Martha Needle: The Spellbinding Story of Australia’s Most Infamous Femme Fatale by Brian Williams

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Ex library copy with all external stickers removed. Stamps on inside. Wear to book corners and edges.

The extraordinary Martha Needle was not only the most treacherous poisoner in Australian history, she clearly stands out as one of the nation’s worst murderesses of all time. And from an international perspective, she still ranks among the world’s most prolific female killers.

In her day, Martha was as big as Ned Kelly and even shared the same pugnacious lawyer. Throughout late 1894, her epic tale kept the Australian community transfixed and was dramatically reported around the globe as ‘the story of the century’.

Even in more modern times, the story of Martha Needle continues to be widely chronicled as one of the most mind-boggling poisoning cases in the annals of crime. She remains a polarising figure in Australian history.

Luridly dubbed the ‘Black Widow’ by the world’s press, this manipulating young woman deviously used arsenic to exterminate all those around her who stood in the way of her personal ambitions, which even included her own children.

The Martha Needle story had it all: family conflict, betrayal, gruesomeness, a media frenzy, shattered societal expectations, dodgy lawyers, guileless doctors, questionable police, a mysterious and attractive accused, romance, and even a hint of sexual scandal. (publisher blurb)