About this item
Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution.
About the Author
Kathleen Kent is the author of three best-selling novels. Her first novel, The Heretic's Daughter, has been published in 15 countries and is a recipient of the David J. Langum Sr. award for American historical fiction. The book chronicles the life of Martha Carrier, the author's grandmother back 9 generations, during the Salem witch trials of 1692, and is based in part on family stories passed down through generations.
Her second novel, The Traitor's wife, explores the life of Thomas Carrier, husband to Martha; a man who was a soldier during the English Civil War and who is rumored to be one of the executioners of King Charles I of England.
The author's latest novel, The Outcasts, is set in Reconstruction Era Texas and follows the paths of a young woman fleeing a life of prostitution and a newly-minted lawman on the hunt for a killer of men, women and children across the frontier. It is the recipient of the American Library Association's 2014 top choice for Historical Fiction.
A short story titled Coincidences Can Kill You was published in the crime anthology, Dallas Noir. She is currently working on a novel-length work based on this short story.
The author lives in Dallas, Texas.
