Set against the Peasants’ Revolt and the poll tax (yes, they had one in the 1380s), this is an involved, long, medieval drama of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. We are in Lincoln in the family of a wealthy cloth merchant where Robert becomes infatuated by a mysterious widow seeking to invest her inheritance. The investment goes bottom-up, Robert becomes perhaps too close to the widow and his family don’t like it. Now superstition, witchcraft and strange happenings abounded in that time and much occurs here. This is glorious stuff, intriguing and thrilling on every page with a mass of historical detail, drama and colour. A great story well told.
The Vanishing Witch by Karen Maitland, author of the hugely popular Company of Liars will thrill fans of CJ Sansom and Kate Mosse with its chilling recreation of the Peasants' Revolt. It offers an intelligent, beautifully researched glimpse of a more deadly, superstitious era ...'A compelling blend of historical grit and supernatural twists' Daily Mail on The Falcons of Fire and Ice The reign of Richard II is troubled, the poor are about to become poorer still and landowners are lining their pockets. It's a case of every man for himself, whatever his status or wealth. But in a world where nothing can be taken at face value, who can you trust? The dour wool merchant? His impulsive son? The stepdaughter with the hypnotic eyes? Or the raven-haired widow clutching her necklace of bloodstones? And when people start dying unnatural deaths and the peasants decide it's time to fight back, it's all too easy to spy witchcraft at every turn.
Karen Maitland travelled and worked in many parts of the United Kingdom before settling for many years in the beautiful medieval city of Lincoln, an inspiration for her writing. She is the author of The White Room, Company of Liars, The Owl Killers, The Gallows Curse and The Falcons of Fire and Ice. She has recently relocated to a life of rural bliss in Devon.
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