Although this is Telfer's first full-length book, readers can find her work across the Internet on sites such as Jezebel, Bustle, and Salon. In 2015, the author wrote several pieces for Jezebel about female serial killers and has now turned that idea into a book. Each chapter is dedicated to a different murderer, with Telfer's profiles of deadly ladies spanning centuries. Her goal, according to her original Jezebel articles, is to disprove the widely held belief that serial killers are a boys-only club, which, to her credit, she does. The chapters are well researched, and even when they start out reciting myth and legend (e.g., "The Blood Countess: Erzsébet Báthory"), Telfer goes on to deconstruct the legend and look for realism and fact behind the rumors, which is refreshing. Her writing style is breezy and a bit precious. However, she seriously interrogates the treatment these women received at the time of their crimes as well as afterward, shining light on how each case was handled. VERDICT For true crime fans and those interested in feminist history.—Amelia Osterud, Milwaukee P.L.

With her debut, Telfer mines Lady Killers, her column for feminist website Jezebel, exploring female serial murderers. Erzsébet Báthory was a wealthy Hungarian noblewoman who between 1590 and 1609 tortured her serfs (did she bathe in their blood?). In the 1970s, Kate Bender helped run a welcoming Kansas inn where wealthy visitors never checked out. Egyptian sisters Raya and Sakina were accused of murdering more than 15 women in the 1920s, and the midwife of a rural Hungarian village was accused of teaching other women to poison the men in their lives who had just returned from the World War II battlefields. No contemporary serial killers are covered—the most recent case is the Giggling Grandma, from the 1950s. The breezy, occasionally humorous prose lightens the serious subject as Telfer offers a feminist analysis that counteracts the sexist and sensational coverage of these women. VERDICT A solid choice for high school research papers and true crime collections.—Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL