Of the many fantastical creatures found throughout literature and cinema, the femme fatale is one of the most frequently recurring and versatile in the last two centuries, although she forms part of a historic bloodline that can be traced back as far as unfaithful Helen of the classical era, who brought about the Trojan War, or daring Eve who condemned the whole of humanity. Through the analysis of various literary and cinematic figures – from Carmen to Lolita and Madeleine in Vertigo to Conchita in That Obscure Object of Desire – the author examines the myth of the terrible femme fatale from a new perspective: what if, rather than bearing witness to the terrible character of certain women, the stereotype in fact denounces a singularly tragic representation of masculine desire? Like any good mystery, this book invites the reader to follow the clues of the men abandoned by these mythical women.