The Most Evil Women in History

by Shelley Klein

This book details the lives and careers of fifteen women whose crimes have, at one time or another, stained the pages of history. Parricide, fratricide and, most terrible of all, infanticide; murder under trust; serial murder, including the stalking and killing of men; torture, persecution, massacre and judicial murder; sexually motivated killings; murders for gain or to conceal other crimes- all these and others are detailed in this fascinating study of the manifestation of true evil in women over some 2,000 years. From Roman empresses to jealous daughters and bored housewives, they have all been responsible for terrible crimes.

Lizzie Borden : the Fall River murders --
Audrey Marie Hilley : secrets and lies --
Valeria Messalina : a Roman Lolita --
Agrippina the Younger : empress of poison --
Tz'u-hsi : the dragon empress --
Catherine the Great : empress of all the Russias --
Queen Ranavalona I : Bloody Mary of Madagascar --
Elena Ceausescu : mother of the fatherland --
Mary Ann Cotton : the black widow --
Marie Noe : an unlucky parent --
Rose West : the house of horror --
Grace Marks : a teenage temptress --
Aileen Carol Wuornos : damsel of death --
Myra Hindley : the face of evil --
Karl Homolka : lovebirds

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Biography, Reference, Dark

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, this book contains a mighty evil bunch of nasty, rotten women! I had heard of 10 of the 15 women profiled here (Lizzie Borden, Audrey Marie Hilley, Valeria Messalina, Agrippina the Younger, Catherine the Great, Elena Ceaucescu, Mary Ann Cotton, Rose West, Aileen Carol Wuornos, and Myra Hindley); five were new to me (Tz'u-Hsi, Queen Ranavalona I, Marie Noe, Grace Marks, and Karla Homolka). The author emphasizes that many men have committed acts as bad or worse than these women did. What makes these women's crimes particularly horrible is that they were committed by women, who are supposed to be nurturers, of the "gentler sex."

I can't decide which one was the worst. Certainly Valeria Messalina, Agrippina the Younger, Catherine the Great, Elena Ceaucescu, Tz'u-Hsi, and Queen Ranavalona I were responsible for the deaths of more people than the others in this book because they wielded political power. I knew nothing about the history of the island of Madagascar until I read about Queen Ranavalona I. I find it amazing that the missionaries kept coming there even though the queen kept having them killed. Elena Ceaucescu's arrogance, pride, and self-centeredness were unbelievable. Poor Emperor Claudius had the bad luck to be married to both Valeria Messalina and Agrippina the Younger. I guess he was a really bad judge of women!

The one woman who, it could be argued, may not belong in this book is Lizzie Borden. Not everyone is convinced that she murdered her parents. Some theorize that her sister Emma actually did it, or the cousin who had spent the night. Personally, I think Lizzie did it.

I like how Klein writes. She summarizes each case well. I learned something even about those women whom I had already read about. I recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, especially as it pertains to women.

[Stacy Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't ask me why I read books like this. I am drawn to understanding the dynamics of wretched people. I also have an unhealthy fascination with hoarders and gypsies. Don't ask me why, I can't even give my husband a satisfying anwer. Anyway, not great writing or anything but interesting, especially for a History major. For instance, did you know that that Elena Ceausescu (wife of Communist leader of Romania from 1967-1989) made it a law that all women under the age of forty needed to have at least a minimum of five children? You were fined if you didn't comply. That's why the U.S. was adopting Romanians like crazy for a while there.

[natalija · Rating 5 out of 5]

gnusno

[Sara Tantlinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up because it is one of the few out there that mentions Ranavalona I, who I am currently researching, but I was deeply intrigued to read about the other wicked women in here – some of whom I’ve heard of and some who were new to me. It’s definitely a great introduction to several different “evil” women, but a lot of the entries read like something I could have looked up on Wikipedia. I was hoping for more in-depth ideas, or perhaps a more psychological look into the womens’ minds. The couple entries toward the end are longer, but often focus a lot on the men/partners involved more than what perhaps led the women into being a part of those horrid crimes.

