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Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers
Why does a young woman lure teenagers into her car then participate in their horrific rape and torture? What makes a nurse lethally inject the healthy babies in her care? Women, statistically, aren`t a violent breed ... but the female of the species can be just as deadly as the male.
From the mass poisoner to the sexual sadist, from profit killings to crimes committed just for twisted thrills, Carol Anne Davis sets out to explore the dark and disturbing world of the female serial killer. In depth analysis of individual cases, including new information from the minister who heard Myra Hindley`s confession, provides an invaluable insight into the psychology behind these atrocities.
From the mass poisoner to the sexual sadist, from profit killings to crimes committed just for twisted thrills, Carol Anne Davis sets out to explore the dark and disturbing world of the female serial killer. In depth analysis of individual cases, including new information from the minister who heard Myra Hindley`s confession, provides an invaluable insight into the psychology behind these atrocities.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 20, 2023
Finished awhile ago. Here are the women that were discussed in this book:
Chapter 1: Anna Maria Zwanziger:
A female poisoner. This happened in the early 1800's
Chapter 2: Jeanne Weber.
Another story from history. This happened a century ago. Interesting.
Chapter 3 :Myra Hindley.
Who doesn't know her and her partner Ian Brady. I had already read about about her which was quite good so for further reading: One of Your Own: The Life and Death of Myra Hindley
Chapter 4: Martha Ann Johnson.
Horrible child killer who to get back at their father killed their children a thing we see a lot of lately. Mostly done by men though but women can be just as mean apparently.
Chapter 5: Charlene Gallego.
Yes of course I did read a book about her and her partner. Very sadistic couple.
As a matter of fact I read 2 books about them: The first was The Sex Slave Murders: The Horrifying True Story of America's First Husband-and-Wife Serial Killers which sucked but later I discovered and bought A Venom In The Bloodand that book was much better and one I recommend.
Chapter 6: Genene Jones.
This creep was a nurse who murdered many babies while working in a hospital. They think she killed between 30 and 46 babies. I remember reading a book about her and that it was a struggle to read. Not because of bad writing but because she killed and killed. I am looking her up on wikipedia and it seems they only nailed her for one! She will be scheduled for mandatory release in 2018 due to a Texas law to prevent prison overcrowding according to them.
Chapter 7: Judith Ann Neelley.
Bingo This is one woman I do not know much about so I skipped this story and going to buy Thomas Cook's book Early Grave Early Graves because I want to know all.
Chapter 8: Catherine Margaret Birnie.
She together with her partner David Birnie became serial killer.
I did skip this story because I wanted to get a book about this case but so far I have not found one. If you know of a book about them please fill me in.
Chapter 9: Gwen Graham and Cathy Woods.
(Woods is the blond one)
Both bisexual although Woods was. Graham was lesbian.
They worked in care home for the elderly and killed them.
Woods blamed Graham and managed to get less punishment but it emerged it was Woods who was boss. For further reading I highly! recommend Forever And Five Days
Chapter 10: Rose West.
Rose and her hubby Freddy were sex obsessed and loved to inflict pain.
For further reading I suggest Fred And Rose by Howard Sounes Fred & Rose which I was told is the best book about them. I read The Corpse Garden which was okay.
Chapter 11: Carol Mary Bundy
Together with her darling cutie Douglas (ha!) she went on a killing spree.
If you want to read more about this nasty couple read The Sunset Murders
Chapter 12: Aileen Carol Wuornos
She was a female serial killer who did not have a partner.
To be honest I have never read a book about her but I did watch a movie and a documentary.
She gave herself up to protect the woman she loved. I remember that.
Chapter 13: Karla Leanna Homolka
If there is one case where justice was not served besides Casey Anthony and then O J Simpson it was this case. This horrible piece of work managed to play being the victim and is now free even though she lured girls so her lover could have sex and then kill them.
There are some chapters after that but they are more of a summing up and talk about why they do it.
As always with this author a good book.
(I am tired after writing this review)
Chapter 1: Anna Maria Zwanziger:
A female poisoner. This happened in the early 1800's
Chapter 2: Jeanne Weber.
Another story from history. This happened a century ago. Interesting.
