Mitzi Szereto, Women Who Murder: an International Collection of Deadly True Crime Tales. Coral Gables, FL: Mango Publishing, 2024.
The book is a collection of crime stories of women who murder. As I started reading, I was reminded of the old Rudyard Kipling line:
"The female of the species is deadlier than the male."
Very often in crime, folks tend to dismiss women or don't think the "gentler sex" is not capable of deeds like extreme violence and murder. The editor shows in 14 tales that when it comes to crime females are not the "gentler sex."
This is an international collection. We get crime stories from the U.S. and from around the world. We also get crimes from previous centuries as well as contemporary.
The book starts with the editor's introduction. In the introduction, the editor provides context. The book looks at stereotypes, the reality, what makes women killers scary, taboo, yet oh so fascinating. The editor also reminds us that women can be as lethal as men. She writes:
"When it comes to murder, women have proven themselves to be equally up to their male counterparts-- something that makes society far more uncomfortable than they are with the typical man-as-killer scenario. Female lethality is scarier. It's the ultimate taboo" (15).
She does remind us that, statistically speaking, women do kill less than men.
After the introduction, we get the stories from various authors, some of which were the journalists covering a story at the time. The stories overall are interesting and draw you in. They feature much attention to detail. Sometimes we have all the facts. Other times we get different versions, such as the situation in "Ruth Snyder: the Original Femme Fatale." As the author writes:
"Judd and Ruth would later give hugely different accounts of their relationship, as each tried to implicate the other. We'll give you both sides of the story-- though neither is likely entirely true-- as well as the indisputable facts" (32).
Sometimes the reader has to do a bit of extra work to decide where the mystery goes. I will add also that bit of unreliability in the narration for that story just adds a bit more to the tension.
Additionally, women kill for various reasons. It could be a response to abuse. It could be for self-defense or protection. Sometimes though it is just outright evil. The editor's selections give us a diverse look at the many reasons women chose to kill, or perhaps in a moment or two the choice is made for them.
A strength in this book is not only the interesting stories. The stories include context. They often look at the situation of their times. For example, we may see how the press covered an event at the time. Bias in press coverage is presented and considered. Also misogyny often plays a role in how a woman murderer is treated by society and the justice system. Looking at the history behind the crimes adds depth, and I found it very interesting.
Overall the book reads at a good pace. I found the international stories, such as the Iranian murderer, fascinating. Much of the true crime genre centers on the United States, so it was good to get accounts from other parts of the world. Readers of true crime will enjoy this collection of stories. For me, this was definitely a different take on the genre, a good read, and I even learned a thing or two.
I recommend the book for libraries that collect true crime works. This make a good addition to go along some of the usual names in the genre. When a patron asks "what can I read next?" or "are there any women murderers?" you can offer them this book. I certainly will will promote it through reader's advisory. It is easy to read, engaging, fascinating, and just scary enough at times. Excellent.
5 out of 5 stars.
This book qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenge:
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