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My Mother, a Serial Killer
A gripping and shocking story of a serial killer mother, and the brave daughter who brought her to justice. Dulcie Bodsworth was the unlikeliest serial killer. She was loved everywhere she went, and the townsfolk of Wilcannia, which she called home in the late 1950s, thought of her as kind and caring. The officers at the local police station found Dulcie witty and charming, and looked forward to the scones and cakes she generously baked and delivered for their morning tea.
That was one side of her. Only her daughter Hazel saw the real Dulcie. And what she saw terrified her.
Dulcie was in fact a cold, calculating killer who, by 1958, had put three men in their graves - one of them the father of her four children, Ted Baron - in one of the most infamous periods of the state's history. She would have got away with it all had it not been for Hazel.
Written by award-winning journalist Janet Fife-Yeomans together with Hazel Baron, My Mother, A Serial Killer is both an evocative insight into the harshness of life on the fringes of Australian society in the 1950s, and a chilling story of a murderous mother and the courageous daughter who testified against her and put her in jail.
That was one side of her. Only her daughter Hazel saw the real Dulcie. And what she saw terrified her.
Dulcie was in fact a cold, calculating killer who, by 1958, had put three men in their graves - one of them the father of her four children, Ted Baron - in one of the most infamous periods of the state's history. She would have got away with it all had it not been for Hazel.
Written by award-winning journalist Janet Fife-Yeomans together with Hazel Baron, My Mother, A Serial Killer is both an evocative insight into the harshness of life on the fringes of Australian society in the 1950s, and a chilling story of a murderous mother and the courageous daughter who testified against her and put her in jail.
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First published March 19, 2018
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September 6, 2018
This was horrific. How would you feel if your mother was bumping off your family? How would you feel if when she got caught and imprisoned she hung on to you and you couldn't rid yourself of family-feeling? You'll never know, none of us will. The author did and that's what makes this book so interesting.
It puts me in mind of Rian Malan's brilliant and agonised memoir, My Traitor's Heart: A South African Exile Returns to Face His Country, His Tribe, and His Conscience. Rian's father, D.F. Malan, a former pastor, was the Prime Minister of South Africa whose government implemented and brutally enforced apartheid. He was responsible for many, many murders. Because Malan is a brilliant writer and really bared his heart and soul in this book making it an all-gold 10 star read, I will remember it for another 20 years unlike this book, My Mother, a Serial Killer, but it's still a 5 star read.
It puts me in mind of Rian Malan's brilliant and agonised memoir, My Traitor's Heart: A South African Exile Returns to Face His Country, His Tribe, and His Conscience. Rian's father, D.F. Malan, a former pastor, was the Prime Minister of South Africa whose government implemented and brutally enforced apartheid. He was responsible for many, many murders. Because Malan is a brilliant writer and really bared his heart and soul in this book making it an all-gold 10 star read, I will remember it for another 20 years unlike this book, My Mother, a Serial Killer, but it's still a 5 star read.
June 16, 2019
A tragic story of a daughter being in the troubling position of having to advise authorities that her own mother has murdered three men.
The story starts in the 1940’s when having already abandoned four children and another husband (unbeknown to anyone at this time), Dulcie Bodsworth murders in a calculation fashion, the murder of her current husband, and the father of her three children.
Hazel is 9 at this time and knows something isn’t quite right. Not only does she witness canoodling and secrets between her mother and another man, she knows her beloved dad would not have fallen in a river and drowned. A poor family, living in tents along a country NSW town, her father returns from hospital physically incapacitated by rheumatoid arthritis. Not a well man at all, Dulcie feigns love and understanding and tucks him in to bed at 6.00pm, while she goes to sleep in the other tent, with the other man! Hazel’s father is dead, presumed drowned, the next day. Years later on exhumation, large traces of arsenic were detected.
Thus proceeds two more murders, Dulcie is a manipulative woman, putting on airs and graces and always a good image in public. Never forming close enough ties in a community so she can make a hasty exit whenever the mood strikes. She even baked cakes and scones for the local constabulary! Years later she forms a friendship with and baked for Morris Iemma, who considered nominating Dulcie for an Order of Australia Medal. With a quiet word from the local police, this was quickly abandoned.
Dulcie lacked empathy. Whilst not having been mentioned in the book, I would say she was a psychopath. She abandoned her children, forced them children to lie, failed to provide any stability (at times they were to sleep upright the car!) and lied to all who knew her. She was a trouble maker at her nursing home and even attempted to start a fire there. She lit numerous fires in her unit that she occupied before going into care.