Chapter 3 :Myra Hindley.
Who doesn't know her and her partner Ian Brady. I had already read about about her which was quite good so for further reading: One of Your Own: The Life and Death of Myra Hindley
Chapter 4: Martha Ann Johnson.
Horrible child killer who to get back at their father killed their children a thing we see a lot of lately. Mostly done by men though but women can be just as mean apparently.
Chapter 5: Charlene Gallego.
Yes of course I did read a book about her and her partner. Very sadistic couple.
As a matter of fact I read 2 books about them: The first was The Sex Slave Murders: The Horrifying True Story of America's First Husband-and-Wife Serial Killers which sucked but later I discovered and bought A Venom In The Bloodand that book was much better and one I recommend.
Chapter 6: Genene Jones.
This creep was a nurse who murdered many babies while working in a hospital. They think she killed between 30 and 46 babies. I remember reading a book about her and that it was a struggle to read. Not because of bad writing but because she killed and killed. I am looking her up on wikipedia and it seems they only nailed her for one! She will be scheduled for mandatory release in 2018 due to a Texas law to prevent prison overcrowding according to them.
Chapter 7: Judith Ann Neelley.
Bingo This is one woman I do not know much about so I skipped this story and going to buy Thomas Cook's book Early Grave Early Graves because I want to know all.
Chapter 8: Catherine Margaret Birnie.
She together with her partner David Birnie became serial killer.
I did skip this story because I wanted to get a book about this case but so far I have not found one. If you know of a book about them please fill me in.
Chapter 9: Gwen Graham and Cathy Woods.
(Woods is the blond one)
Both bisexual although Woods was. Graham was lesbian.
They worked in care home for the elderly and killed them.
Woods blamed Graham and managed to get less punishment but it emerged it was Woods who was boss. For further reading I highly! recommend Forever And Five Days
Chapter 10: Rose West.
Rose and her hubby Freddy were sex obsessed and loved to inflict pain.
For further reading I suggest Fred And Rose by Howard Sounes Fred & Rose which I was told is the best book about them. I read The Corpse Garden which was okay.
Chapter 11: Carol Mary Bundy
Together with her darling cutie Douglas (ha!) she went on a killing spree.
If you want to read more about this nasty couple read The Sunset Murders
Chapter 12: Aileen Carol Wuornos
She was a female serial killer who did not have a partner.
To be honest I have never read a book about her but I did watch a movie and a documentary.
She gave herself up to protect the woman she loved. I remember that.
Chapter 13: Karla Leanna Homolka
If there is one case where justice was not served besides Casey Anthony and then O J Simpson it was this case. This horrible piece of work managed to play being the victim and is now free even though she lured girls so her lover could have sex and then kill them.
There are some chapters after that but they are more of a summing up and talk about why they do it.
As always with this author a good book.
(I am tired after writing this review)
September 29, 2013
This book was full of glaring errors, grammatical, spelling-related, and factual. (The factual can be forgiven, almost, due to being written thirteen years ago, though I do believe some of the information about some of the killers and their partners was probably available, but there are many interpretations since no one in the public can know exactly what happened.) However, I seriously could not get past the extremely poor editing. (If there WAS an editor, they need to be sacked immediately.) The spelling was terrible - and speaking of the spelling - if you're writing a true crime book, and talking about ANY killer, who people know well, you might want to spell their name right. (Bernardo, not Barnardo. Yes, I'm Canadian, but spell your subjects' names right, come on.) There was no excuse for the spelling. And there was no excuse for the grammar, and the lack of proper punctuation drove me up the wall. It makes for a very distracting read.
I also felt that I wasn't really getting any information or insights. It felt like a Wikipedia account of these women, and if I want that, I'll go to Wikipedia. (Though I never want that, as I abhor Wikipedia.) It had no insights into their psyches. You could tell she tried, but it was the same recycled theories, and a lot of it was very generalized, and a lot of it was obviously her own bias intruding, and she was judging the women without analysing them. Her discussion of feminism, and women being considered to be gentle and nurturing, would have been more interesting if she had actually discussed that and hadn't just repeated the same information about the women over and over.
