“A gripping, well-told story of faith and truth.”
—Khaled Hosseini, bestselling author of
The Kite Runner“A disturbingly effective historical novel.”
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Boston Globe“Beautifully written, nary a word out of place, and with a few moments that throw you beyond—the way good books do ... deeply satisfying.”
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San Francisco ChronicleA
San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book of 2007
In 1507, when a severe famine strikes a small town in Germany, a friar arrives from a large city, claiming that the town is under the spell of witches in league with the devil. He brings with him a book called the Malleus Maleficarum—“The Witch’s Hammer”—a guide to gaining confessions of witchcraft, and promises to identify the guilty woman who has brought God’s anger upon the town, burn her, and restore bounty.
Güde Müller suffers stark and frightening visions—recently she has seen things that defy explanation. No one in the village know this, and Güde herself worries that perhaps her mind has begun to wander—certainly she has outlived all but one of her peers in Tierkinddorf. Yet of one thing she is absolutely certain: She has become an object of scorn and a burden to her son’s wife. In these desperate times her daughter-in-law would prefer one less hungry mouth at the family table. As the friar turns his eye on each member of the tiny community, Güde dreads what her daughter-in-law might say to win his favor.
Then one terrible night Güde follows an unearthly voice and the scent of charred meat into the snow-filled woods. Come morning, she no longer knows if the horror she witnessed was real or imagined. She only knows that if the friar hears of it, she may be damned in this life as well as the next.
The Witch’s Trinity beautifully illuminates a dark period of history; it is vividly imagined, elegantly written, haunting, and unforgettable.
"A well-constructed novel and a gripping, well-told story of faith and truth."
—Khaled Hosseini, #1 New York Times bestselling author of
The Kite Runner
“Evocative and engrossing…a frightening tale of both the weakness and strength of the human soul. I was gripped immediately by the story; it reminded me of
Year of Wonders and I read it in nearly one sitting.”
—Robert Alexander, national bestselling author of
The Kitchen Boy and Rasputin's Daughter “Powerful and thought-provoking,
The Witch’s Trinity questions the nature of truth while bringing to vivid life the power men’ s fear has over women’s lives. Haunting and unforgettable.”
—India Edghill, author of
Wisdom’s Daughter “Surprising and engrossing,
The Witch’s Trinity draws you in and then keeps you gripped till the very last page.
—Martin Davies,
The Conjurer’ s Bird
“A linguistic enchantress has arrived among us, gifted in transmogrifying the mundanities of historical fiction into tableaux of indelible terror and abiding beauty.”
—James Morrow, author of
The Last Witchfinder “
The Witch’s Trinity is one of those mind-bending histories that make you wonder how many women in the 16th century hid in fear of being condemned for their healing powers. Erika Mailman superbly re-creates the terror of the women who lost, and the hope of those who managed to survive, the most egregious war of the sexes.”
—Holly Payne, author of
The Virgin’ s Knot “A Gothic horror story–starvation, superstition and persecution, if you believe in witches–this is a disturbing and compelling read.”
—Tobsha Learner, author of
The Witch of Cologne “Beautifully written, nary a word out of place…deeply satisfying.”
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San Francisco Chronicle “Plunges readers into the storm of ignorance, superstition, and religious frenzy that incited mass hysteria…a disturbing story told with clarity and precision, an old story that has resonance today.”
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Boston Globe
"Haunting...an unforgettable story of mystery and spookiness."
—EW.com
