Witch Trial - by Harriet Tyce (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Absolutely superb--grips like a vice throughout and has a perfect, bold ending that no one will see coming. An utter masterpiece of the murder mystery and the legal thriller genre."--Sophie Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done and The Monogram Murders

"A legal thriller unlike any you've ever read, this mind-melting page-turner is Tyce at her whip-smart best."--Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

Internationally bestselling author Harriet Tyce returns with a page-turning thriller involving three teenage girls, one murdered classmate, and a chilling modern-day witch trial that will leave readers breathless.

Let the Witch Trial begin . . .

When eighteen-year-old Christian Shaw is found dead in a park, the city of Edinburgh is stunned--and the shock only deepens when police charge her best friends, Eliza Lawson and Isobel Smyth, with the murder. As social media explodes in a tizzy of theories and headlines scream for justice, rumors of bullying are overshadowed by something more wicked and frightening: whispers of dark rituals, feverish obsession, and a teenage pact gone wrong.

When the trial begins, everyone in Edinburgh clamors for a front-row ticket to the show: to look upon the murderous Eliza and Isobel with their own eyes. Everyone, that is, but Matthew Phillips, a respected heart surgeon picked for the jury. But, as the trial unfolds--and the girls' lawyers offer a surprising and unsettling defense--the reluctant Matthew finds himself questioning everything: the motives, the evidence, even his own judgement. Then he begins to have strange visions of terrifying things--hallucinations he tells himself. After all, witchcraft isn't real . . . or is it?

Who is telling the truth? Who can be trusted?

And what really happened to Christian Shaw?

Review Quotes

"Brilliantly clever and utterly addictive, I loved it. Witch Trial is courtroom drama at its finest." --Clare Leslie Hall, New York Times bestselling author of Broken Country

"A legal thriller unlike any you've ever read, this mind-melting page-turner is Tyce at her whip-smart best." - Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of People Like Her and The Club

"Harriet Tyce's best book yet. Witch Trial is gripping, original and so very clever. I was captivated by this deliciously twisted thriller. And what an ending! Genius. I loved it!" --Claire Douglas, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wrong Sister

"Absolutely superb - grips like a vice throughout and has a perfect, bold ending that no one will see coming. An utter masterpiece of the murder mystery and the legal thriller genre." - Sophie Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done and The Monogram Murders

"Witch Trial is compulsive reading. Such a layered story, which builds in both tension and theme right up to a dramatic and unexpected ending. I was totally immersed in the story, but it also made me think about the power of fear, the protection of privilege and who we chose to trust. One of the best courtroom dramas I've read in a long time." --Araminta Hall, author of One of the Good Guys

"Dark, wry, and slippery underfoot, I adored it!" - Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of We Live Here Now and Behind Her Eyes

"Harriet Tyce's masterful courtroom drama is intense, terrifying, and utterly addictive, with a devilish twist in its tail." - Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew and The Burning Library

"Tyce's language keeps readers on their toes, and she doesn't mince words as she takes them along for the ride of the trial. Hints of the supernatural blended well with reality will have hardcore witch enthusiasts rushing to turn every page. Questions about trust, relationships, and the truth come out in Tyce's hard-to-put-down latest book." --Library Journal

"I loved this. Harriet Tyce is a master storyteller unafraid to tackle difficult themes. In Witch Trial she turns her considerable talents to the subject of young female friendships and the pressures that go with. Supremely plotted, elegantly written and with an ending that will shake you up! An absolute triumph of a book that takes the legal thriller to new heights and which will stay with you for a long time after you've finished it. Best thing I've read this year." - Abir Mukherjee, Times (UK) bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series

"Clever, propulsive, with a wickedly satisfying twist. Excellent. My favourite Tyce book yet." - C.E. Hulse, author of Vivian Dies Again and The Adults

"Delves deeply into the perceptions of female cunning. Brilliant." - Heather Critchlow, author of the Cal Lovett Files Series

"I loved this clever book. I thought it was stunningly written and really well done. It covered so many important themes and dealt with big, tricky topics deftly never feeling preachy or forced. I also think this may be one of the best endings I've read and, despite being a deliciously dark read, I did find myself chuckling in places. Bravo Harriet--I think this is her best one yet!" - Nicki Mackay, author of The Due Date

"Cancel all plans because this book is going to grab you by the throat and not let go till you turn the final page. It's a startingly original courtroom drama/occult story, and a psychologically astute depiction of a man in freefall. Deliciously chilling and like nothing I've ever read. I ate this up." - Chris Bridges, author of Sick to Death

"Totally original and impossible to put down, Harriet Tyce has shown once again that she is the absolute master of the legal thriller with a twist... Brilliant!" - G.D. Wright

"Nothing short of unputdownable. One of the best openings I've read in forever." - Alex Michaelides, on It Ends at Midnight

"A classic thriller with complex and compelling characters." - Clare Mackintosh, on Blood Orange

"Totally addictive--I was gripped." - Sophie Hannah, on The Lies You Told

"A triumphant encore, every bit as intriguing, well-written and addictive as its predecessor." - Sara Collins, on The Lies You Told

"I read The Lies You Told in two days, barely able to turn the pages fast enough. It's spare and taut, the sense of wrongness building in chilling, skilfully written layers, with a jaw dropping last line twist." - Lisa Jewell, on The Lies You Told

"An absolute page turner with a twist you'll read twice because you can't believe you missed it." - John Marrs, on The Lies You Told

"Witch Trial is audacious, mind-bending, and brilliant. I couldn't read it fast enough!" --Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let Him In

"[Tyce's] new novel . . . might be her most intriguing read yet. . . . Characterisation... is nonpareil, as is the impeccable plotting." --Financial Times (UK)

"A wild ride." --Publishers Weekly