Hazel suffered a nervous breakdown and realised her mother must be made accountable, and proceeded to stealthily advise another township’s police department of her mother’s wrongs. Hazel was lucky to find a loving husband, and despite Dulcie trying to kill him also, who always stood by her. Together they raised a family and fostered 101 children. Hazel states this was her way of making amends for the sins of her mother. Every child deserves to be loved, cared for and heard. This is about the only good I could see come out of this tragic story. She stood by her mother, continuing to visit until her death, stating she did not love her mother, but was doing the right thing by not abandoning her, as her mother did her.
Well written by Hazel, with contributions by Janet Fife-Yeomans using court documents and comments by friends and acquaintances; no one would ever forget Dulcie Bodsworth.
The story starts in the 1940’s when having already abandoned four children and another husband (unbeknown to anyone at this time), Dulcie Bodsworth murders in a calculation fashion, the murder of her current husband, and the father of her three children.
Hazel is 9 at this time and knows something isn’t quite right. Not only does she witness canoodling and secrets between her mother and another man, she knows her beloved dad would not have fallen in a river and drowned. A poor family, living in tents along a country NSW town, her father returns from hospital physically incapacitated by rheumatoid arthritis. Not a well man at all, Dulcie feigns love and understanding and tucks him in to bed at 6.00pm, while she goes to sleep in the other tent, with the other man! Hazel’s father is dead, presumed drowned, the next day. Years later on exhumation, large traces of arsenic were detected.
Thus proceeds two more murders, Dulcie is a manipulative woman, putting on airs and graces and always a good image in public. Never forming close enough ties in a community so she can make a hasty exit whenever the mood strikes. She even baked cakes and scones for the local constabulary! Years later she forms a friendship with and baked for Morris Iemma, who considered nominating Dulcie for an Order of Australia Medal. With a quiet word from the local police, this was quickly abandoned.
Dulcie lacked empathy. Whilst not having been mentioned in the book, I would say she was a psychopath. She abandoned her children, forced them children to lie, failed to provide any stability (at times they were to sleep upright the car!) and lied to all who knew her. She was a trouble maker at her nursing home and even attempted to start a fire there. She lit numerous fires in her unit that she occupied before going into care.
Hazel suffered a nervous breakdown and realised her mother must be made accountable, and proceeded to stealthily advise another township’s police department of her mother’s wrongs. Hazel was lucky to find a loving husband, and despite Dulcie trying to kill him also, who always stood by her. Together they raised a family and fostered 101 children. Hazel states this was her way of making amends for the sins of her mother. Every child deserves to be loved, cared for and heard. This is about the only good I could see come out of this tragic story. She stood by her mother, continuing to visit until her death, stating she did not love her mother, but was doing the right thing by not abandoning her, as her mother did her.
Well written by Hazel, with contributions by Janet Fife-Yeomans using court documents and comments by friends and acquaintances; no one would ever forget Dulcie Bodsworth.
March 23, 2020
“She possessed no conscience. She was lethal.”
MY MOTHER, A SERIAL KILLER, simply put, is a true crime biography of Dulcie Bodsworth, a member of that rather rare variation of serial killer, a female. Living rough in the Australian outback in the middle of the 20th century, she and her lover, a young man many years her junior, did away with her second husband and two close friends. As she grew up under the thumb of her mother, Hazel Baron, came to understand that Bodsworth was a dominating, narcissistic sociopath who brooked no opposition to her ideas and hated to be out of the limelight of society for even a moment, a society that had convinced themselves she was kind, witty, charming and caring. Hazel Baron knew better.
MY MOTHER, A SERIAL KILLER is not gripping in the sense that one might expect from a suspense thriller or a well-written mystery. But Baron’s descriptions of her mother’s life, the detective work that was involved with ultimately bringing her to justice, and especially the details of the courtroom drama that saw her almost slip from the grasp of Lady Justice make for some easy-going, interesting and surprisingly compelling reading. Very enjoyable and definitely recommended to those who enjoy a well written true crime drama.
Paul Weiss
MY MOTHER, A SERIAL KILLER, simply put, is a true crime biography of Dulcie Bodsworth, a member of that rather rare variation of serial killer, a female. Living rough in the Australian outback in the middle of the 20th century, she and her lover, a young man many years her junior, did away with her second husband and two close friends. As she grew up under the thumb of her mother, Hazel Baron, came to understand that Bodsworth was a dominating, narcissistic sociopath who brooked no opposition to her ideas and hated to be out of the limelight of society for even a moment, a society that had convinced themselves she was kind, witty, charming and caring. Hazel Baron knew better.
