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FATAL: The Poisonous Life of a Female SErial Killer
by Harold Schechter
Pocket Books, July 2003
309 pages
$6.99
ISBN: 0671014501


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

FATAL: THE POISONOUS LIFE OF A FEMALE SERIAL KILLER explores the idea of a female serial killer. Most of the world is familiar with the male serial killers such as the Son of Sam and his like. As a nation we do not see female killers in the same light. Most female killers were fond of poison and who killed people they knew well.

FATAL begins with the history of two early killers, Lydia Stark and Sarah Jane Robinson, both of whom had a rather large number of victims. The book then moves to its focus, which is that of Jane Toppan, who as a private nurse had the opportunity to kill large numbers of people almost undetected.

Jane Toppan lived in the 1800s when there were not many opportunities for women. After spending her teenage years as a servant, she decided to become a nurse. Jane was jolly and her patients loved her. Her coworkers felt that she was two faced and responsible for multiple thefts. In fact, Jane never received a certificate as a nurse. FATAL recounts her known victims and her capture. How such a prominent murderess remains unknown today is amazing.

FATAL is a pop culture look at Jane Toppan. The book is easy to read and contains no over the top explanations for serial killers. In fact, the book provides a short recap of the predominant opinions in the field now.

This book does not provide an in-depth look at the inner-workings of a serial killer nor does it provide a comprehensive look at Toppan. This is impossible simply because Schechter was only able to work with the research already done on Toppan; it was impossible for him to find new information on the top.

FATAL: THE POISONOUS LIFE A FEMALE SERIAL KILLER is one of Harold Schechter's numerous works. He has published both fiction and nonfiction books during his career.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, August 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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