Excellent Social History & Psychological Crime Study

English professor Harold Schechter has replaced Ann Rule in my heart as the Lord of True Crime Writing, but don't go to him expecting a lurid account of the crime du jour. He's going to give you an account of the crimes of yesterday. Fatal focuses on the criminal career of Jane Toppan, who began killing circa 1890. Schechter, also the writer of an extremely engaging series of murder mysteries starring Edgar Allen Poe, provides extensive detail in his thoroughly researched works. I don't read Ann Rule anymore; the true crime genre rather lost my interest years ago. But I like Schechter's histories almost as much as I like his fictions. I don't know that I'd personally consider Fatal his finest book, but it was still very well done and of interest on many levels--not only for the criminal psychology of its subject, but also for the culture that bred her, sheltered her and finally condemned her. Check it out. And then, if you haven't already, give Deranged and Depraved a try...and move on to Nevermore, first in his Poe mysteries.

Fascinating and insightful look at a female serial killer...

Schechter is one of the best true crime writers of our generation, along with Ann Rule. He lacks emotional depth, however, and for this I give this book 4 stars instead of 5. He is an awesome writer to be sure, but he doesn't "get inside the heads of his murderous characters" as other true crime writers do. I wish he would, then his writing would be absolutlely perfect!

Schechter is King!

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.