Skip to main content

Deadly Desserts

Grandmother, Pastor's Wife, Serial Killer

Deadly Desserts cover

Deadly Desserts

Grandmother, Pastor's Wife, Serial Killer

Quantity
Pre-order. Available Nov 12 2026
$44.95 RRP $49.95 Website price saving $5.00 (10%)

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

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. It is written to read as a head-shaking novel.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: The Search for Tomorrow
Chapter 2: Heart Medicine
Chapter 3: Red Lights Flashing
Chapter 4: An Unchecked Storm of Gossip
Chapter 5: Baptized in the Flesh
Chapter 6: The Fraying Tightrope
Chapter 7: 20 One-Cent Stamps
Chapter 8: It's Wakey-Time
Chapter 9: No Light of Sanity
Chapter 10: Redemption and Revenge
Chapter 11: A Time and a Place
Chapter 12: A Jolt of Electricity
Chapter 13: An Internal Lifeline
Chapter 14: Fruit Tarts in Pink Boxes
Chapter 15: No Limits. No Compromise.
Chapter 16: Hovering in a Corner
Chapter 17: A Gift for an Angel
Chapter 18: Hot Peanut Butter Cookies
Chapter 19: A Symbol of Tragedy
Chapter 20: God Be with You
Chapter 21: A Divine Play
Chapter 22: A Slice of Spice Cake
Chapter 23: Bursts of Love
Chapter 24: Sweet Dreams
Chapter 25: Those Stolen Moments
Chapter 26: Completely Untethered
Chapter 27: Beat the Clock
Chapter 28: Wiggling Her Assets
Chapter 29: Ever Abounding Love
Chapter 30: A Hasty Departure
Chapter 31: Life in the Garbage Heap
Chapter 32: A Persistent Medical Man
Chapter 33: An Oklahoma Tornado
Chapter 34: Incredible Possibilities
Chapter 35: A Gathering of Ghosts
Chapter 36: A Bowl of Popcorn
Chapter 37: A Foul Mood
Chapter 38: The Cleverest Criminal Ever

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published Nov 12 2026
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Pages 208
ISBN 9798216371915
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations 23 bw photos
Dimensions 229 x 152 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Jerry Jamison

Jerry Jamison has been an award-winning advertisin…

Related Titles

Environment: Staging