Five Evil Women - Hindley, West, Wuornos, Homolka, Tucker

A critical, comparative history of five notorious women branded icons of evil.

Why do certain women become icons of evil? This book offers the first comparative, non-sensationalist account of five of the most reviled women in the modern Anglophone world: Myra Hindley, Rosemary West, Aileen Wuornos, Karla Homolka, and Karla Faye Tucker. It examines their lives, crimes, and cultural reception in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada, asking how violence committed by women is understood, judged, and remembered. Going beyond moral outrage or tabloid headlines, the book explores how concepts of "evil" are shaped by history, belief systems, and social context. Through historical and ethical reflections, it offers a deeper, more critical engagement with female violence and considers how society should respond to those who commit acts of unimaginable harm.

About the author

Joanna Bourke OBE is Professor Emerita of History at Birkbeck, University of London, and a Fellow of the British Academy. She is also Professor Emerita of Rhetoric at Gresham College. Her many books include Disgrace: Global Reflections on Sexual Violence (Reaktion, 2022).

Product details

• Authors: Joanna Bourke
• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 01.03.2026
• EAN: 9781836391746
• ISBN: 978-1-83639-174-6
• No. of pages: 344
• Illustrations: 11 illustrations
• Subjects: History, HISTORY / General, HISTORY / Women, TRUE CRIME / Murder / Serial Killers, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Social and cultural history, General and world history, Gender studies: women and girls, True crime: serial killers and murderers, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General