All in all, I was very disappointed, and also very glad I didn't pay to read this. Poorly edited books will always get scathing reviews for me, and she lost credibility the first time she spelled someone's name wrong. (As she often mixed up victims' names and spellings of those names, as well as perpetrators' names.) It was a good idea, but the long chapters were on the most famous cases, and I would have liked to have seen more information on the lesser known people, but I don't believe enough real research was done to enable that.
I also felt that I wasn't really getting any information or insights. It felt like a Wikipedia account of these women, and if I want that, I'll go to Wikipedia. (Though I never want that, as I abhor Wikipedia.) It had no insights into their psyches. You could tell she tried, but it was the same recycled theories, and a lot of it was very generalized, and a lot of it was obviously her own bias intruding, and she was judging the women without analysing them. Her discussion of feminism, and women being considered to be gentle and nurturing, would have been more interesting if she had actually discussed that and hadn't just repeated the same information about the women over and over.
All in all, I was very disappointed, and also very glad I didn't pay to read this. Poorly edited books will always get scathing reviews for me, and she lost credibility the first time she spelled someone's name wrong. (As she often mixed up victims' names and spellings of those names, as well as perpetrators' names.) It was a good idea, but the long chapters were on the most famous cases, and I would have liked to have seen more information on the lesser known people, but I don't believe enough real research was done to enable that.
October 7, 2024
I'd heard of 3 of these killers the rest were new to me, some of the profiles were longer than others and some of the language used by the author is poor taste (or lack of knowledge of other descriptive words) all in all it's not the best glimpse into the world of serial killers but not a bad place to start if you had no prior knowledge!
April 10, 2013
Not a very comprehensive account, more of a basic list of the individual women's crimes and a brief history. I felt I wasn't learning much that I hadn't heard before, especially as all the longer chapters were on the more famous cases; Hindley, West, and Wournos.
Basically I would recommend this to someone with a very limited prior knowledge of the area, but for anyone interested in more in-depth study I would say to give it a miss. The psychological analyses aren't detailed or complex in any way, giving only a simplistic overview.
I also found the text to be problematic, there was use of racist language like 'coloured' ,and female sexuality was handled poorly, the inference being that women engaging in promiscuity or lesbianism were 'deviants'.
Basically I would recommend this to someone with a very limited prior knowledge of the area, but for anyone interested in more in-depth study I would say to give it a miss. The psychological analyses aren't detailed or complex in any way, giving only a simplistic overview.
I also found the text to be problematic, there was use of racist language like 'coloured' ,and female sexuality was handled poorly, the inference being that women engaging in promiscuity or lesbianism were 'deviants'.
March 6, 2019
This was unfortunate. Out of the 13 serial killers 7 had a heterosexual partner. This dilutes the supposed topic of female killers and places them in a supposed 'submissive position' to appease their man. She points out that even dominant woman wanted to be dominated in the bedroom. Seriously? She says that people in the family with the most menial jobs are the most sadist and that 90% of parents hit their children at least once. Um what? Where are your sources for these? The book seems to be backwards as she writes about the killers then analyzes them and her analysis is just pretty much her repeated what she had already told us with the same wording used. She uses derogatory words calling victims and perpetrators 'dumb' 'fat' 'unattractive' and one victim as 'mildly retarded.' Excuse me?! I know that this book was written in 2001 but that's not an okay term. And she uses the term coloured people instead of people of colour. She inserts random, unnecessary sexual anecdotes for shock value that aren't needed. We know that the acts were depraved I don't need to know about the perpetrators rectum.
I already have two of her other books out of the library so I'll read those but not impressed and offended to boot.
I already have two of her other books out of the library so I'll read those but not impressed and offended to boot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2018
I gave it one star, but it really rates zero stars!
This book is full of errors and mistakes and lacked a proof reader.
1. The author calls a 10 year old child a "toddler" which is usually for kids under 5.
2. A killer named Judith Neeley lived and killed girls who lived in Georgia. Yet the author claimed Judith killed a girl at the Grand Canyon, which is hard to believe she wasn't seen, as it is a tourist destination. Judith tortured poor Lisa for awhile before killing her so she would have been seen. Then, Judith calls a radio station in Georgia to taunt them over the kill. If it supposedly happened at the Grand Canyon, why not call an Arizona radio station?!
