The Poison Thread
Books | Fiction / Historical / General
4
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Laura Purcell
"[An] uncanny Gothic mystery... Satisfying."—New York Times Book Review"A romping read with a deliciously dark conceit at its center... Reminded me of Alias Grace."—Kiran Millwood HargraveFrom the author of The Silent Companions, a thrilling Victorian gothic horror story about a young seamstress who claims her needle and thread have the power to killDorothea Truelove is young, wealthy, and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor, and awaiting trial for murder.When Dorothea's charitable work brings her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted by the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets one of the prisoners, the teenaged seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another strange idea: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread--because Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations—of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses—will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption. Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer? For fans of Shirley Jackson, The Poison Thread is a spine-tingling, sinister read about the evil that lurks behind the facade of innocence.
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More Details:
Author
Laura Purcell
Pages
368
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2019-06-18
ISBN
0525505822 9780525505822
Ratings
Google: 3
Community ReviewsSee all
"I've had a very difficult time getting into The Poison Thread, and I'm going to set it aside for now. It's taken me about a week to get through 85 pages because nothing has really caught my attention. I was expecting gothic horror, but this is really historical fiction (a genre I struggle with). There's a lot of detail about sewing, and I found myself skimming as the book went on."
Emily
"I listened to this via audiobook on Libby. The performance was absolutely amazing and through these performances I realized how amazing the writing was - to think that there was an English writer who still writes Gothic horror. I felt as if I was back in school reading old literature. It was so well done! The ending is... interesting to say the least, not sure if I like it or not but it at least gives way for discourse which is always good for authors. The more discourse there is the more the book gets noticed. I'd highly recommend this book if you're looking for something that's bone-chilling and awful. There are every explicit scenes though of gore so please be warned. Other than that, stellar book! "
Pendragon44321
"roller coaster- but a good one :>"
hannah
"I love a good Gothic mystery this time of year, especially when the weather is as despicable as it’s been these past few days. The drama was doled out in delightfully careful chunks, all leading up to the shocking ending I did not see coming. <br/><br/>I really enjoyed the question of whether Ruth truly had the power of the “poison needle” but I appreciated that the horror did not hinge entirely on that question. The mystery was enough to keep me reading, as well as the historically accurate tone and descriptions. I will definitely be reading more from this author!"
A P
Allie Peduto
"If you like victorian gothic mystery/thriller. "
Angelica Donato
"A great story if you like gothic lit"
Courtney Kouba