The Baby Farm Murders: The Terrifying Case of the Angel-Maker, Amelia Dyer (True Crime)

I heard of baby farms before reading this book. There was mention of a notorious baby farm on the news run by nuns. A large monument had been erected and intricately etched with the names of the sisters. Yet there was no mention of the many young children that were unearthed. While the subject of this book might be the most infamous baby farmer due to her cunning, mental instability, abandonment by her family, addiction to the drug often used to make babies sick, and in the case of quite a few baby farmers leave them to starve to death. But that method took too long Amelia Dyer.She was often just one step ahead of the law. She would not leave any evidence behind though, she was certainly suspected of being a baby farmer. Jail terms, psychiatric stays, and even torturous conditions in a poor man's facsimile of a psychiatric center - none of these punishments dissuaded Dyer. It only made her more determined to not get caught, which necessitated frequent moves and disposal of the infants' bodies off sight.Cruelty that had been heaped on Amelia by caring for a psychotic mother - bled any compassion or empathy for others with two exceptions her first husband and daughter who she protected with her life. Despite the hard life she had endure Amelia had still been raised by a Father who ensured that she was well educated. She could have easily chosen another pathway in life by joining the family business or continue to work for her aunt.But Amelia seemed destined and determined to experience the hard knocks of life in Victorian England where being a single woman meant suffering all types of indignities. So she understood why single mothers would try to find a place to for a child born out of wedlock until better circumstances made it possible to reclaim the child. Except with the Dyer Baby Farm there was no reclaiming a baby a mother paid money to the proprietor to care for her child. This tale of murder shows that even the most innocent were not immune from the horrors induced by the possibility of financial gain.

Well presented and good description of Victorian Era England societal mores. Historically, I was personally unaware of the strong prevalence of baby farm murders, tho aware that unwanted children were murdered or hidden especially by the more socially affluent. Recommend book to those interested in protection of children. Borderline Personality Disorder can set the stage for survival during these times.

Crazy how evil someone can be to justify their own needs. This woman, clearly off the rails, put sick in a category of its own. Ryan does an excellent job of showing the human nature of this woman before diving into her disturbing mind. It is one of the many things I enjoy about this author.

I liked this story of a woman and her crimes in Britain in the 1890s. Amelia Dyer liked to run her scam using fake names and moving repeatedly. It’s great when a book’s subject is new to me and I can learn all about them for the first time.

This is an exemplary piece of nonfiction writing that provides a detailed comprehensive account of a series of events. Ryan Green's writing style is engaging and informative despite the uneasy context and events that he is writing about.

I found this book fascinating. The book gives the account of Amelia Dyer, who was believed to have killed many babies during a career as a 'baby farmer.” Middle aged women like Amelia Dyer advertised for babies, whom, for a fee they would take care of. Depending on the health of the child, or the involvement of the father, the price could reach up to £80. Frequently these babies would be sold on to another, although some women genuinely wanted a child as a companion. To provide anonymity for the mother (and the baby farmer) the baby was often handed over in a large railway station.Despite being admitted more than once into a mental asylum Dyer kept under the radar and she would use the baby's deaths for personal financial gain until a shocking discovery was made under the Clappers footbridge across the river Thames when a decomposing baby was found tied to a brick and strangled with rope around its neck. This led back after police enquires to Dyer’s doorstep and to her arrest and death.I found this book to be a remarkably interesting read that will give you an insight into the terrible things that occurred in times gone by. It is truly appalling currently to think that baby farming went on, but as we know it was just part of the Victorian way back then. Sadly, it was a Double Trauma for those poor babies and the mothers who had no choice but to give them up.I found I could not put this book down. Ryan has done a thorough research into all events of this case and this book is professionally written. It is Graphic but important history and is necessary for anyone who enjoys history and psychology. Once again Ryan I was not disappointed, a great read and brilliantly written. A truly horrible and despicable women. Thanks to Ryan Green for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

So, which is it? Was Amelia Dyer driven to commit her appalling crimes by the manner in which Victorian society treated poor women? Or was she simply a serial killer who found a way to profit from her vicious crimes? One thing is certain, however. Most people could never bring themselves to murder a helpless infant. Dyer murdered a great many babies. She enjoyed killing them. Killing babies became a kind of addiction for her. She was a monster. Ryan's analysis of Dyer is brilliant and very well thought out. In fact, I believe that this is Ryan's best book. You should buy it. Simply superb.

I read this book in one night as I couldn't put it down. The author has written a quite brilliant book here and the research he has put in shows throughout the book. A very disturbing story albeit very interesting nevertheless. The Victorian era in Britain was a bleak place to reside and people did desperate and awful things to survive. A must read and one of my favourite Ryan Green books. Congratulations to the author.

Raw, informative, sad.There is no question that, right from the start, Amelia Dyer had an extremely hard life. As her psychotic mother descended further and further into madness, and could no longer look after herself, young Amelia was expected to be her full time carer, and to do all of the household tasks. With only occasional help from her siblings. It's like her childhood was robbed from her.After her mother's death, and finally out in the world, Amelia's life takes many twists and turns. She had to fend for herself, which was pretty hard for women in those days. She eventually became a baby farmer; where a person pretends to adopt an unwanted baby for a fee, then later kills the baby and disposes of the body. The descriptions of the methods that Amelia employs to kill those poor little babies are horrific. I felt very satisfied that finally, after years of evading arrest, Amelia finally gets captured. Although, as the author pointed out, there were still plenty more baby farmers to take her place. I found this book very eye opening and also very sad.

Well written. Hard to believe her crimes escaped scrutiny.

Another great read from Ryan Green! It’s packed full of in-depth information that’s told in a great storyline. It’s a hard read especially if you have triggers I would advise you to avoid it. But if you love true crime with grit, BUY it! You won’t regret it!!!!