3. Another killer named Rose West, was pregnant for a year, according to the author.
4. The author mocked someone in this book because the person couldn't spell, yet the author herself misspelled :believe" and there were sentences with words missing letters. Clearly indicating a lack of a proofreader!
This book is full of errors and mistakes and lacked a proof reader.
1. The author calls a 10 year old child a "toddler" which is usually for kids under 5.
2. A killer named Judith Neeley lived and killed girls who lived in Georgia. Yet the author claimed Judith killed a girl at the Grand Canyon, which is hard to believe she wasn't seen, as it is a tourist destination. Judith tortured poor Lisa for awhile before killing her so she would have been seen. Then, Judith calls a radio station in Georgia to taunt them over the kill. If it supposedly happened at the Grand Canyon, why not call an Arizona radio station?!
3. Another killer named Rose West, was pregnant for a year, according to the author.
4. The author mocked someone in this book because the person couldn't spell, yet the author herself misspelled :believe" and there were sentences with words missing letters. Clearly indicating a lack of a proofreader!
September 23, 2023
This book was just about readable in the way a Wikipedia page is readable for a summary of information but it offers basically nothing in terms of psychology insight which is what I was looking for. I imagine when it was written (I’m assuming around 20 years ago) it was a tad more useful but really it’s just a detailed description of crimes with a tiny bit of psychological fluff at the end. Also, it does sometimes read like tabloid journalism. I knew it was doomed when the author wrote:
“Perhaps she could not bear to see the horror of her everyday life for by the age of nine she had a wandering eye and had to have special glasses.’
This seems to be implying that the eye of the nine year old serial killer to be was somehow sentient and decided to become lazy so it didn’t have to acknowledge the abuse she was experiencing at home. It was so baffling I actually laughed out our which is not what should be happening whilst reading a very serious book.
“Perhaps she could not bear to see the horror of her everyday life for by the age of nine she had a wandering eye and had to have special glasses.’
This seems to be implying that the eye of the nine year old serial killer to be was somehow sentient and decided to become lazy so it didn’t have to acknowledge the abuse she was experiencing at home. It was so baffling I actually laughed out our which is not what should be happening whilst reading a very serious book.
July 9, 2014
Even though my True Crime consumption is way down since my teen years, I'm still quite interested in how USian society treats women who commit crimes. It's a good overview.
Want to read
June 15, 2019Synopsis: profiles of fourteen women who used arsenic, strangulation, suffocation, injection, guns or stabbing to kill their victims.
January 5, 2024
I don't know what I expected when I opened the covers of this book, but what I discovered was an incredible work profiling female serial killer though the ages.
There are thirteen serial killers profiled starting with Anna Marie Zwanziger born in Nuremberg in 1760 and ending with Karla Homolka born 1970. In between we have Jeanne Weber, who killed her own children, and it seems as many of her friends’ children as she could get her hands on. Genene Jones who qualified with basic nursing skills, gained employment in a hospital and attempted the murder of several children in her care, not thankfully killing all of them. Martha Ann Johnson, who also killed her own children, Charlene Gallego, who was a shy quiet child with a talent for the violin, but who eventually lured teenage virgins to their death. Judith Neelley, who committed armed robbery at age 16, Catherine Birnie, who had seven children, and yet assisted her husband in his quest for young sex slaves, Gwen Graham & Catherine Wood, Carol Bundy, Aileen Wuornos and the more familiar names of Myra Hindley and Rose West.
Before reading this book, I thought that Myra Hindley was possibly the most evil woman that I had come across, but not so by a long way. This work was an eye opener.
Not only does the author present the reader with these profiles, but the book goes further, classifying female serial killers and then presenting theories about why women kill.
This is an awesome work that delves into the darkest recesses of the abused female, as it appears most of these women were, and provides a macabre account of their journeys through life.
