I love true crime and mysteries, so I'm thrilled that I got to read this book. I was also pleasantly surprised that this book wasn't limited to women in the UK. I got to learn more about Lizzie Borden and Jane Toppan, and I got to discover more women of the era who took fate into their own hands. With how women were oppressed and treated during this time, I'm not surprised at some of these stories. The women were well researched and the facts of their crimes and cases stated eloquently and in come cases, sympathetically. Great read. I will recommend it to people who like history and true crime!

A fascinating look on the not so well behaved women who definitely had their stories survive long enough to make it into the history books. Probably not the best role models but extremely efficient lives to discuss the place women used to have in society and the things they were definitely not expected to do.

If I had to sum this up I'd say this was academic, but somewhat fascinating whilst also being graphic.

This is an academic study of a woman's place in Victorian society and how it led to murders and furthermore led to men police officers disregarding women as suspects - the ultimate irony in some ways.

This was really well written and an intelligent academic take on the realities of life for women in the Victorian age. The book wasn't massively about the murders but more about the women behind the murders as you gain insight into their personal lives which led them to become murders - which in my view only made it that much more fascinating to read.

Overall if you're interested in history and the realities of the Victorian era for women I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.

Thanks to Net Galley and Debbie Blake for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be very interesting and learned a lot that I did not know prior about the Victorian Era. I did not want to put this down and read it quickly. I've recommended this to several friends. I highly recommend that you read this book.

Yet another Pen & Sword success, this book on the subject of Victorian Murderesses is fascinating, fairly gruesome and an absolute must read for those interested in true crime. The fact that all the killers were women gives one pause as to who is the more violent sex? Debbie Blake writes well and her research is excellent. The stories are gleaned from the US and the UK and are very enjoyable. I highly recommend, thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Some ladies are not very nice. Some are downright wicked and some are evil monsters. This book is filled with stories from both sides of the Atlantic of women who killed for a variety of reasons. Some were looking for wealth. Others killed because the victims were inconvenient. Some, like Lizzie Borden, remain a conundrum- acquitted in court but not in the court of public opinion. And others killed for the sheer joy because they could.

Even the most intelligent of them, and some were very cunning, they always had faith in their ability to avoid consequences. Invariably, they were wrong. The stories are gruesome and fascinating at the same time. Certainly the final story in the book makes the reader wonder where the line between insanity and evil exists. I am not sure that more than a hundred years later we are any closer to a definitive answer. Four purrs and two paws up.

This book combines my interests: victorian era, crime and murder. Usually we read about men who kill, so was interesting to read about women who kill, especially in this era, and women were seen as the "fairer sex".
Lived that the author had researched both UK and USA. Also writing about the triggers, what made these women snap and their trials. A fascinating read!

This was an interesting book of female killers from the victorian era. There are women from the UK and America, each having a chapter each describing their modus operandi and the outcome of their trials. The only one that I had heard of before was Lizzie Borden.
There wasn't much analysis from the author, there was no introduction and these stories were pretty much retold.

Victorian Murderesses by Debbie Blake

One my favourite periods of history is Victorian era and I find it have been one the fascinating eras for true crime. I was quickly pulled in and was fascinated with each case. I found the book to be well researched, well written and easy to follow and I enjoyed reading the back stories of the women along side their crimes.

If you like reading about true crime, Murder, history then read this.

Thank you, Netgalley and the author, for an advanced copy of this book! I'm leaving this review voluntarily!

While there wasn't much that I hadn't already known (I'm a huge true crime fan), I believe this would be a good book for those just starting out with the true crime genre. The reason I gave this one only 4 stars is that the information seems to be simply a collection of data from various sources. But it was interesting and a nice refresher of what I already knew. The writing was engaging as well.

I quite enjoyed this look into the women who killed during the Victorian era. We almost always hear about the men so this was quite refreshing to show that women could be just as deadly in many ways. Looked to be well researched and was a good read with the tone.

This book was both fascinating and insightful. Most books, documentaries and films focus on male criminals, male killers, so it was really interesting to have a whole book devoted to female crimes. Some i had heard of, some i had never heard of and ended up doing a deep dive on. Had the perfect amount of both historical reference and details and managed to still be a very quick-paced unputdownable book. Really enjoyed it!

