America's First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster
by Mary Kay McBrayer
On This Page
Description
The Making of a Female Serial Killer"In America's First Female Serial Killer, McBrayer offers us a complex?and terrifying?portrait of a killer who seemed almost doomed from birth." ?Kate Winkler Dawson, author of American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI
#1 Best Seller in History of Ireland, Child Psychology, and Crime & Criminals
For readers who are fascinated by how serial killers are made. This book is for listeners of true crime podcasts and readers of both show more fiction and true crime nonfiction. It is for watchers of television shows like Deadly Women and Mindhunter, who are fascinated by how killers are made. It's for self-conscious feminists, Americans trying to bootstrap themselves into success, and anyone who loves a vigilante beatdown, especially one gone off the rails.
America's first female serial killer was not always a killer. America's First Female Serial Killer novelizes the true story of first-generation Irish-American nurse Jane Toppan, born as Honora Kelley. Although all the facts are intact, books about her life and her crimes are all facts and no story. Jane Toppan was absolutely a monster, but she did not start out that way.
Making of a serial killer. When Jane was a young child, her father abandoned her and her sister to the Boston Female Asylum. From there, Jane was indentured to a wealthy family who changed her name, never adopted her, wrote her out of the will, and essentially taught her how to hate herself. Jilted at the altar, Jane became a nurse and took control of her life, and the lives of her victims.
Readers of America's First Female Serial Killer:
. show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Jane Toppan was a nurse who used poison in the late 1800's to kill a number of victims that she took care of. There is no reason given why she did this, except maybe she enjoyed watching them die. In one case she killed a man whom she thought she was going to marry and then he took up with someone else.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Published Reviews
ThingScore 75
Given the descriptive scenes and unrecorded dialogue sprinkled throughout the novel, the research and diligence that McBrayer guides the story by is what really gives it legs. Without a true story to follow, to connect and be more curious about, the imaginative aspect of it would fall short. The conversations are strong enough to carry us to the next victim and the newspapers and investigative show more interviews really bring the piece to a strong close. show less
added by whatsleepsbeneath
Lists
True Crime-Serial Killers
22 works; 3 members
Books Read in 2025
4,090 works; 97 members
Author Information
2 Works 49 Members
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- America's First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster
- Original publication date
- 2020
- People/Characters
- Jane "Jennie" Toppan (Honora Kelly); Elizabeth Toppan; Tom; Oramel Brigham; Ann C. "Auntie" Toppan; Nurse Mattie (show all 31); Dr. Ladder; Israel P. Dunham; Lovey Dunham; Alden P. Davis; Genevieve Gordon; Edna Bannister; Capt. Irving Gibbs; Detective Josephus H. Whitney; Paul Gibbs; Mrs. Henry Gordon; Henry "Harry" Gordon; Mary D. Gibbs; Justice Bell; Myra Connors; Dr. George F. Jellie; Dr. Henry R. Steadman; Dr. Henry N. Quimby; Minnie Gibbs; Professor Wood; Florence N. Calkins; Mrs. McNear; Professor Wilson; Mrs. Wilson; James Murphy; Delia Kelly
- Important places
- Lowell, Massachusetts, USA; Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA; Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, USA; Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Cataumet, Massachusetts, USA; Cambridge Hospital (show all 7); Taunton Insane Asylum
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)One less thing for me to worry over.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Politics and Government
- DDC/MDS
- 364.152 — Social sciences Social problems and social services Criminology Criminal offenses Offenses against the person Homicide
- LCC
- HV6517 .M33 — Social sciences Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Crimes and offenses
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 42
- Popularity
- 698,574
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.31)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 2
