Silma Hill

A fast-paced historical thriller where a rural village is ripped apart by accusations of witchcraft. From the author of the Not the Booker short-listed debut novel First Time Solo, comes a fast paced historical thriller. Accusations of witchcraft are sparked by the unearthing of a pagan idol in a remote Scottish village and exacerbated by generations-old social divisions. The Reverend Burnett, the unpopular minister at Abdale, lives with his sixteen year old daughter Fiona who he treats no better than a servant. Behind the manse lies Silma Hill, crowned with a circle of ancient standing stones. Old Sangster unearths a pagan icon in the peat beneath Silma Hill and hands it over to Burnett, who plans to write a paper on it for the Historical Antiquities Society in Edinburgh. Hours after finding the relic, Sangster is found dead. Fiona is drawn into accusations of witchcraft, fuelled by hatred of her father. As hysteria in the village builds, will Fiona’s father be able to put aside his pride to save his daughter or will she be consumed by the fire of anger, fear and superstition that has enveloped Abdale?