Publisher's Synopsis
This glorious romp through the filth, greed and duplicity of 18th century Edinburgh is a feminist delight. Highly recommended. - Mary Paulson-Ellis 'A beautiful sensory overload . . . I didn't want it to end.' - Kirstin Innes A wildly original and alarmingly readable historical novel whose dark, blood-soaked narrative takes us by surprise at every turn. - Andrew Taylor Tales of opera singers and murderers, of cobbled streets and Old Town tenements, of audacious women and what can befall them. The writing is sublime, I loved every word. - Elissa Soave *** EDINBURGH, 1791. Isobel Duguid and her friend, the famous castrato Clessidro, are stars of the Edinburgh Musical Society. Despite her cavalier attitude towards holding a tune, Clessidro's friendship and her own shocking murder ballads keep Isobel on stage and enjoying an opulent lifestyle in Auld Reekie. Yet one night a note arrives from the mysterious Mrs Abercorn, regarding Isobel's most notorious song, The Fiddler's Wrath. It's the tale of a prima donna who died of heartbreak after her husband committed murder and was sent to the gallows. Isobel is intrigued. But Mrs Abercorn's curiosity is far more than a fickle interest and the truth is more complicated than anyone could have imagined. As Isobel recounts rising through the social classes, her role in this ill-fated tune is brought to light, awakening the chilling retribution of a once buried secret.
