Victorian Murderesses: A True History of Thirteen Respectable French and English Women Accused of Unspeakable Crimes - Mary S. Hartman

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

 

Normally I never really read a lot of true crime books as I find them mostly speculative or just looking for the scandals in the stories. I'd read some reviews about this book before requesting it and they told me that this book was a lot more than just a mere retelling of the presumed crimes of this women...

 

I'm quite interested in the Victorian era and this book really helps to understand the society in which these crimes took place and the shifting roles for women in this society. I was actually surprised to learn that women were sent to prison for shorter times and had far greater chances of being acquitted.

 

If you're looking for scandal, this book probably isn't for you. But if you want a well-researched account on the lives of thirteen women in Victorian England and France as well as the story of their crimes, I can recommend this book. I liked it more than I anticipated.