Queen Macbeth

A thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three bosom companions a healer, a weaver and a seer. If the men hunting her find them, they will kill her because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: she is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth.

Shakespeare fed us the myth of the Macbeths as power-hungry murderous conspirators. But now Val McDermid drags the truth out of the shadows, exposing the patriarchal prejudices of history.

As the net closes in on the queen, we discover a tale of passion, forced marriage, bloody massacre and the harsh realities of medieval Scotland. At the heart of it, one strong charismatic woman who survived loss and jeopardy to finally outwit the endless plotting of a string of ruthless and ambitious men. Her struggle won her a country. But now it could cost her life.

'A hugely enjoyable heart-stopping afternoon in the company of Queen Macbeth and her three wise women. I love the Darkland tales!'

-- Damian Barr

'a page-turning tale of adversity and adventure, laughter and love, death and defiance'

-- Janet Christie The Scotsman

'Among the most exciting series of books of recent years'

SNACK Magazine

'A wondrous tale of subterfuge, courage, and resolve set among Kings and Queens, war and passion in eleventh century Scotland'

-- Liz Robinson Lovereading

'a historical romance seen from the perspective of a strong and determined woman fighting for life and love,

-- Andy Beaven Mail on Sunday

'Val McDermid paints a more sympathetic and certainly more feminist portrait of the Queen, adding subtlety, romance and drama to her story'

-- Nora McElhone Dundee Courier

'In the fifth book in the critically acclaimed ‘Darkland Tales’ series from Polygon Val McDermid plunges into medieval Scotland. Overturning Shakespeare’s propaganda, the reader will encounter a new Lady Macbeth amidst a web of vicious intrigue'

GoodReading Magazine Australia

'This gripping entry in the Darkland Tales series of fictional retellings of Scottish history finds the mighty Val McDermid interpret the story of Lady Macbeth with searing feminist power'

Waterstones Says

'A powerful, moving, timely retelling of the story of a legendary queen'

-- Life_of_reilly_76

'successfully dismantled my blood-soaked Shakespearean assumptions about Lady Macbeth'

-- Libby Brooks

'McDermid’s short, sharp novel does everything it can to upset the narrative we think we know to tell us a magical new story... a pushy, playful rewriting of Shakespeare and Scottish history in the context of the hurly-burly present.

The Conversation

'Chapter after chapter, past and present are warp and weft, alternately interweaving the compelling, violent machinations of pre-Scotland royal bloodlines with an enthralling love story. McDermid offers a no-nonsense, authentic earthiness of language, dialogue and descriptive passages'

-- Simon Rickman Historical Novel Society

'It is Thelma and Louise with crossbows. The three companions are delightfully skilled, fast, furious, and deadly in battle... a terrific novella'

-- Roger Hutchinson West Highland Free Press

'In Queen Macbeth, McDermid brings [Lady Macbeth's] story to life as only she can, with a vivid and often vicious depiction of medieval Scotland based on Gruoch's life and times'

SNACK Magazine

'It’s a story we think we all know, but this excellent novel will tell you otherwise'

Books from Scotland

'Val McDermid’s reimagining of the Macbeth story involves as daring a trick as anything Shakespeare provided for the theatre... the alternative Lady Macbeth will please many of [McDermid's] readers.'

-- Allan Massie The Scotsman

'McDermid allows Lady Macbeth to reclaim her real name – Gruoch – and casts her in an altogether more sympathetic light'

The Irish News

'McDermid is best known for her crime books, and there's plenty of blood and guts in this one, but here she has delved into Scotland's past to bring us a version of history from the female perspective'

SA (Australia)

'Very beautiful'

BBC Saturday Live

'This book is one of the finest ones Val has written because it has shown the versatility and the depth and breadth of the literary talent she undoubtedly is'

-- Nicola Sturgeon

'McDermid steps into the breach with a novel that offers a very different interpretation of this medieval queen, attempting to redress centuries of misinformation'

-- Rosemary Goring Herald

'I enjoyed Queen Macbeth so much... I really enjoyed going back to the eleventh century'

ABC Radio

'Queen Macbeth fits well into the Darkland Tales series, but it also fits well into the McDermid canon, which has since her very first novel featured determined women battling to have their voices heard'

-- Louise Fairbairn Crime Book Girl

'Terse, atmospheric, and superbly reimagined, McDermid’s latest perfectly captures the terror of living in a medieval Scotland riven by violence. Scottish history enthusiasts will enjoy'

Library Journal

'Chapter after chapter, past and present are warp and weft, alternately interweaving the compelling, violent machinations of pre-Scotland royal bloodlines with an enthralling love story. McDermid offers a no-nonsense, authentic earthiness of language, dialogue and descriptive passages, which linger beyond the ending'

-- Simon Rickman Historical Novels Society

'Queen Macbeth is a fascinating and thought-provoking addition to this series of dramatic retellings of stories from Scotland’s past that intersect history, myth and legend'

-- Lucinda Byatt Historical Novels Review

'McDermid’s considerable talent for reconstructing medieval Scotland in all its tribal viciousness, as well as its beauty and joy, is a real treat'

Globe and Mail (US)

Val McDermid is a number one bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than forty languages, and have sold over nineteen million copies. She has won many awards, including the CWA Gold Dagger the LA Times Book of the Year Award and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement. She writes full-time and divides her time between Edinburgh and East Neuk of Fife.

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