MY MOTHER, A SERIAL KILLER is not gripping in the sense that one might expect from a suspense thriller or a well-written mystery. But Baron’s descriptions of her mother’s life, the detective work that was involved with ultimately bringing her to justice, and especially the details of the courtroom drama that saw her almost slip from the grasp of Lady Justice make for some easy-going, interesting and surprisingly compelling reading. Very enjoyable and definitely recommended to those who enjoy a well written true crime drama.
Paul Weiss
Did Not Finish
June 30, 2018The story is intriguing, but not enough to make up for the way it's written. It reads like an essay written by a teenager.
January 6, 2019
My Mother, A Serial Killer was mystifying. How could a mother of such small children kill three men, one her own husband? Deplorable
But as I questionable as her crimes were, nothing beats her antics once she was released from prison and ended up in a nursing home!!!!
This was one of my first true crime books after creating my current GR account. Little did I know I would become obsessed (or possessed as I misspoke a couple of hours ago i think either counts lol) with true crime like I have!
But as I questionable as her crimes were, nothing beats her antics once she was released from prison and ended up in a nursing home!!!!
This was one of my first true crime books after creating my current GR account. Little did I know I would become obsessed (or possessed as I misspoke a couple of hours ago i think either counts lol) with true crime like I have!
August 18, 2018
The story itself is good, but strays too often into details about people who are not a part of the main story-- felt like fillers to make the book longer perhaps? I would prefer a shorter book.
July 7, 2019
‘Hazel Baron was nine when she first suspected her mother was a murderer.’
There were two sides to Dulcie Bodsworth. There was Dulcie, the community-minded wife and mother, respected as a talented cook and caterer. And there was Dulcie, who abandoned her first family, and then murdered her second husband (the father of four of her children) and two other men.
This is a story about a family living on the periphery of Australian society during the 1940s and 1950s. It is the story of a cold-blooded killer and of her courageous daughter. Dulcie would have got away with these murders if Hazel hadn’t turned her in to the police.
In 1950, when her husband Ted Baron, a former railway ganger was in hospital crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, the family was living in two army tents opposite Mildura on the NSW side of the Murray River. Dulcie took up with Harry, who was some 19 years younger. On the night Ted was discharged from hospital, Dulcie put her four children to bed with warm milk and Aspro tablets. The following morning, she shook Hazel awake, to tell her that her father was missing, and she thought he’d drowned in the river. Ted’s body was found upstream a few days later. An inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death. Immediately afterwards, Dulcie removed the children from school. She told the police that Harry was Ted’s brother, then later claimed he was her brother.
Thus began a number of years where the family moved frequently. By 1955, Dulcie had a job as a housekeeper on a sheep station near Wilcannia in north-western NSW. The manager of that station, Sam Overton, became Dulcie’s second victim in 1956. His death was attributed to natural causes. Dulcie killed Sam Overton by putting arsenic on his lamb chops. She thought that once he was dead, Harry would be able to take over the station. Dulcie’s third victim was Tommy Tregenza, a man whom Dulcie had befriended. Tommy drank too much, and when he died in an accidental fire in his room (a shed at the back of the hotel where Dulcie cooked), no-one seemed surprised. Dulcie was furious, though, as although she’d managed to convince Tommy Tregenza to leave his money to her in his will, she didn’t receive anything.
Dulcie killed three men who got in her way. In addition to looking at her life, this book tells how she was brought to justice. Hazel, now married and a nurse, had been suspicious of her mother since her father Ted’s death. The investigation was not straightforward. Dulcie Bodsworth was finally charged with three murders in 1964 and served 13 ½ years. Dulcie Bodsworth died in 2008.
I finished this book full of admiration for Hazel Baron.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
There were two sides to Dulcie Bodsworth. There was Dulcie, the community-minded wife and mother, respected as a talented cook and caterer. And there was Dulcie, who abandoned her first family, and then murdered her second husband (the father of four of her children) and two other men.
This is a story about a family living on the periphery of Australian society during the 1940s and 1950s. It is the story of a cold-blooded killer and of her courageous daughter. Dulcie would have got away with these murders if Hazel hadn’t turned her in to the police.