-----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
There are thirteen serial killers profiled starting with Anna Marie Zwanziger born in Nuremberg in 1760 and ending with Karla Homolka born 1970. In between we have Jeanne Weber, who killed her own children, and it seems as many of her friends’ children as she could get her hands on. Genene Jones who qualified with basic nursing skills, gained employment in a hospital and attempted the murder of several children in her care, not thankfully killing all of them. Martha Ann Johnson, who also killed her own children, Charlene Gallego, who was a shy quiet child with a talent for the violin, but who eventually lured teenage virgins to their death. Judith Neelley, who committed armed robbery at age 16, Catherine Birnie, who had seven children, and yet assisted her husband in his quest for young sex slaves, Gwen Graham & Catherine Wood, Carol Bundy, Aileen Wuornos and the more familiar names of Myra Hindley and Rose West.
Before reading this book, I thought that Myra Hindley was possibly the most evil woman that I had come across, but not so by a long way. This work was an eye opener.
Not only does the author present the reader with these profiles, but the book goes further, classifying female serial killers and then presenting theories about why women kill.
This is an awesome work that delves into the darkest recesses of the abused female, as it appears most of these women were, and provides a macabre account of their journeys through life.
-----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
May 29, 2021
I wouldn't recommend this except for die hard true crime fans. Some of the statements in the book I did not agree with including one within the first few chapters which said (not exact quote) that people who try to kill themselves really want to kill someone else. The author attributed it to "psychologists" but for a statement that inflammatory, I would want a cite to some research.
The profiles were short but had interesting facts and with regards to the murderers, there was some interesting information on them before they murdered and after.
I would have given this book two stars but it gets an extra one for the information at the end regarding the link between childhood abuse and adult violence. I feel like it shouldn't be a radical idea to not hit your kids but it is and the author did a great job of citing the research and movements that are trying to eliminate corporal punishment in society.
The profiles were short but had interesting facts and with regards to the murderers, there was some interesting information on them before they murdered and after.
I would have given this book two stars but it gets an extra one for the information at the end regarding the link between childhood abuse and adult violence. I feel like it shouldn't be a radical idea to not hit your kids but it is and the author did a great job of citing the research and movements that are trying to eliminate corporal punishment in society.
January 16, 2025
I'll admit the last quarter of the book provided valuable insight in the way female and male serial killers are viewed. The women are mostly caught late and given lighter sentences because it is unthinkable to society that a female can and will act this way. Generational trauma is the main cause of such embryonic serial killers and instead of punishing and humiliating them further, there are ongoing efforts to counsel and rehabilitate these criminals.
Most of the book read like a Wikipedia article, dry and depthless with grammatical errors on the side. The profiles discussed in the book offered generalized views.
Most of the book read like a Wikipedia article, dry and depthless with grammatical errors on the side. The profiles discussed in the book offered generalized views.
April 3, 2018
Wow. What a horribly written book. Was there an editor involved at all? Beside the fact that it was a strange writing style, I was so distracted by the grammatical errors (ending sentences with prepositions, for example, and more than once) that I could hardly finish the book. I am not criticizing the fact that this was a writer from the UK; I’m used to their spelling differences and the use of “whilst”. I’m talking about basic grammar and English. The attempt at profiling was such an amateur effort that it was almost laughable. Don’t waste your time. Read John Douglas instead.
July 20, 2017
It's kind of poorly written. I've never seen the phrase "after all" so many times in one book, and the constant use of "whilst" instead of "while" gets supremely annoying. It seems to be decently well-researched, but it sure could have used a good editor. Not a bad read for a waiting room or airport or bus ride or something along those lines, but there are probably better sources out there.
June 2, 2022
I am not sure exactly what I expected of this true account of the crimes of four Chilean women who killed. Only one was really a serial killer. The accounts were scholarly, like written for a thesis, and examined the media, cultural, and feminist aspects of the women's place in society at the time of the murders. It was mildly interesting.
November 6, 2019
This was a very interesting book that goes into quite a few cases I had heard of and many I hadn't. Each chapter was long enough to give you a good overview of each individual killer, and there are books on many if you want more in depth. It held my interest except at the very end, when it tried to get into the many psychologies of "why" women might kill. Pictures, of those that are available, would have been a plus, but a very good book overall.
