This book challenges the traditional view of the 'femme fatale' as merely a dangerous and ravenous sexual predator who leads men into ruination. It proposes alternative ways of viewing the femme fatale by showing how she can also serve as a figure for imagining female agency. Focusing on a particular character type that is distinct from the general archetype of the femme fatale, the 'criminal femme fatale' uses her sexual appeal and irresistible wiles both to manipulate men and to commit criminal acts, usually murder, in order to advance her goals with deliberate intent and culpability. This...