In 1950, when her husband Ted Baron, a former railway ganger was in hospital crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, the family was living in two army tents opposite Mildura on the NSW side of the Murray River. Dulcie took up with Harry, who was some 19 years younger. On the night Ted was discharged from hospital, Dulcie put her four children to bed with warm milk and Aspro tablets. The following morning, she shook Hazel awake, to tell her that her father was missing, and she thought he’d drowned in the river. Ted’s body was found upstream a few days later. An inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death. Immediately afterwards, Dulcie removed the children from school. She told the police that Harry was Ted’s brother, then later claimed he was her brother.
Thus began a number of years where the family moved frequently. By 1955, Dulcie had a job as a housekeeper on a sheep station near Wilcannia in north-western NSW. The manager of that station, Sam Overton, became Dulcie’s second victim in 1956. His death was attributed to natural causes. Dulcie killed Sam Overton by putting arsenic on his lamb chops. She thought that once he was dead, Harry would be able to take over the station. Dulcie’s third victim was Tommy Tregenza, a man whom Dulcie had befriended. Tommy drank too much, and when he died in an accidental fire in his room (a shed at the back of the hotel where Dulcie cooked), no-one seemed surprised. Dulcie was furious, though, as although she’d managed to convince Tommy Tregenza to leave his money to her in his will, she didn’t receive anything.
Dulcie killed three men who got in her way. In addition to looking at her life, this book tells how she was brought to justice. Hazel, now married and a nurse, had been suspicious of her mother since her father Ted’s death. The investigation was not straightforward. Dulcie Bodsworth was finally charged with three murders in 1964 and served 13 ½ years. Dulcie Bodsworth died in 2008.
I finished this book full of admiration for Hazel Baron.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
April 3, 2018
Ah true crime, and one I hadn't heard of until now. Well researched and well written, I did quite enjoy this book. This woman was a real psychopath, who didn't give killing her victims a second thought and utilised her charms for her own gain. Her daughter's capacity to continue to associate with her in later life was truly amazing. This one is probably of most interest to true crime fans and those interested in a small piece of Australian history. A good yarn, so to speak! :)
July 12, 2018
This novel is an extraordinary story of Hazel Baron, whose mother was the infamous Dulcie Bodsworth. Dulcie Bodsworth was a serial killer. A lady with no empathy, who murdered for her gain and used her children as pawns.
My Mother, A Serial Killer is both an evocative insight into the harshness of life on the fringes of Australian society in the 1950s and a chilling story of a murderous mother and the courageous daughter.
3.5 stars
My Mother, A Serial Killer is both an evocative insight into the harshness of life on the fringes of Australian society in the 1950s and a chilling story of a murderous mother and the courageous daughter.
3.5 stars
April 11, 2018
A chilling story of murder, set in the Australian outback during the 40s, 50s and 60s. Each chapter leaves your jaw hitting the floor time and time again. Great read.
January 23, 2019
This book is riveting, not only because of the perspective of a mother turning in her own mother to the police as a serial killer, but also the amount of detail given in the historical context of the time. The criminal history, cultural history as well as the sociological structures of Australia in the mid-20th century are woven throughout the book and make it a surprisingly in-depth read as opposed to the common structure of most over-sensationalized crime books (whether fiction or non-fiction). HIGHLY recommend this book for people who have an interest in human nature, the family unit and crime of a very personal impact.
June 3, 2022
What an incredible story. The timeline felt like it jumped around a bit, and some aspects could’ve been more fleshed out. But it was a good book because that woman was such a piece of work.
May 18, 2024
I was expecting a very personal journey but since Hazel's story is ghostwritten by a journalist (Janet Fife-Yeomans) this is a rather dry book without depth of feeling. As a reader you are distanced from the crimes with a third person POV, and numerous time skips back and forth.
There is no doubt that Dulcie Bodsworth was decidedly a sociopath (or some similar psychological classification) even though the book never delves into an analysis of her behavior, other then a very brief psychologist saying she was sane enough to stand trial.
For those who like to understand the psychology behind killers you will find some similarities between Dulcie and other killers: a family that is always on the move, constantly changing communities, and their identities. The children are prevented from attending school (which makes you wonder how Hazel achieved a nursing degree later), and are taught a us vs them mentality to the family isolated. Children are reminded constantly to keep the family secrets.
Dulcie was a sly liar, a chameleon who changed her behavior to suit any occasion, vindicative, and could kill without remorse. She was an opportunist, killing a husband, employer, and acquaintance, in attempts to improve her life.
There are a few notations of physical abuse, but this is mentioned so seldom that it actually makes me think there was even more. There is no mention of drug or alcohol abuse (other then husband Harry indulging occasionally), or sexual abuse.
What honestly is rather stunning is how quickly Hazel returns to speaking with her mother (one year after the conviction) when we are given chapter after chapter about how frightened she is of the woman.
