A TEENAGE killer's bedroom became her library of death.

When police officers searched the 16-year-old girl's room at a social services home they discovered the only books she had were macabre texts detailing murder and forensic evidence.

The books -- both fact and fiction -- had all been borrowed from Bolton libraries with their dates for return long overdue.

"Forensic fingerprints", a non-fiction work, told how real-life murder cases had been solved and killers caught by forensic detection.

Police officers also unearthed "The East End Murders" and "Dying for You", fictional stories on murderers and criminals.

Detectives probing Joanne Whitelegg's death scoured the texts to see if there were any copy cat elements to the teenager's stabbing frenzy but none were found.

Notes found in her bedroom also pointed to a bizarre infatuation with death which saw this girl turn killer while in council care.

Council chiefs insist they do not have the powers to monitor people's reading material.

A town hall spokesman added: "Obviously if a very young child was reading or watching something which we thought was unsuitable we would, like any parent, take appropriate action."