I love true crime and was excited for this book. It did not disappoint. The tales were well laid out and left me a bit shocked at times. It is very obvious that women were not the weaker sex. My only issue was that some of the stories did drone on a bit too long. Overall a good book.

When the category of true crime comes up at trivia nights, my team automatically gives me the answer sheet. Should I get the majority correct, especially the ones about murder, other teams tend to laugh and tell my husband to “Watch out!”

Why I have this interest, I’m not sure. It might be because of something that took place when I was a child living in England, something connected with one of the subjects in this book: Kate Webster. One hot May afternoon, my family had taken a walk past the house where Webster had killed her employer. My mother had come across her in a book she was reading, and she shared the story with us. That night, there was a thunderstorm and, at approximately 4 am, there was a knock at the front door. My mother would later say she had dreamed the knock was Webster “coming to get her.” Instead, it was the police there to notify my father of his mother’s death. Over 25 years later, we’d learn that the skull of Webster’s victim had still been buried in the immediate vicinity, and we’d walked past it that day.

Webster’s story is described in detail in Victorian Murderesses, along with the tales of six other women. Some will be very familiar to even non-true crime fans, such as Lizzie Borden who gave her mother “forty whacks.” I was vaguely familiar with Kate Bender and her murdering family, whose victims never saw justice. I didn’t know about the other women until reading this title. The book begins with the tale of Sarah Drake, a woman found not guilty of murdering her child on the grounds of insanity. Her chapter ends in stunning fashion, in a way I definitely didn’t expect. Did Drake get away with murder? Decide for yourself.

No two stories are the same, although they all present a chronology of events and extensive details of the court proceedings. Some murders were bizarre, while others almost made you have empathy for the woman involved. Some of the women were executed, some disappeared, and others either weren’t charged or were found not guilty. There isn’t an introduction, but there is a small bibliography and index. It probably wouldn’t be the correct thing to say Victorian Murderesses is an easy read when the subject matter is anything but. Perhaps it would be better to say that it isn’t overwhelming in technicality or grim detail. Does it ultimately explain why these women carried out their notorious acts? It depends on whether or not you believe what they had to say. That’s if they had anything to say at all.

Disclaimer: Although I received a copy of this book from the publisher, the opinions above are my own.

Throughly enjoyable and well written. Each murder is written great detail. The author shows great respect for the stories.

Having just read a new Jack the Ripper book prior to requesting this, I was definitely in the mood for some historical murder and seeing this pop up was perfect. Enjoyed rereading stuff about women I knew and learning stuff about women I've never heard of. All in all, stay away from women named Mary is what this book taught me. Ha!

I was so intrigued by this book! I knew a few of the stories, but for the most part I didn't know any of the information presented here. It was very well researched, and felt like I was listening to my favorite podcast as I was reading. My favorite portion of these stories was the backstory given for each of the women.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

A new true crime book that did not disappoint. The cases were well selected and researched and I enjoyed the read. A couple of the cases I had read about previously and a couple I had heard of but was interested to learn more derails about from this book. There were also some new cases to me that I hadn't heard of before which was great!

Interesting cases from both Britain and the U.S. which true crime fans will enjoy. I felt it was missing an introduction or conclusion and would have been interested to read this from the author about their inspiration or thoughts perhaps, but it did not take much away from the book itself which is well worth a read.

This book wasn't my cup of tea. I guess you might like it if you're into old timey true crime podcasts. It was written fine, but mainly a loose group of stories about different women who who murderers in the 1800s. There wasn't a big point or statement to be made. I think I would have enjoyed more as an audio book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 'Victorian Murderesses" definitely provides a different view of Victoria women. Whether their targets are husbands, children, or random acquaintances, these women committed cruel murders and showed little to no remorse. I found it interesting that several were found not guilty due to insanity even though the evidence clearly did not support this. I was also impressed with the amount of detail that the author was able to provide for each case. It was very well researched and explained. This definitely worth a read if you are a true crime fan.