Later, when Dulcie is released from prison, it is Hazel who finds places for her mother to live - and who conceals the reality of who her mother is until she is forced to through her mother's dangerous behavior.
JMO but I find it doubtful that Dulcie only killed three people. This woman enjoyed killing.
Some of what weakens the book is a clear pro-bias about the police force that investigated the case (even when the star investigator was later revealed to be corrupted). To pad the narrative a bunch of notorious murder cases in Australia are thrown in, but have nothing to do with the main story.
At one point there is also a sideways hint that Ruby, taking after her mother Dulcie, might have some of her less flattering traits. Certainly some of Dulcie's children commit, or are the victims of, crimes, but how much of that can be contributed to abandonment by their mother?
One thing that irked me was mentioning someone looking like George Clooney. Clooney hit real stardom in 1994 with ER) and when this is mentioned on the timeline it is in the 1960s. This really threw me out of the story. One minute we are reading about the first Australian police woman and the next George Clooney? Huh?
The book would have benefited from a family tree, and a more in-depth review of events. Flashbacks are scattered to the point you sometimes don't know where you are on the timeline. Similar names of her first and second husband, as well as her children (I think there is a mistake using Hazel when she meant Ruby in the beginning), can leave you scratching your head.
An interesting read, but don't expect much from the book.
There is no doubt that Dulcie Bodsworth was decidedly a sociopath (or some similar psychological classification) even though the book never delves into an analysis of her behavior, other then a very brief psychologist saying she was sane enough to stand trial.
For those who like to understand the psychology behind killers you will find some similarities between Dulcie and other killers: a family that is always on the move, constantly changing communities, and their identities. The children are prevented from attending school (which makes you wonder how Hazel achieved a nursing degree later), and are taught a us vs them mentality to the family isolated. Children are reminded constantly to keep the family secrets.
Dulcie was a sly liar, a chameleon who changed her behavior to suit any occasion, vindicative, and could kill without remorse. She was an opportunist, killing a husband, employer, and acquaintance, in attempts to improve her life.
There are a few notations of physical abuse, but this is mentioned so seldom that it actually makes me think there was even more. There is no mention of drug or alcohol abuse (other then husband Harry indulging occasionally), or sexual abuse.
What honestly is rather stunning is how quickly Hazel returns to speaking with her mother (one year after the conviction) when we are given chapter after chapter about how frightened she is of the woman.
Later, when Dulcie is released from prison, it is Hazel who finds places for her mother to live - and who conceals the reality of who her mother is until she is forced to through her mother's dangerous behavior.
JMO but I find it doubtful that Dulcie only killed three people. This woman enjoyed killing.
Some of what weakens the book is a clear pro-bias about the police force that investigated the case (even when the star investigator was later revealed to be corrupted). To pad the narrative a bunch of notorious murder cases in Australia are thrown in, but have nothing to do with the main story.
At one point there is also a sideways hint that Ruby, taking after her mother Dulcie, might have some of her less flattering traits. Certainly some of Dulcie's children commit, or are the victims of, crimes, but how much of that can be contributed to abandonment by their mother?
One thing that irked me was mentioning someone looking like George Clooney. Clooney hit real stardom in 1994 with ER) and when this is mentioned on the timeline it is in the 1960s. This really threw me out of the story. One minute we are reading about the first Australian police woman and the next George Clooney? Huh?
The book would have benefited from a family tree, and a more in-depth review of events. Flashbacks are scattered to the point you sometimes don't know where you are on the timeline. Similar names of her first and second husband, as well as her children (I think there is a mistake using Hazel when she meant Ruby in the beginning), can leave you scratching your head.
An interesting read, but don't expect much from the book.
March 28, 2019
This book was ok. It started out interesting but then half way through it became completely boring. The case itself is interesting enough but I would have liked to be given more insight into Dulcie considering she falls into the very small group of female serial killers. Hazel Baron is undoubtedly a strong individual who endured so much but I just felt her experiences were reduced to a few short lines here and there. In the end this book could have been much more enjoyable had it not been written like an essay, and one I couldn’t really be bothered reading in the end.
Did Not Finish
March 1, 2020I'm not comfortable one star this, as I find the story interesting. What bugs me and makes it difficult for me is the style. While Hazel Baron is listed as an author, the book is told via third person pov, and the writing style is very YA. I did like the information about life after WWII, but I didn't find myself especially gripped by the story. However, I do want to know more about Hazel.
