A spellbinding novel of a young doctor's wife struggling to make her childless life meaningful, unaware that the sinister Robert Kirke is watching her every move when she becomes pregnant again. From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Where Memories Go and The Sealwoman's Gift.

"Scotland, 1856. After years of trying, doctor's wife Isabel Aird has given up hope of ever becoming a mother -- despite being pregnant once more. She follows her husband Alexander away from their cosseted existence in the city to the site of a huge engineering project in Loch Katrine, which will deliver clean water to a disease-ridden Glasgow. And amidst the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands, Isabel begins to discover a new sort of freedom. But the appearance of Robert Kirke casts an ominous shadow over her tentative happiness. A tormented figure from the past who has made a bargain for his soul, he has his eye on Isabel's unborn child. History and ancient folklore collide in this story of one woman's struggle to make her own life matter, and a compromised man's struggle with himself. Which side of Robert Kirke will triumph - and who will be harmed in the battle for his soul?

Sally Magnusson has written a brilliant tour-de-force that blends together unlikely ingredients such as engineering, the Celtic Otherworld and 19th century medicine into a memorable, riveting, page-turning story. I savoured it!