The article explores the limitations of current feminist discourse about female killers. It suggests that, outside the context of the battered woman who kills her abuser, feminists have been unable to posit a rational story which explains the actions of the female killer. In part this has accounted for the absence of feminist challenge to the stock stories which dominate the courtroom and press coverage of high profile trials where women have killed 'innocent' victims. We argue that there is a need to contest such depictions of women who kill, but conclude that the best way to contest the dominant narratives may be to resist the lure of constructing an alternative story. Ultimately a strategy which is sceptical of storytelling, and its tendency towards closure, may open up space for feminist dialogue concerning penal reform.
