From Medea to Goneril to Sharon Stone's ice pick murderer to Susan Smith, the image of the violent woman has fascinated readers and audiences in a way that other figures have not. Josephine Hendin looks at the figure of the violent woman and argues that a violent woman is a grenade pitched towards both conservative and liberal views of women. Peopled with some of the most fascinating women in history, both real and imagined, Heartbreakers is a thought-provoking read.