The Victorian belief that women were the ‘weaker sex’ who were expected to devote themselves entirely to family life, made it almost inconceivable that they could ever be capable of committing murder. What drove a woman to murder her husband, lover or even her own child? Were they tragic, mad or just plain evil?
Using various sources including court records, newspaper accounts and letters, this book explores some of the most notorious murder cases committed by seven women in nineteenth century Britain and America.
It delves into each of the women’s lives, the circumstances that led to their crimes, their committal and trial and the various reasons why they resorted to murder: the fear of destitution led Mary Ann Brough to murder her own children; desperation to keep her job drove Sarah Drake to her crime. Money was the motive in the case of Mary Ann Cotton, who is believed to have poisoned as many as twenty-one people. Kate Bender lured her unsuspecting victims to their death in ‘The Slaughter Pen’ before stripping them of their valuables; Kate Webster’s temper got the better of her when she brutally murdered and decapitated her employer; nurse Jane Toppan admitted she derived sexual pleasure from watching her victims die slowly and Lizzie Borden was suspected of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe, so that she could live on the affluent area known as ‘the hill’ in Fall River, Massachusetts.
MY REVIEW
I love a good true crime read and I am also a huge fan of the Victorian period and this book combines both – I am not ashamed to admit that I am fascinated by the psychology of serial killers and there are some of the most “famous” or infamous Victorian Murderesses that feature in this book and despite women most commonly being reported as opting for poison to commit their crimes, not all of those featured in the book went down that route.
The book was easy to follow and considering the subject matter it was an easy read too, I thought that it was very well written and set at a good pace. The book focussed on facts and it wasn’t overly gory, I really enjoyed it and I liked the mix of US and UK women chosen to make up the seven murderesses featured in the book.
I was able to read a couple of chapters a day without losing track as the author has laid the book out really well. It is 5 stars from me for this one – a must read for fans of true crime and the Victorian era to give a different view
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