Blood on Her Hands, Tanya Farber
Blood on Her Hands, Tanya Farber
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Blood on Her Hands
South Africa's most notorious female killers

Author: Tanya Farber

Narrator: Deidre Wolhuter

Unabridged: 8 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/10/2023


Synopsis

Meet Daisy De Melker, who ‘lovingly’ prepared a flask of strychnine-laced coffee for her son. She is very different from Najwa Petersen, who carefully planned a ‘house robbery’ to eliminate her musician husband. Chané van Heerden placed her victim’s facial skin in the freezer for preservation, yet Phoenix Racing Cloud Theron wished to dispose of her mother’s body before it was even cold. And Dina Rodrigues? She ‘wouldn’t harm a fly’ – but went and organised a hit on a baby. Women are not paragons of virtue who cannot commit murder. Nor are they always insane when they do deliberately cause death. And the women with ‘blood on their hands’ are not homogeneous. In Blood on Her Hands, award-winning journalist Tanya Farber investigates the lives, minds and motivations of some of South Africa’s most notorious female murderers, from the poisonous nurse Daisy de Melker, to the privileged but deeply disturbed Najwa Petersen, to the mysterious Joey Haarhoff, who died before revealing the fate of her victims. Written in a style lighter than the subject matter might suggest, Blood on Her Hands will keep you reading until late at night.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ari on May 01, 2024

It is a true crime book, but she uses poetic licence, constructing dialogue. For me, absolutely unacceptable. So even though the rest of the book tries to be great and explain, it totally put me off. Rather then go find and read SA Criminology textbooks and other books to try enter the minds of wome......more

Goodreads review by Ilze on December 11, 2023

A must for any crime junkie. Tanya Farber is a writer who captures the emotions of the victims and the killer. The book reads more like a story than a factual courtcase, which makes her book stand out from the others. Please write more books, you have gained a loyal fangirl.......more

Goodreads review by Kim on May 04, 2020

Phew, I’m not going to lie, that book has left me feeling a little shell-shocked. This non-fiction account of South Africa’s most notorious and brutal female killers is nothing if not utterly fascinating and somewhat dark. If you’re a fan of true crime, or are someone that’s fascinated by what makes......more

Goodreads review by Sinovuyo on April 01, 2022

I'm still reeling from Tanya Farber's Blood on Her Hands: South Africa's Most Notorious Female Killers. It's impossible to deny that this book about South Africa's most infamous and deadly female killers is both fascinating and a little disturbing. If you're a fan of true crime, or if you're curious......more

Goodreads review by Catherine on April 13, 2023

I have several distant relatives who live or have lived in South Africa and recently reading about the trial of Oscar Pistorios I was intrigued about that society. Violence is becoming more common everywhere but the descriptions in this book focused on very disturbing cases. There is little to be fo......more