Beatrice Scarlet, the apothecary's daughter, returns to 18th-century London to solve a murder case steeped in witchcraft.
They say the girls were witches. But Beatrice Scarlet, the apothecary's daughter, is sure they were innocent victims...
London, 1758:
Beatrice Scarlet, the apothecary's daughter, has found a position at St Mary Magdalene's Refuge for fallen women. The charity is supported by a wealthy merchant who offers the most promising girls steady work in his factory. But when seven girls go missing, Beatrice is uneasy.
Their would-be benefactor claims they were a coven of witches, beholden only to Satan and his demonic misdeeds. But Beatrice is convinced something much darker than witchcraft is at play...
'Highlights the conflict between superstition and science which underpinned just about everything three hundred years ago - and also tells a graphic, fast-moving tale with a large element of horror threaded through the battle between good and evil. Beatrice Scarlet is a heroine of her own time who could teach a lesson or two to women of ours' Promoting Crime.
