Introduction

Every murder is shocking, but few crimes shock society more than when the killer is a woman. There has been an explosion in female violence in the last ten years, and Women Who Kill brings to light some of the most horrific and compelling cases in this disturbing trend.

From the happy-slapping teenage murderer Chelsea O’Mahoney to Heather Stephenson-Snell, the psychotherapist turned Scream-masked psychopath; from Edith McAlinden, butcher queen of Glasgow’s House of Blood to the mother of Baby P, women who kill have motives as diverse as the methods of slaying their victims.

Are they victims themselves, or just evil? As society changes, will more and more women feel driven to kill?