When a woman kills someone it is usually a person close to her. When convicted, she usually receives a harsher sentence than her male counterpart and is portrayed as an evil monster, hysteric or avenging mother. This collection of essays examines historical and current Australian cases to suggest answers to fundamental questions : why do women kill? Do they kill differently? Do the preconceptions of the jury and media help or harm them? The cases examined range from Francis Knorr, the notorious babyfarmer and killer who was hung in the 19th century, to the 1930s ballroom drama of Audrey Jacob, who killed her fiancé while dancing with him, to Erika Kontinnen, who despite years of beatings, only murdered her husband when he threatened to kill another woman.
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