, as well as the treatment of their legacies and perceptions of female killers in general today. Morbidly fascinating but not for the faint of heart, I think this book will please true crime fans and those who enjoy the macabre.
where_the_pages_bleed's review against another edition
4.0
True Crime,.. what else can I say?
Women are 'supposed' to be nurtures and mothers, but what if that's not in our nature?
This book explores some of the most notorious female killers, and the wild repercussion from these crimes.
Please note this is a book about true crime and touches on subjects of Death, Infanticide, SA, suicide, animal abuse and poison.
Women are 'supposed' to be nurtures and mothers, but what if that's not in our nature?
This book explores some of the most notorious female killers, and the wild repercussion from these crimes.
Please note this is a book about true crime and touches on subjects of Death, Infanticide, SA, suicide, animal abuse and poison.
tsentas's review against another edition
3.0
Quite simply: a book of short vignettes of lady killers through the ages. Somewhere along the line all that poisoning and murder starts to lose all meaning. Perhaps could have benefitted from a stronger ending tying all those stories together - but really what is there to say that can't be heard on your local run of the mill murder podcast?