April 12, 2022
“psychologists say that people who want to kill themselves actually want to kill someone else”
who??? who said that????
this book is riddled with grammatical errors, personal biases, and incorrect psychological references
who??? who said that????
this book is riddled with grammatical errors, personal biases, and incorrect psychological references
November 29, 2017
Bought and read this for research on female serial killers. Good overview of female team killers in the UK and US.
July 11, 2018
Great
A interesting look at the female killer and the category of style of killer. Well loaded out and easy to follow.
A interesting look at the female killer and the category of style of killer. Well loaded out and easy to follow.
April 22, 2020
Interesting book but it did bother me that some of the names were spelled wrong.
April 2, 2021
2.5/5
January 26, 2023
Read for my university dissertation on Myra Hindley and Rose West, couldn't recommend enough
May 10, 2025
information was very clear cut but not very detailed, quite poor writing and i did notice a few little pieces of misinformation which you really cannot have in a published text
March 15, 2010
This was a really informative and supremely interesting book.
It is a must for anybody interested in the female serial killer or, indeed, the female criminal, as it gives lots of insight into the minds and workings of these women, and speculates upon why they may have committed their crimes.
It profiles, in a fair amount of detail, 14 female serial killers. Whilst not giving every detail of their lives, this book does 'break you in' to their story, and provides a great background to each woman.
It is a really good starting place for anybody interested in these crimes and criminals, and provides a springboard for further research and reading in the area.
It is a must for anybody interested in the female serial killer or, indeed, the female criminal, as it gives lots of insight into the minds and workings of these women, and speculates upon why they may have committed their crimes.
It profiles, in a fair amount of detail, 14 female serial killers. Whilst not giving every detail of their lives, this book does 'break you in' to their story, and provides a great background to each woman.
It is a really good starting place for anybody interested in these crimes and criminals, and provides a springboard for further research and reading in the area.
May 13, 2013
I read this as research for something I was writing.
Davis, says the blurb, is a full time writer, whose "crime novels have been described as chillingly realistic for their portrayals of dangerous sex and death".
I can only hope her novels are better written and they have better editors and type setters.
Potted histories of the perverse, walking a thin line between reporting and sensationalism and staying mostly on the side of the first though when there are eight victims why do I need to know the details of each death?
The "analysis' doesn't seem that detailed or do much more than skim the surface.
Davis, says the blurb, is a full time writer, whose "crime novels have been described as chillingly realistic for their portrayals of dangerous sex and death".
I can only hope her novels are better written and they have better editors and type setters.
Potted histories of the perverse, walking a thin line between reporting and sensationalism and staying mostly on the side of the first though when there are eight victims why do I need to know the details of each death?
The "analysis' doesn't seem that detailed or do much more than skim the surface.
June 7, 2012
PROS:
The book was informative, the inclusion of psychological profiling flowed easily with the rest of the text, and the prose was not dense or unintelligible to even the most casual reader, rendering the text a very quick.
CONS:
Th book contains numerous editing issues [which may only be irritating to English majors] including spelling and grammar issues, simple and glaring alike. There were numerous [though no major] factual errors, some of which may have been due to the book being published over a decade ago.
The book was informative, the inclusion of psychological profiling flowed easily with the rest of the text, and the prose was not dense or unintelligible to even the most casual reader, rendering the text a very quick.
CONS:
Th book contains numerous editing issues [which may only be irritating to English majors] including spelling and grammar issues, simple and glaring alike. There were numerous [though no major] factual errors, some of which may have been due to the book being published over a decade ago.
August 16, 2007
Illustrates nicely the differences between male and female killing patterns: 80% of women slayers use poison, near 90% are American, and most, if not all, kill people they know, or are in charge of taking care of. Reminds you that women are not necessarily the 'fairer sex' - same as men, they are capable of horrible, and sometimes random, acts of violence.
March 2, 2013
Davis writes about various female serial killers, some who acted alone and others who were part of a team. Includes all the old 'favourites' such as Myra Hindley, Karla Homolka and Rose West. Decent amount of page space on each and not over the top sensationalist rubbish. As others have already said, needed a better editor but that didn't detract from the book.
March 17, 2008
This book I first got it because of the though that women killers actually exist, and yet we dont hear much about them. THis book foucuses on some of the most notorious female killers, and explains why they did what they did.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews