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Lethal Ladies: Crimes of Passion, Tales of Deceit and Treachery!
Grace Marks, the Victorian servant who inspired Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace ... Elizabeth Workman, a Sarnia housewife who turned on her abusive husband and paid the price for it ... Evelyn Dick, a glamourous 1940s party girl who Hamiltonians still talk about ... These are just some of the murderers featured in Lethal Ladies, a collection of accounts of sensational true crimes motivated by fear, anger, passion and greed.
124 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 18, 2023
"Crimes of passion, tales of deceit and treachery!"
LETHAL LADIES is a short compilation of narratives of murders committed by nasty members of the so-called fairer sex in Canada in the mid-19th to 20th century. There are lots of good, complimentary words that one can use to describe this compact collection - interesting, informative, detailed, witty, and amusing come to mind quite quickly. Two words, unfortunately, that do not come to mind at all are compelling or gripping. And another word which comes to mind - rather less complimentary, I'm afraid - is emotionless.
That said, there's enough there that I can say that I'm pleased to have spent the time reading this short collection and not so much that I reached a saturation point or anything remotely resembling boredom.
For those who think this type of collection might appeal to their reading tastes, I can add that three stories were of particular interest - Grace Marks, who became the protagonist in Margaret Atwood's much more famous ALIAS GRACE; and two stories from my own home town, Hamilton. Florence Kinrade, now all but forgotten in Hamilton, shot her sister in 1909. Then there's Evelyn Dick whose 1947 trial remains one of the most sensationalized events in Canadian criminal history and who can spark lively conversation over a Hamilton dinner table to this day.
If the true crime genre is one of your cups of tea, then you'll certainly enjoy LETHAL LADIES. Set aside that cuppa and two hours and have at 'er!
Paul Weiss
LETHAL LADIES is a short compilation of narratives of murders committed by nasty members of the so-called fairer sex in Canada in the mid-19th to 20th century. There are lots of good, complimentary words that one can use to describe this compact collection - interesting, informative, detailed, witty, and amusing come to mind quite quickly. Two words, unfortunately, that do not come to mind at all are compelling or gripping. And another word which comes to mind - rather less complimentary, I'm afraid - is emotionless.
That said, there's enough there that I can say that I'm pleased to have spent the time reading this short collection and not so much that I reached a saturation point or anything remotely resembling boredom.
For those who think this type of collection might appeal to their reading tastes, I can add that three stories were of particular interest - Grace Marks, who became the protagonist in Margaret Atwood's much more famous ALIAS GRACE; and two stories from my own home town, Hamilton. Florence Kinrade, now all but forgotten in Hamilton, shot her sister in 1909. Then there's Evelyn Dick whose 1947 trial remains one of the most sensationalized events in Canadian criminal history and who can spark lively conversation over a Hamilton dinner table to this day.
If the true crime genre is one of your cups of tea, then you'll certainly enjoy LETHAL LADIES. Set aside that cuppa and two hours and have at 'er!
Paul Weiss
September 27, 2024
This is a collection of historical murders in Canada in which women were the aggressors or the participants. This book leans heavily into the popularity of Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace which apparently was inspired by one of these murder stories.
A rather straightforward collection; nothing too gripping here.
The author has a number of books on these topics, and the material feels recycled and repackaged.
A rather straightforward collection; nothing too gripping here.
The author has a number of books on these topics, and the material feels recycled and repackaged.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews