womens studies

Harold Shaechter is my favorite true crime writer because he chooses such interesting subject matter (Jane Toppan, Ed Gein, Albert Fish, Jesse Pomeroy) and really emerses his readers in the time and place of the murders. As a Bostonian, I especially appreciates it when he takes on some of out home grown deviants (Toppan and Pomeroy.) He captures the truth of the case, the whole truth, before they were infamous, during their ajudication and, most importantly, after, their lives in prison.

If you are fan of Caleb Carr or Mathew Pearl, I highly recommend this book and Shechter's others.

Schechter is one of my favorite writers of historical true crime. He gives enough detail to place the murders in historical prospective, but doesn't go overboard. In this case he opens the book with a synopsis of a crime of the late 20th century then goes on to discuss a crime that occured in the late 1870's, twenty years before the events that form the core of the book. Both of these crimes help to illuminate the story of Jolly Jane Toppan, a popular nurse, whose surviving patients could not believe the accusations leveled against her.

The author also has a theory about the difference between female and male serial killers. I'm not sure I totally buy it but it is something to think about.

Anyway, this book is riveting. The background of the characters is well developed and researched. It also will you give you pause the next time a nurse hands you a paper cup with a bunch of little anonymous pills in it. "Take your medicine, it's good for you."