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Women who kill rupture our assumptions about what a woman is. This book explores different socio-cultural understandings of women who commit, or are accused, of murder. A wide range of cases are discussed in order to highlight the ways in which such women have been perceived, and how such cases reflect important social and cultural shifts.

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Introduction: Women, Murder and Femininity PART 1: FIVE GENDER REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN WHO KILL PART 2: GENDER, MURDER AND MID TWENTIETH-CENTURY ENGLAND AND WALES Gender Representations of Twelve Mid Twentieth-Century Women Accused of Murder Conclusion to Part 2 Appendix - Two Further Cases from the Sample Endnotes Bibliography

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´The greatest strength of Seal´s book is in expanding perceptions of gender constructions. This is an interesting and useful book for students, academics and practitioners, which makes an important contribution to our understanding of female murderers.´ - Elizabeth Anne Gurian, The Howard Journal

´Not only is [the book] a good example of the best sociological, cultural and feminist scholarship, but it is also a pre-eminently readable and intellectually satisfying work.´ - Pat Carlen, British Journal of Criminology

´...and important contribution to cultural (femanist) criminology...a compelling read.´ - KULT-Online

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LIZZIE SEAL is Lecturer in Criminology at Durham University, UK. She has written on perceptions of women accused of murder and public views of the death penalty in England and Wales.

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