The book presents full biographical sketches of fifteen women whose crimes remained on the pages of history. Parricide, fratricide and, most terrible, infanticide; murder by virtue of position; serial killings, including stalking and motivated killings; killing to take credit for oneself or to cover up other crimes - these and other motives are revealed in a fascinating study of the manifestation of the devil in women, from Roman empresses to modern jealous daughters and bored housewives. These actions show that women are capable of horrific murder, but at the same time, the circumstances of their lives and the pressures on them, often exerted by men, sometimes leave them more worthy of pity than condemnation.