January 3, 2021
This book was an interesting read. When I picked this book up, I was unaware that it took place in Australia. The author took us through many remote regions of the country and it was interesting to learn about how some families living on the poverty line survived in these areas.
As far as the story went, it was almost unbelievable how Baron's mother managed to commit so many murders (as well as get chummy with the local police) with no suspicion whatsoever. If not for Baron, her mother would have gotten away with her crimes (and probably would have gone on to continue to murder, as her greed was the driving force in her life). It's strange how Baron's mother continued to have power over her siblings, who either didn't believe her or still felt a loyalty to her mother, despite knowing her crimes. The most unbelievable part of this story is the amount of time her mother spent in jail for her crimes and what happened to her afterwards.
I enjoy reading true crime but I think this book suffered from a few problems. This book was written decades after the events that occurred in the author's life and the author was clearly a layperson. Having read countless true crime stories, this one suffered from a narrator that was neither impartial nor a skilled author.
As far as the story went, it was almost unbelievable how Baron's mother managed to commit so many murders (as well as get chummy with the local police) with no suspicion whatsoever. If not for Baron, her mother would have gotten away with her crimes (and probably would have gone on to continue to murder, as her greed was the driving force in her life). It's strange how Baron's mother continued to have power over her siblings, who either didn't believe her or still felt a loyalty to her mother, despite knowing her crimes. The most unbelievable part of this story is the amount of time her mother spent in jail for her crimes and what happened to her afterwards.
I enjoy reading true crime but I think this book suffered from a few problems. This book was written decades after the events that occurred in the author's life and the author was clearly a layperson. Having read countless true crime stories, this one suffered from a narrator that was neither impartial nor a skilled author.
February 24, 2022
I really wanted to give this book 5 stars & I highly recommend it...
however this book about Dulcie (the aforesaid murderess) has 18 photographs but only 6 of them (& they are not good) include Dulcie. Whatever you think she is the star of this book.
I was prejudiced when I started this book - never good & it wasn’t this time either. It is a surprising book. What made Hazel dob in her mother - & then visit her after jail for the rest of her life? Why would Dulcie want to see her nemesis?
What makes a “Dulcie” tick?
If read carefully the answers are there but not until the very end.
It is an enlightening book. And not complicated by a waffling number of psychological theories.
The facts are there - thoroughly researched & constantly surprising.
Dulcie was parodied in “Prisoner” as Lizzie, a very popular Australian series about female prisoners - but I feel she has been sorely underused - she is a great topic for an Australian movie.
Serial killers are so topical & so very few are females ..... she was not repentant or remorseful & actually benefited from her crimes, despite being imprisoned. Times were changing & so was Dulcie.
What a story!! Give it a go.
however this book about Dulcie (the aforesaid murderess) has 18 photographs but only 6 of them (& they are not good) include Dulcie. Whatever you think she is the star of this book.
I was prejudiced when I started this book - never good & it wasn’t this time either. It is a surprising book. What made Hazel dob in her mother - & then visit her after jail for the rest of her life? Why would Dulcie want to see her nemesis?
What makes a “Dulcie” tick?
If read carefully the answers are there but not until the very end.
It is an enlightening book. And not complicated by a waffling number of psychological theories.
The facts are there - thoroughly researched & constantly surprising.
Dulcie was parodied in “Prisoner” as Lizzie, a very popular Australian series about female prisoners - but I feel she has been sorely underused - she is a great topic for an Australian movie.
Serial killers are so topical & so very few are females ..... she was not repentant or remorseful & actually benefited from her crimes, despite being imprisoned. Times were changing & so was Dulcie.
What a story!! Give it a go.
March 1, 2026
Struggling to give this a rating. The story is fascinating, I mean, really kind of unbelievable, although it’s definitely true. But I didn’t enjoy the writing at all. Hazel is listed as an author, but the whole thing is written in the third person, but in a really weird way, as though she was speaking about herself in third person. And I did not understand a lot of the Australian slang, which made it hard sometimes. But it’s truly crazy that her mother Dulcie was a serial killer, and that Hazel testified to put her away, but also took care of her in her old age. Poor Hazel and her brothers and sisters lived a really hard life. It was very gratifying to hear how Hazel‘s life turned out so well and all she did for the community, especially fostering 101 foster children!
June 16, 2021
I really enjoyed this book and found it shocking, sad and gripping. I thought the writing was excellent: well paced and tense. Reading about life in Australia and about ruthless grifter and psychopath Dulcie was fascinating. The last part of the book failed to hold my attention as much as I don’t particularly enjoy reading about legal proceedings but I was really hooked on this story overall and glad I picked it up.
