Synopsis
Winner of the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year
‘Exceptional — a tense, thrilling investigation, with a decidedly feminist slant’ — Daily Mail
Inspired by a real-life murder trial, The Maiden is a remarkable feminist revisionist novel that places the forgotten women of history firmly centre stage.
In the end, it did not matter what I said at my trial. No one believed me.
Edinburgh, 1679. Lady Christian is arrested and charged with the murder of her lover, James Forrester. News of her imprisonment and subsequent trial is splashed across the broadsides, with headlines that leave little room for doubt: Adulteress. Whore. Murderess.
Only a year before, Lady Christian was newly married, leading a life of privilege and respectability. So, what led her to risk everything for an affair? And does that make her guilty of murder? She wasn't the only woman in Forrester's life, and certainly not the only one who might have had cause to wish him dead . . .
Shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction
‘A masterpiece’ — Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal
‘Riveting . . . the tension persists until the last page’ — The Times
*The Maiden was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction on 05/03/2024
Details
Reviews
“The Maiden is a masterpiece. A thrilling historical murder tale but so much more. Vivid, evocative and full of humanity. I took each and every character to my heart. The fact this is inspired by a true story makes it all the more chilling and relevant. I was transported to seventeenth-century Edinburgh so completely, I’m sure a part of me is still there”Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code
“The Maiden is historical fiction at its finest. A true-life murder tale told thrillingly through the eyes of two very different women, yet both are fighting for their futures in a patriarchal world riven by hypocrisy”D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance
“Threat hangs over every page like the awaiting guillotine, but the women in this book gleam sharper. Witty, gritty and full of heart, their voices rise through the brutality and hardship of seventeenth-century Edinburgh, battling to be heard”Cari Thomas, bestselling author of Threadneedle
“A gripping read with strong, compelling and unusual female characters - and a twisty plot that keeps the reader guessing. It cast a fresh light on a period of history when women have too often been seen merely as victims and brought them to life as protagonists in their own right”Sally Hinchcliffe, author of Hare House
