Women Who Love Men Who Kill

August 16, 2021
Isenberg (Muriel’s War: An American Heiress in the Nazi Resistance) updates her 1991 book of the same title with this engrossing, thoroughly researched look at women who are in romantic relationships with incarcerated men. While such arrangements are far from new, the author notes, the internet, social media, and smartphones have made them easier than ever. Websites such as writeaprisoner.com put finding a romantic link behind bars just a few clicks away, and apps like JPay, where women can send money, emails, and video visits, make keeping up the romance easy. But why do women do it? The author’s interviews reveal that some are drawn to fame—it’s easier to get a serial killer to answer your love letters than a movie star—and others because they crave a fictional romance and the safety of loving a man behind bars. (Interestingly, most of Isenberg’s subjects suffered a childhood trauma and are Catholic.) Serial killer Ted Bundy had his groupies and even married one of them during his trial, and the Boston Marathon bomber inspires fan fiction on websites and thousands of #FreeJahar posts on the internet, mostly by teenage girls. Assured prose keeps the pages turning. True crime fans will find this a real eye-opener. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Assoc.

September 1, 2021

Isenberg updates her groundbreaking 1991 volume about women who seek out relationships with men incarcerated on murder charges. For the revised edition, she caught up with subjects from the 1991 book and interviewed new ones (including women involved with men convicted of lesser offenses). She considers the changes of the last 30 years; for instance, she finds that many women still rely on pen and paper to write to prisoners in 2021, but the digital realm now plays a big role, since anyone can post digital advertisements, send emails, and use apps to meet and talk to romantic partners. Isenberg again finds that most of the women who enter these relationships have a history of trauma, but she notes that there are a multitude of reasons why they stay, including denial, delusion, and the desire for fame. "For women in love with murderers, their relationships are their reason for being," Isenberg writes. Many of the couples fantasize about eventually living together, and Isenberg learns what happened to some of the relationships upon release--one woman was shocked when she first saw her partner become enraged; another woman was murdered by her partner. VERDICT Isenberg's is a compelling, research-driven book, and libraries should purchase this updated edition.--Mattie Cook, Flat River Community Lib., MI

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