If Love Could Kill

“If Love Could Kill is not a boastful record of one success after another. Some patients do remain beyond Motz’s reach. But her successes are moving because they give hope. They show that people can surprise themselves with change.” —Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker

“What makes women break bad? In this rigorous collection of case studies and analysis, forensic psychotherapist Anna Motz argues that violent women are almost always also victims themselves, and moreover, deserving of rehabilitation. With a 30-year career providing talk therapy to incarcerated women, Motz is uniquely positioned to cut through the sensationalism of the crimes (arson, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, murder) to the real people behind them. . . . [I]n Motz’s worldview, no human is beyond hope. An empathetic and necessary corrective to the stereotypes peddled by so many sensational true crime shows.” —Natalie Beach, Oprah Daily

“[Anna Motz] challenges society’s preconceptions about violent women and how we should treat them in this thought-provoking and compassionate book. . . . Motz brings empathy and curiosity to her work, which shines through in her writing, as well as a strong belief in the possibility of rehabilitation. . . . Recommended especially to readers of true crime and forensic psychology.” —Rebecca Hopman, Booklist

“A forensic psychotherapist offers a series of moving case studies of female offenders. . . . eloquent, scholarly, and compassionate . . . A well-considered and sobering look at the psychology of women who commit violent crimes.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Motz neither shies away from nor sensationalizes the grim, often shocking elements of her patients’ crimes. Instead, she carefully accounts for the psychological and social forces that can drive women to violence, and in the process builds a robust case for mitigating such behavior by raising awareness of those forces and increasing support for women in and out of the justice system. This challenges and enlightens.” —Publishers Weekly