The writing itself needed stronger editing; there were several typos, grammatical issues, and a constant use of passive voice that made these appalling crimes sound almost monotone at times. So overall, an interesting glimpse into these different wicked women in history, but the writing itself left me struggling to stay hooked at times. I didn’t know it was possible to use the word “sundry” so much in one book…I am thankful the author left notes in the back about her research into all the women so it serves as a great place for other books on the women and their historical time periods if you wanted to check out more about each person.

[Marija Jojić · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the book is about “the most evil women in history”, and it’s just a bunch of prostitutes, concubines, and poor victims of violent fathers, husbands, and brothers — these women are just exceptions that prove the rule that men are the most evil creatures on this earth.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've always loved true crime, much to the concern of my parents, so I was all about reading this book. Sadly, it failed to deliver, and instead of the most evil women in history, the author serves up a few women worthy of being called the most evil in history, some who need serious help, and a few whose crimes were nowhere near horrible enough to qualify them to be included. The Canadian maid from the 1800's who, along with a guy she worked with, killed one man and attempted to kill his lover is a perfect example of the third category. By the end of the book, I honestly felt some of the women in the book were included not because of the severity or scope of their crimes, but because the crimes had been committed by a woman instead of a man.

The author fails miserably with a few women to remain objective and simply present the facts. I forget the woman's name, but near the end of the book a Canadian woman who was involved in some sex crime murders in the 1990 claimed her fiancee was abusive and forced her to take part and she did out of fear of him. The author clearly rejects this and it's clear in how she talks about the case that she thinks the woman was lying to save her own skin. Perhaps the author has never known any women who have been the victims in an abusive relationship or heard victims talk about what happened, but I do know women who were abused and I'm nowhere near as fast to pass judgment on the woman accused of murder. Even if there was absolutely no question that the woman had taken part of her own free will, her crimes do not even begin to qualify as 'most evil'.

The book isn't a total loss. There are a few women who seem to entirely deserve being on the list of most evil women in history and it's chilling to read about their crimes. Deserving of the death penalty, they most certainly are/were.

[Nevena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the cases of the last couple of women are disgusting, i barely read them. I was so sick I even cried because I can't imagine the disorder of these people that led them to this kind of evil.

I mean the beginning was kind of interesting to me, but as soon as it started to be about the kids, I felt like taking them out of the black earth and killing them again.

As for writing, I liked how extensive it was and how the pictures were as well. (the only thing that was a disaster for me was reading the details of the children as victims.I mean, it hurt a lot).

Btw I will not read this again

[Julie Ieronymides · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a fascination for this type of subject and this book was very good. I hadn’t heard of some of the female murderers so this led to further research and reading. Well written and informative.

[Victoria Krużel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jestem szczerze zaskoczona🤯 bardzo dobrze czytało mi się ten zbiór opowiadań o kryminalistkach - i dowiedziałam się wielu bardzo ciekawych rzeczy. Cóż więcej dodać, niż to, że arszenik w wielu przypadkach robił robotę 👍 fajny przeskok do historii, fajne ciekawostki. Polecam! 🖤

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best historical work on evil people. Interesting subject matter and interesting approach. I liked her approach of explaining the background of these women before their crimes. The problem is that Klein sometimes uses a woman's depraved husband as an excuse, when that may not have been geniunely the case.



The one "evil" woman I disagree with is Catherine the Great, but that's because after studying Russian history I don't believe she was one who hated her people. Catherine the Great was out to improve the status of the country she inherited and Klein even admits that when she states "...the new empress had at first hoped to change the status quo...she swiftly came to realize that the landlords..would not tolerate any such reforms". But that was my biggest issue with the work.

[Denis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here is a book you truly can't judge by its cover. The cover is for marketing purposes. It is sensational. The contents are not.

