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book cover for Deadly Desserts

Deadly Desserts

Grandmother, Pastor's Wife, Serial Killer

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Pub Date 12 Nov 2026 | Archive Date 12 Nov 2026


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Description

Deadly Desserts is the incredible but true story of Nannie Doss-the most prolific female serial killer in history. Over a twenty-year period beginning in the 1930s, she murdered husbands, lovers, and family members throughout the country-as well as countless other innocent individuals-with rat poison baked into her delicious desserts.

A Baptist pastor's wife and grandmother in a small rural town outside of Tulsa, she was the epitome of the gum-smacking “Granny Nannie” persona that she projected...at the same time that her body count was growing. Nannie led the choir, was a favorite of the children, and baked the most delectable treats. Tenderly caring for the sick, watching over her family like a mother hen, while writing letters to the lonely, she was the dearest friend to all-including six husbands-until they aggravated her in some small way. And then they got their just desserts. By the time she was discovered and convicted, sweet Nannie murdered more people than any female in history.

This is an incredible tale that also reads like a page-turning novel, complete with dialogue and a series of mind-bending, unexpected twists. It's a story of suburban madness, sexual conquest, unfulfilled romantic fantasies, that were expressed throughout a quiet, undetected but unprecedented killing career. Nannie's incredible story crisscrosses the country, covers several eras and provides a fascinating glimpse into how her gender both protected her from discovery, but ultimately condemned her. The story is meticulously researched and well-resourced with major newspaper reports of the time. The author's approach includes multiple perspectives-conversations among the key characters, narrative storytelling, and contemporary reports from journalists, court transcripts, psychiatrists, and detectives from the day. 


Deadly Desserts is the incredible but true story of Nannie Doss-the most prolific female serial killer in history. Over a twenty-year period beginning in the 1930s, she murdered husbands, lovers, and...


A Note From the Publisher

This title views best in tablet-style eReaders.
This is a set of uncorrected page proofs. It is not a finished book and is not expected to look like one. Errors in spelling, page length, format and so forth will all be corrected by the time the book is published several months from now. Photos and diagrams, which may be included in the finished book, may not be included in this format. Uncorrected proofs are primarily useful so that you, the reader, might know months before actual publication what the author and publisher are offering. If you plan to quote the text in your review, you must check it with the publicist or against the final version. Please contact USPR@bloomsbury.com with any questions. Thank you!

This title views best in tablet-style eReaders.
This is a set of uncorrected page proofs. It is not a finished book and is not expected to look like one. Errors in spelling, page length, format and...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9798216371915
PRICE $34.00 (USD)
PAGES 248

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