The Trial of Gwen Foley

Name: The Trial of Gwen Foley
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Jane O'Connor
ISBN: 9781666164268

Author: Jane O'Connor

Narrator: Lucy Brownhill

Unabridged: 7 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/30/2021

Categories: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Historical Fiction, Suspense & Thriller

Synopsis

Accused of witchcraft. Accused of murder. Can she escape the hangman's noose?

Lichfield 1723. A woman accused of witchcraft and murder faces the hangman’s noose unless Hester and the Lunar Society can save her.

Hester, the wife of an acting magistrate, is fighting a cause. Sickened by the hanging of a woman who had been brutalized by her husband, and still deeply affected by her own childhood experiences, Hester feels compelled to help women who face the death penalty.

When Hester's husband is summoned to the scene of a murder, Hester accompanies him. They discover that the victim, Lady Aston, is clutching a witch's bottle. Lord Aston is convinced that Gwen Foley, a woman in the village, has murdered his wife.

Gwen is branded as a witch and is dragged from her cottage to jail to await trial. But Hester believes Gwen is innocent and promises to help.

Is Gwen a witch and a murderer who deserves to hang?

With the help of the Lunar Society, Hester is about to find out.

About Jane O'Connor

Jane O'Connor is a writer and academic based in the West Midlands, UK. Her debut novel, Needlemouse, was selected as the runner-up for the Tibor Jones Pageturner Prize. Her short stories have been published in national magazines, and she was the winner of the 2020 Hysteria short story competition. Jane's latest novel, The Trial of Gwen Foley, is set in eighteenth-century Lichfield and features two of her greatest interests-bookshops and the history of witchcraft. Jane lives in Birmingham with her husband, two boys, and two cats.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sean on July 07, 2021

This is a historical fiction that deals with witchcraft and injustices. I love the historical fiction genre but a lot of the books about Witchery seems to be so boring. I love the showing of questioning of faith. It shows understanding of what others may believe. During this timeframe Christianity......more

Goodreads review by Nicola on September 13, 2021

The Trial of Gwen Foley is not actually about the trial of Gwen Foley. In fact, it's about a group of people who try and ensure that Gwen gets a fair trial when it comes. The story is narrated by Hester Albright and the year is 1723 in Lichfield, Staffordshire. Hester is so affected by the hanging o......more

Goodreads review by Sandra on July 06, 2021

This is a story that started in 1723 it started with a Dr. Crouch stated that a abused wife Joanna killed her husband name William, she was the only suspected. Her husband a brutal man, and a noose or hanging awaits , Reverend Mr. Brown try to comfort Joanna. And her children were standing strong al......more

Goodreads review by Nicole on July 05, 2021

In 1723, the town of Lichfield is rocked by the execution of a mother. Not long after, a vicious murder leads to the accusation of another innocent woman. Hester, the temporary magistrate’s wife, forms the Lunar Society with a small group of like minded women to avoid another execution. This book is......more

Goodreads review by Tricia on July 23, 2021

Best book I've read in a while Mystery kept you guessing. Many historical novels have the heroine so completely against a traditional woman's role, that it's as if it's a modern woman dropped into a different time period. This book did not do that. Heroine was a strong woman character who still seeme......more