I found this book to be a very interesting read, don't get me wrong. But, The Most "Evil" Women in History? I question that. I will agree that there are a few examples in here that were really horrific reading but there were some that I felt were more bent on survival than being truly evil. Examples are the older stories about Catherine the Great and Aggrippina the Lesser. Lets face it, in today's world Men have problems behaving properly and treating women fairly. In those times? Multiply the abuse by about 1000. I felt that these women did what they did just to stay alive and to flurish. Also, with one expection, all the women described here did what they did either with a man as a partner or because of a man. My point is that I guess my definition of Evil and the author's defenition of evil are two totally different defenitions.

The book itself read like a pretty morbid version of the TV news gossip show "Hardcopy" or better yet, I can see this book being a Holloween cable TV special narrated by Vincent Price. So it was entertaining in a very morbid sort of way. It also brings to mind that one really does not know what is in the mind of their fellow human being and that there really were no such days as days of innocence. Sad but true.

I would recommend this book to anyone to read. It is entertaining. The author does back up her facts with footnote annotation that is easily researched and generally it is an easy read. My only beef with it is that I found that with maybe one or two exceptions, these women were not generally, of their own nature, evil. Hence the 6 star rating.

[Dorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Most Evil Women In History
by Shelley Klein
2003
Barnes & Noble Books
3.8

A quick read of 15 women deemed the most evil in history, broken into categories according to the type of crime they committed. Each is given at least 10 pages about their pasts and crimes. Almost all include b&w photos.

Among them are:
Tz'u-Hsi, 'The Dragon Empress' whose xenophobic rages resulted in the death of many for merely being tourists or "outsiders".
Queen Ranavalona I, 'The Bloody Mary of Madagascar' who had people killed by beheading or boiling alive, feeding the bodies and remains to her dogs.
Elena Ceasecu who encouraged families to sell their children to her state-run institutions, to teach them military and killing practices, some as young as 4-5.
Mary Ann Cotton, 'The Black Widow' who killed between 15-21 people with arsenic including her own mother and 4 of her husbands.
Rose West, owner of 'The House of Horrors' whose life as a prostitute seemed tame when 15 bodies were exhumed from her yard and home. She is serving a life sentence.

Women, at the time of this publication, represented only 2% of the world's serial killers, but the number is rising.
Recommended.

[Celestine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories in this book were very interesting. However, I was unfamiliar with most of the women featured in this, which was not the case with the previous book I've read in this series of books. Therefore, it was hard for me to see them as the "most evil" if I've never even heard their name before. The writing was a bit repetitive, especially when the picture captions said word-for-word what was written in the actual text. Also, there was quite the sliding scale when it came to the definition of "evil" for these women. Some were mass murderers who killed simply because people got in the way of their ambition. There were mothers who murdered their children or other people's children. Then there was a woman who was mad at her employer and supervisor, so she may or may not have convinced someone to kill them for her...? I'm just saying; compared to Lizzie Borden chopping up her parents and getting away with it and even prospering from it, this other woman's "crime" doesn't quite seem evil to me. So while I will probably not read this book again, it was still an interesting and informational read.

[A.L. Bellettiere · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it, at least, to the end of Lizzie Borden's chapter and honestly found Klein to be too biased, whether it's personal for her or just for this book. Maybe Lizzie was damned to begin with, not only because of the time and era she was in, but also because Klein chose to write about her and much like any prose in a tabloid, the standing sentiment and myth were always going to remain the same from the day the media started on her after her parents died. Did Lizzie do it? Much like the mess of Ripper killings before, so much hysteria impacted the events. I would have appreciated Klein formulating more informed guesses but what do we expect out of a woman profiting on what looks to be the equivalent of tabloid trash, but in books. The rest of the chapters might have also been intriguing but her attitude towards Lizzie soured me quite fast. Thank you for making this an easy decision.

[Loudlaughter75 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked up for free while on vacation. Easy read but by the end I was annoyed with it. The stories feel incomplete and lack facts and references. At one point she references a quote from a fictional biography!?!?!? The writing style is sprinkled with subjective statements, especially at the end of stories. The editing was non existent. The copy I read had a previous reader noting the numerous date mistakes in the margins. Dispute the sensational title, I would not recommend.

