Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers [Mass Market Paperback]

'A chilling read and not for the faint hearted' Scotland on Sunday 'In this well written, eminently readable reference work Davis tackles her subject in a way that avoids the extremes of tacky goriness and dry-as-dust theorising that mars most true crime books.' Time Out 'Davis' casebook reveals that not only do women excel at murder, but they're also even better at manipulation.' Bizarre

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 priest who heard Myra Hindley's confession, provides an invaluable insight into the psychology behind these atrocities.

Who They Are, Who They Kill - And Why
What makes a young woman abduct, handcuff and sexually assault a thirteen year old girl? Why does she go on to torture and kill her then abduct another woman and subject her to similar prolonged abuse? In this book I've concentrated most on thrill killings like these as they are the hardest for most of us to understand.

I also look at female serial killers who murdered for motives such as profit or revenge, choosing cases that are particularly unusual. For example, two lesbian careworkers killed their patients then had wild sex together whilst talking about the corpses. And one very large woman suffocated each of her victims with her colossal weight. Many of the cases contain strong elements of sadism and all involve control.

I worked hard to put each case study in chronological order so that the reader can see how a loving child gradually metamorphosed into a compassionless killer.

Many of the killers are American but there are also cases from Australia, Bavaria, Britain, Canada and France. One of the killers has already been released and another will be released within the next two years. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Carol Anne Davis was born in Dundee, moved to Edinburgh in her twenties and now lives in the south of England. She left school at fifteen and was everything from an artist's model to an editorial assistant before going to university. Her MA degree included criminology and was followed by a postgraduate diploma in Adult and Community Education. She has been a full time writer since graduating and is the author of three crime novels, Shrouded, Safe as Houses and most recently Noise Abatement.