September 7, 2026
⭐️⭐️✨ 2.5 stars
This was such a difficult one to rate because the story itself is absolutely fascinating, but unfortunately I didn’t love the way it was told.
I normally really enjoy true crime books told from the personal perspective of someone involved. I love getting that first-person feeling of hearing someone tell their own story, so I found it quite strange that Hazel’s story is written in the third person — “Hazel did this”, “Hazel remembers that” — rather than Hazel telling us herself.
I think this made the story feel quite distant for me. The audiobook narration also didn’t help. I found the delivery very mundane and monotone at times, almost as though someone was simply reading a story rather than telling us about something so shocking. Considering the subject matter, I expected to feel much more emotionally involved.
One detail I found almost “funny but not funny” was how Hazel and the family couldn’t bring themselves to eat food their mother had baked, because they genuinely feared it might be poisoned. Imagine getting a cake or something homemade from your own mother and having to wonder whether it’s actually safe to eat! It’s awful, but also such a bizarre situation that it really stuck with me.
What I found particularly interesting was Hazel’s relationship with her mother. Early on, Hazel explains that she no longer saw her mother as her mother, yet later in life she still cared for her until she died. At the end, Hazel felt she had done the right thing by her mother, and I found that really interesting.
It reminded me of the complicated mother-and-daughter dynamic you sometimes see in true crime, where a daughter is left dealing with the fact that her mother has done horrific things. I found Hazel’s ability to separate the woman who had committed these crimes from the mother she had once known really fascinating.
For me, this could have been a much more emotional and powerful book if Hazel’s story had been told directly in her own voice. There was so much here that I wanted to feel more of.
The story itself was interesting enough that I did keep listening and wanted to know what happened, but I’ve read/listened to better true crime books, so for me it’s a 2.5 stars.
This was such a difficult one to rate because the story itself is absolutely fascinating, but unfortunately I didn’t love the way it was told.
I normally really enjoy true crime books told from the personal perspective of someone involved. I love getting that first-person feeling of hearing someone tell their own story, so I found it quite strange that Hazel’s story is written in the third person — “Hazel did this”, “Hazel remembers that” — rather than Hazel telling us herself.
I think this made the story feel quite distant for me. The audiobook narration also didn’t help. I found the delivery very mundane and monotone at times, almost as though someone was simply reading a story rather than telling us about something so shocking. Considering the subject matter, I expected to feel much more emotionally involved.
One detail I found almost “funny but not funny” was how Hazel and the family couldn’t bring themselves to eat food their mother had baked, because they genuinely feared it might be poisoned. Imagine getting a cake or something homemade from your own mother and having to wonder whether it’s actually safe to eat! It’s awful, but also such a bizarre situation that it really stuck with me.
What I found particularly interesting was Hazel’s relationship with her mother. Early on, Hazel explains that she no longer saw her mother as her mother, yet later in life she still cared for her until she died. At the end, Hazel felt she had done the right thing by her mother, and I found that really interesting.
It reminded me of the complicated mother-and-daughter dynamic you sometimes see in true crime, where a daughter is left dealing with the fact that her mother has done horrific things. I found Hazel’s ability to separate the woman who had committed these crimes from the mother she had once known really fascinating.
For me, this could have been a much more emotional and powerful book if Hazel’s story had been told directly in her own voice. There was so much here that I wanted to feel more of.
The story itself was interesting enough that I did keep listening and wanted to know what happened, but I’ve read/listened to better true crime books, so for me it’s a 2.5 stars.
April 2, 2025
1.5 stars
It's a shame that this book was so poorly written when the story itself could have been very interesting. To begin with, the title is incredibly misleading. "My Mother..." implies a first hand account of Hazel's experiences, but what follows is a list of facts with clunky topic changes, arranged in a sometimes bizarre order, with the occasional clumsy emotional insight thrown in. I was shocked when the Acknowledgements stated that the co-author was a journalist. While the facts were the focus of this book, they could have easily been printed in bullet point for all that they flowed together into a narrative.
You also have to weed through a plethora of information on people &/or events who are mentioned once or twice and whose stories have little to no relevance to the main story. I'm not sure if the authors were simply proud of the research that they conducted, or if they were trying to make the story long enough to hit over 200 pages. The result, however, was that the extra names/dates/places/random stories were a slog to get through.