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very well written. Some of the stories are told out of sequence and are hard to follow. Some don't really seem to belong in the book at all. The author uses the phrase "none the less" about 80 times, and never once uses the word "nonetheless." And more nitpicking: she used an apostrophe on a plural.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My partner thought it was really funny when he caught me reading this on the couch so I said, "I looked, but I'm not in here."

Breezy reading if you're into that kind of thing. Some really visceral direct quotes from a pretty impressive range of history--Myra Hindley, Karla Homolka, Agrippina, Catherine the Great.

[Dee Robb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was interesting but not quite what I had hoped/expected it to be. Not sure I agree with all of the selected women. The author does a lot of ‘they were brutal’ or ‘they were known for their wickedness’ without any explanation of what was brutal or wicked. It did, however, give me some names to research further.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I had to pick up this one. When listening to ELOs song Evil Woman I was reading about such famous ladies like Lizzie Borden, The Dragon Empress, Elena Ceaucescu and her untimely end, Mary Ann Cotton (The Black Widow), Rose West and Myra Hindley among many others. You find many black and white photos inside of the women and their homes. Intriguing and creepy at parts. Really recommended!

[Chloé · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was entertaining, but the facts were inconsistent. For example, on one page, it referred to Agrippina the younger as Emperor Claudius’ fourth wife, and on the next it referred to her as his third wife.

[Kevin Powers · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories were too brief and superficial. Interesting, but could've been from wikipedia. There were misstatements in several places as well.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Take a shot every time the author uses the irritating phrase "none the less"!

[Kayleigh Osborne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many outdated facts or reasons

[LeeNi · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Interesting material. Very poorly written.

[Jessica Hazard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just take the list of women and a few random facts then run and do your own research if you're still curious.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. I'm addicted to true crime stories and in particular the psychological aspects of heinous crimes. I was intrigued by the title, but unfortunately, this book didn't really deliver as promised. If these are the "most evil women in history," then we are doing pretty good as a gender. A few of the women were new to me. I realize that to go in depth with each of these women would take a whole book unto themselves, but at best this was just a smattering of facts that justified the author's including them. The writing style itself wasn't anything special, as I kept getting the feeling that there were two different authors. Some chapters sounded decidedly American (albeit with British spelling of certain words), but some sounded like they were lifted from other sources (Rose West and Myra Hindley in particular). Altogether not a bad read...I don't think I wasted my time, but if someone were to be using this as a reference, a lot was left to be figured out by the reader.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting, but by no means comprehensive, collection of historically devious females. It seems, however, like it was merely a collection chosen by choice rather than for sheer maliciousness. I know that Klein states her justifications for her selections in the introduction, but this just seems like it's chosen at random. Also, there were PLENTY of typographical errors in this book, and several factual errors, but it didn't really take away from the tone of the book. I suppose the thing that bothered me most is the nature of the crimes of many of the women. But, then again, I suppose that is the purpose of the book. Overall, an interesting read, but not one I would recommend or read again.

[Luiza Cavalcanti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although an interesting book, it fails to delivers the promised: the MOST evil women in history. Some of these women deserve indeed the title, but others such as the on in the Little Falls case, can be classified in the most as having psychological problems or greed without limits.
What these women did was indeed heinous, but some of them were really tame in comparison to some others.
Some of the cases seems to stand on opinions and speculations rather that facts.
All in all is a fast and easy to read, interesting book, but I wouldn't recommend to someone looking for the most evil, maybe just as heinous and traumatized women.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was one of my Goodwill finds. One of my favorite topics is sociopaths to the dismay of my mom. I don't know, maybe it's the fact that I was a former psych major. I thought it would be all murders, it however covers female political leaders. The political leaders where someone a stretch as history is written by the winners. It is common place to make up horrible sexual lies of your previous political rivals. I enjoyed reading about the Canadian and UK serial killers profiles.

Do not read this if you desire a well thought out book. This book has typos and not the most well written book.