The Burnings

In 1589, Scottish housemaid Geillis Duncan and Danish courtier Margaret Vinstarr occupy opposite positions in a society where women can be destroyed by an accusation of witchcraft. Their lives intersect through the marriage of James VI of Scotland and Anne of Denmark, whose storm-disrupted voyages become the foundation for claims that supernatural enemies are conspiring against the crown.

As coerced confessions spread suspicion across Scotland and Denmark, Geillis and Margaret attempt to protect themselves and one another while court factions learn that witchcraft allegations can serve political ends. The novel draws on documented people and the North Berwick trials, using fiction to explore torture, royal paranoia, female knowledge and the unequal power that determined whose accusations became official truth.