It's heartbreaking what Hazel and her family had to endure and the book does highlight how complicated family relationships can be. The events of Dulcie's arrest and trial did not encourage faith in the justice system. Equally awful - largely due to the time period - are the attitudes that both Hazel and Dulcie encountered- whether to condemn or give a blind-pass depending on the circumstances because they were women.
Being my first true crime novel, I'm wondering if this is a good representation of the genre? If it is, then I will be sure to stay away in the future.
It's a shame that this book was so poorly written when the story itself could have been very interesting. To begin with, the title is incredibly misleading. "My Mother..." implies a first hand account of Hazel's experiences, but what follows is a list of facts with clunky topic changes, arranged in a sometimes bizarre order, with the occasional clumsy emotional insight thrown in. I was shocked when the Acknowledgements stated that the co-author was a journalist. While the facts were the focus of this book, they could have easily been printed in bullet point for all that they flowed together into a narrative.
You also have to weed through a plethora of information on people &/or events who are mentioned once or twice and whose stories have little to no relevance to the main story. I'm not sure if the authors were simply proud of the research that they conducted, or if they were trying to make the story long enough to hit over 200 pages. The result, however, was that the extra names/dates/places/random stories were a slog to get through.
It's heartbreaking what Hazel and her family had to endure and the book does highlight how complicated family relationships can be. The events of Dulcie's arrest and trial did not encourage faith in the justice system. Equally awful - largely due to the time period - are the attitudes that both Hazel and Dulcie encountered- whether to condemn or give a blind-pass depending on the circumstances because they were women.
Being my first true crime novel, I'm wondering if this is a good representation of the genre? If it is, then I will be sure to stay away in the future.
May 16, 2018
I'm surprised I had not heard of these crimes and this woman. It is obvious to see that she was a psychopath. I was equally surprised that she was used as a 'consultant' on the 'Prisoner' show and that Lizzie was loosely based on her.
Hazel, one of her daughters, did an amazing job to survive her childhood and young adulthood, and thrive as an adult. I initially felt appalled that she stayed in touch with her mother and even helped her when she was out of prison. But then I realized she most likely did not do it because her mother was now old and frail, and she felt sorry for her, but rather in an effort to keep tabs on her and stop her from harming more people because, yes, Dulcie was still a menace, even in her old age. One does not suddenly grow a conscious.
I felt her husband and partner in crime got off very lightly considering he was very much involved in these crimes.
All in all an appalling pair of people and a prime example of how homicidal psychopaths operate.
Hazel, one of her daughters, did an amazing job to survive her childhood and young adulthood, and thrive as an adult. I initially felt appalled that she stayed in touch with her mother and even helped her when she was out of prison. But then I realized she most likely did not do it because her mother was now old and frail, and she felt sorry for her, but rather in an effort to keep tabs on her and stop her from harming more people because, yes, Dulcie was still a menace, even in her old age. One does not suddenly grow a conscious.
I felt her husband and partner in crime got off very lightly considering he was very much involved in these crimes.
All in all an appalling pair of people and a prime example of how homicidal psychopaths operate.
February 10, 2020
I waffled on 3 or 4 stars because there are chunks of the book that easily could have been taken out without taking away from the story but, I really liked how bizarre and outrageous this woman's life was, and you can't help but feel sorry for this daughter. It almost seems as if the mother truly enjoyed terrorizing her as much as she apparently enjoyed killing these men. If you're a fan of Netflix documentaries and crime in general, you need this book.
December 30, 2021
A true story with a truly unexpected main character in 1940’s Australia!
A riveting true story as told by the daughter, Hazel Baron.
Wow, this is truly engrossing from start to finish. What a brave girl Hazel Baron was/is, and what a perfect example she is that we are not our past. She grew into a loving and caring soul who has selflessly given so much to the lives of others.
A must read… especially for Australian history buffs.
A riveting true story as told by the daughter, Hazel Baron.
Wow, this is truly engrossing from start to finish. What a brave girl Hazel Baron was/is, and what a perfect example she is that we are not our past. She grew into a loving and caring soul who has selflessly given so much to the lives of others.
A must read… especially for Australian history buffs.
April 1, 2025
Could have been written way better! It felt like I was listening to a rambling history. I didn’t need all the back stories it gave…. It felt like they were just trying to fluff out the book to be longer. Disappointing.
May 21, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. True crime and it's chilling.
June 14, 2019
Audiobook:
Engrossing story, well read by Kate Hosking
About 6 hours 57 minutes.
Engrossing story, well read by Kate Hosking
About 6 hours 57 minutes.
November 7, 2020
Didn't know this story, interesting character is Dulcie, according to her daughter she claimed innocence right to the end.
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