The Wise Witch of Orkney English 2026

'A BEAUTIFULLY PORTRAYED AND IMAGINATIVE TALE OF WOMEN IN MEDIEVAL SCOTLAND IN ALL THEIR VULNERABILITY AND POWER' - S. G. MacLean, author of THE BOOKSELLER OF INVERNESS

'IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING AND GREAT CHARACTERS' - Philip Paris, author of THE LAST WITCH OF SCOTLAND

1593, Scotland. King James VI launches a bloody witch hunt across the length and breadth of the country. But the women he fears most are already within his court.

Elspet is a spae-wife, a wise woman and healer from the isles of Orkney. Some might call her a witch.

When the king's new bride, Anna of Denmark, summons her to deliver her baby and cast a binding spell over the child, Elspet is trapped between two impossible choices - for she cannot refuse the queen, and she cannot be discovered by the king.

While Elspet struggles to hide her secret identity in a court that wishes her dead, another woman seeks her aid: Kitty Muirhead, outcast, persecuted and desperate to escape the shadows of her past. Kitty and the queen could not be more different, but they may yet be each other's salvation.

The hunt is closing in on the three women. They must concoct a reckless plan to save one another before that fearful death sentence is cast upon them - witch.

'Compelling and compulsive reading . . . heralds an exciting new voice in historical fiction' - D. V. Bishop, author of the CESARE ALDO series

'Full of intrigue and feisty female characters, this is a spellbinding debut that had me gripped from the first page to the last' - Naomi Kelsey, author of THE BURNINGS

'An accomplished and impressive debut, which I highly recommend' - Paula Greenlees, author of JOURNEY TO PARADISE