The Poison Thread
Book Feature - The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell
Book Feature - The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell
HBL Note: I’ve mentioned a few times (here, here, and here) about my newfound interest in the Gothic genre. So now when I hear about an exciting upcoming novel in this genre, I’m really eager to feature it. The latest gothic novel on my radar is The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell. This book has the added bonus of being about a seamstress (the fashion connections always appeal to me) and was inspired by the real-life case of milliner Sarah Metyard and her daughter Sally, who were hanged in 1762 for mistreating one of their young apprentices. Read more about this book below:
Book Feature - The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell
From the publisher:
Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy, and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor, and awaiting trial for murder.
When Dorothea's charitable work brings her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted by the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets one of the prisoners, the teenaged seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another strange idea: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread--because Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.
The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations—of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses—will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption. Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer? For fans of Shirley Jackson, The Poison Thread is a spine-tingling, sinister read about the evil that lurks behind the facade of innocence.
Book Feature - The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell
