Perfect reading for fans of The Manningtree Witches, Underdown's richly atmospheric tale revolves around Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins' real-life sister and her struggle to come to terms with the man her brother has become.
The number of women my brother Matthew killed, so far as I can reckon it, is one hundred and six...
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?
Based on a true story, this beautiful and haunting historical thriller is perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, The Miniaturist and Burial Rites.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241978054
Number of pages: 368
Weight: 255 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 22 mm
'A compelling debut from a gifted storyteller' - Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent
Thumpingly good - Lucy Mangan
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
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
Atmospheric and filled with foreboding, it's a novel that draws you under its spell - Stylist
A haunting, brooding debut - Psychologies
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 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
'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
It is 1645 and Alice Hopkins is a pregnant recently widowed woman who must relocate to Manningtree, Essex to live with her brother Matthew . Matthew is now " The Witchfinder General " , responsible for... More
This is one of the most engaging historical novels I have ever read. A compelling story, beautifully portrayed: the lives and times of good-natured people being turned upside-down, exposing their vulnerability and... More
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Every time I read a historical fiction book, I'm reminded just how fascinating English history is, and that I absolutely bloody love this genre!
Beth Underdown has done a superb job...
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