The Witchfinder's Sister: The captivating Richard & Judy Book Club historical thriller 2018

The Witchfinder's Sister: The captivating Richard & Judy Book Club historical thriller 2018

by Beth Underdown (Author)

Synopsis

'The number of women my brother Matthew killed is one hundred and six...' THE PAGE-TURNING RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB BESTSELLER 'A compelling debut from a gifted storyteller' Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent When Alice Hopkins' husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives. But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women's names. To what lengths will Matthew's obsession drive him? And what choice will Alice make, when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan? Winner of the HWA Debut Crown Award 2017, and a Spring 2018 Richard and Judy Book Club pick, this beautiful and haunting historical thriller is perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, The Miniaturist and Burial Rites. 'Vivid and terrifying' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train 'A clever, pacey read that blends truth and fiction...what elevates this book above other historical thrillers are the questions that Underdown asks about the nature of power, fear and how easy it is to become complicit in terrible acts' The Times 'A chilling, creeping novel with very obvious parallels to more modern forms of witch-hints and misogyny, but is still firmly rooted in an England torn apart by civil war and gripped by religious fervour' Red 'A haunting, brooding debut' Psychologies 'At once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller' Patrick Gale 'A richly told and utterly compelling tale, with shades of Hilary Mantel' Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat 'Anyone who liked Cecilia Ekback's Wolf Winter is going to love this' Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street 'Beth Underdown grips us from the outset and won't let go...at once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller' Patrick Gale, author of Notes from an Exhibition 'A tense, surprising and elegantly-crafted novel' Ian McGuire, author of The North Water 'Beth Underdown cleverly creates a compelling atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia... Even from the distance of nearly four hundred years, her Matthew Hopkins is a genuinely frightening monster' Kate Riordan 'A tense, surprising and elegantly-crafted novel' Ian McGuire, author of The North Water 'Superb: dark, terrifying and utterly compelling' Tracy Borman 'A novel for our times. Beth Underdown's The Witchfinder's Sister explores another time and another place to lay bare the visceral horror of what a witch hunt truly is' New York Times Book Review 'Entertaining and thought-provoking, with a valuable message for our own times' Washington Post

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Publisher: Viking
Published: 02 Mar 2017

ISBN 10: 0241978033
ISBN 13: 9780241978030
Book Overview: My brother is a Witch Finder. A hundred innocent women have died at his hands. This is our confession.

Media Reviews
THE MOST THRILLING HISTORICAL DEBUT OF 2018 Based on the true story of the infamous witchfinder Matthew Hopkins, with one of the most memorable heroines in recent historical fiction, this haunting novel is perfect for fans of The Miniaturist, Sarah Waters and The Essex Serpent. -- From the publisher
'A compelling debut from a gifted storyteller' -- Sarah Perry * author of The Essex Serpent *
Beth Underdown grips us from the outset...at once a feminist parable and an old-fashioned, check-twice-under-the-bed thriller * Patrick Gale *
A tense, surprising and elegantly-crafted novel * Ian McGuire *
Chilling, gripping, terrifying and exquisitely written * Susan Barker *
Thumpingly good -- Lucy Mangan
A richly told and utterly compelling tale, with shades of Hilary Mantel -- Kate Hamer
Atmospheric and filled with foreboding, it's a novel that draws you under its spell * Stylist *
A haunting, brooding debut * Psychologies *
A chilling, creeping novel with parallels to more modern forms of witch-hunts * Red *
'Anyone who liked Cecilia Ekback's Wolf Winter is going to love this. [It's] about tiny braveries and small courage... a real David and Goliath story, but far less straightforward' * Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street *
Beth Underdown cleverly creates a compelling atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia... Even from the distance of nearly four hundred years, her Matthew Hopkins is a genuinely frightening monster * Kate Riordan, author of The Girl in the Photograph *
'A clever, pacey read that blends truth and fiction' * The Times *
'A clever novel with a slow burn of horror' * Guardian *
'An accomplished debut novel... this is a powerful, disturbing book, full of drama, with a masterly evocation of England in the 1640s and a sickening final twist' * Sunday Express *
'Superb: dark, terrifying and utterly compelling' -- Tracy Borman
'Alice's voice reaches us with admirable clarity and she tells a truly horrifying story with compassion and intelligence. This is a truly accomplished and satisfying debut novel' -- Adele Geras
A novel for our times. Beth Underdown's The Witchfinder's Sister explores another time and another place to lay bare the visceral horror of what a witch hunt truly is * New York Times Book Review *
Entertaining and thought-provoking, with a valuable message for our own times * Washington Post *
Author Bio
Beth Underdown lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Manchester. Her first novel, The Witchfinder's Sister, is based on the life of the 1640s witchfinder Matthew Hopkins. Beth's interest in seventeenth-century England was sparked by the work of her great-uncle David Underdown, one of that period's foremost historians. She came across a brief mention of Matthew Hopkins while reading a book about midwifery, igniting an interest which turned into an all-consuming hunt for the truth about this infamous killer.