A female serial killer in Victorian England… I was so in when I requested this one from Netgalley… but then shiny things distracted me. Angelica is a woman who is plagued by horrible circumstances, as a woman with no wealth and a dead husband, she and her son are at the whim of any man who wants to take advantage of her. In a desperate bid to flee a forced life of prostitution she fakes her death (not a spoiler, this happens page 1) and finds a new place for her and William to restart.
Time after time she is faced with the atrocities of a woman unguarded by a man. But then, she comes across a kind woman who offers her a home and a job as a governess. Within no time she is enmeshed with the family and her and William’s futures look brighter. She takes every opportunity that is afforded her and then begins making opportunities of her own… ones that seem to leave unusual deaths in her wake. Can she end up with the perfect life, carved of her own wishes or will the law catch up with her?
I completely agree with the comparisons to Alias Grace for this one. Angelica is a pretty unlikable character but it’s hard to look away as you realize just how diabolical she is. She will stop at nothing and while she is not your average serial killer with a signature killing, that is what keeps her out of the spotlight. This one is a fun historical novel with a little bit of gore and horror to keep your heart pumping as you read. ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐
Thanks to Netgalley for advanced access to this novel and apologies it took me so long to get to it! All opinions above are my own.
Who’s your favorite fictional serial killer?
openmypages 