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In 17th-century Rome, men are falling like flies and nobody knows why... Hidden within the alleys and shadows of the Eternal City lies a criminal magical underworld of witches, sorceresses and a mysterious circle of female poisoners working under the guise of a cosmetics shop. Since her childhood in Palermo, Giulia has dedicated her life to helping the broken and abused - the wives, daughters, and mistresses of Italy. She is known to be many things - healer, midwife, abortionist and poisoner. It only takes a few drops of an undetectable lethal poison to murder each of Giulia''s victims, which come to number a thousand men. Pope Alessandro VII is determined to rid the city of witches and heretics, including this circle of murderous poisoners. But what great lengths will he go to stop these cunning women? In this compelling feminist retelling, the legendary figure of Giulia is given back her voice. Through the women she helped, the men she killed and those who wanted her dead, this is a tale of secrets, intrigue, revenge, sin and ultimately, power.
About the author
Cathryn Kemp is a
Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter and author, with a prolific career writing celebrity, inspirational, true crime, addiction and nostalgia titles. Her personal memoir
Coming Clean won the Big Red Read Prize for Non-Fiction.
A Poisoner's Tale is her first foray into historical fiction. When not researching dark, dangerous and beguiling women from history, Cathryn can be found on the south coast with her son and her familiar, a ginger cat called Gingey.
