Just as Deadly: The Psychology of Female Serial Killers

In this engrossing account, research psychologist Harrison (Judging a Book by Its Cover: The Connection Between Physical Traits and Psychology with Susan M. Hughes) draws on 64 case studies, including that of Patty Cannon, who 200 years ago became the first known female serial killer in the U.S., to examine the similarities and differences between male and female serial killers. Unlike their male counterparts, female serial killers tend to be caregivers, nurses, and parents, the author notes. Such was the case of nurse Kristen Gilbert, who murdered at least four disabled patients at a U.S. veterans hospital in the 1990s. Gilbert enjoyed the thrill of medical emergencies, so she created them, but Harrison suggests most female serial killers are motivated by financial gain, like Dorothea Puente, who murdered her elderly boarders for their Social Security checks, or Cannon, whose gang enslaved and murdered for profit. Harrison also posits that female serial killers are less likely to sexually defile their victims, and they tend not to travel as far as male serial killers in search of victims. While highly clinical, this is well worth reading for anyone wanting to understand how female serial killers work. (Feb.)