Thank you, thank you, thank you for the ARC. Ten years ago I stopped reading true crime and I started writing it instead. Reading it was too emotional for me but writing about it wasn't. Naturally, I focused on crimes 100 years ago to preserve my emotions.
Anyway, I saw this and said "you need to read this" and I am so glad I did.
This is one of the best women's history books I have ever read. Why were women burned at not men? It is so interesting. I also love the bits about old newspapers. Reading old newspapers is everything. The gossip people put in the papers was worse than what we find on facebook now. It is amazing!
My favorite hobby is to find the gossip articles and then put them in familysearch so the family can see them.
I love this book. Do I think other people will love it? Yes. Because it is a well written and simple account of the things happening in this time period. But I think you'd need to be like me to appreciate it fully.
More of these please.

As much as there’s a lot of discourse and ethical implications to it, it’s impossible to deny there is a strange curiosity in most of us about killers - what drives them, how does someone reach that point, and are they evil, or just a person pushed too far?

This book explores Britain’s history of women accused of murder, whether they’re guilty or not, and tries to find that tipping point from a woman scorned to a cold-blooded killer. Not only does this book take us back in time to learn about different crimes, punishments and women from our past, but also offers a chance to reflect on how the attitudes and treatments of women may have shaped brutal crimes.

Starting back in the 1300’s and exploring the broken legal systems, uninformed medical practices, religious zealotry, inhumane punishments and lack of human rights all the way until recent history, the removal of the death penalty, women being allowed bank accounts - a very different kind of world depending where you look.

This was fairly quick and easy to read, with an informative tone but without the stuffiness and over-formality that makes it feel like a textbook instead of a non-fiction. Each time period starts with a background of the laws, culture and themes of the time offering a window into attitudes and beliefs, then moving into introducing a few of the accused. Especially for the older entries, I know there may be a lack of information about the women themselves but I did wish we spent more time learning about their stories as the women themselves featured a bit less than I expected with how this book is presented.

At times I found the constant use of conjunctions in places a little jarring, and the subject would meander and loop back round at times in ways that didn’t quite flow, feeling like some kind of sectioning or separation was needed - but content was still very interesting, clearly well-researched and well worth the read.

A very well researched true crime read.
Covering 700 years of murders some readers may find some parts difficult to read.
Highly recommend for those who enjoy true crime.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

A interesting book on women who have killed through the centuries,many misunderstood women of women with mental illness which should of been addressed if only they were taken serious enough at the time but unfortunately those were different times.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about each women's case and why they did what they did and how badly men and society judged them. Many women were out to death unnecessary.

Thanks net galley for allowing me to review this book.

A very interesting book about British female serial killers. Definitely recommend to all that enjoy true crime!
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The author of this book really did their research for this book. I like that the author stated facts and backed it up with court documents. This book really was eye opening because I learned a lot about the treatment of women In the criminal justice system in the past and present. It accurately shows the evolvement of the justice system for women.

Interesting and entertaining- although that may be too cheerful a word, considering the subject matter. I liked that the author mostly kept the focus on ‘everyday’ murderers rather than notorious ones. A little dry in arts, but very readable.

I'm going to go in the middle with a 3 star rating for this book. Not because it's not good it's just not what I was expecting from the title. It really isn't a history of the most dangerous women. It focuses more on the judicial system and how attitudes towards crime and in particular women changes. It was an interesting read but not my interest.

A terrific book -well researched, not sensationalist in tone and with a great balance of case studies and legal context. Spanning different eras, the impact of gender on crime and punishment is clearly explained and supported by interesting individual accounts.

Love all things true crime so devoured this fine book in one sitting! These are the stories of dozens of women who found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Whether innocent or not, these women were all indicted for murder of some sort; most of them ended up facing execution.
Recommend you grab yourself a copy!