Description
This chilling true-crime biography examines the life and crimes of Jane Toppan, a Massachusetts nurse who used her professional access and knowledge of medicine to poison patients and acquaintances in the late nineteenth century. Harold Schechter reconstructs her disturbing history, from her troubled upbringing and career in nursing to the investigation that exposed one of America’s most notorious female serial killers. Through a detailed portrait of Toppan’s motives, methods, and victims, the book explores the psychology of murder, the dangers hidden behind respectability, and the social attitudes that shaped her era. Meticulously researched and vividly written, it offers a compelling account of a criminal case that challenged conventional ideas about female violence.
Available Editions
paperback
Simon & Schuster, Limited
Published Jan 1, 2012
ISBN: 9781476729121
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Details
First Published
2003
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Fatal by Harold Schechter.