Murder Ballad: A gripping mystery of desire, betrayal and secrets set in the musical world of 18th century Edinburgh

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'A rich, ripe, gorgeously seedy mystery.' - Kirstin Innes, bestselling author of Scabby Queen

EDINBURGH, 1791.

Ballad singer Isobel Duguid and her friend, the famous castrato Clessidro, are stars of the Edinburgh Musical Society. Despite Isobel's brash singing style, Clessidro's friendship and her own shocking murder ballads keep her on stage and enjoying an opulent lifestyle in Auld Reekie.

Yet one night a note arrives from the mysterious Mrs Abercorn, regarding Isobel's most notorious song, The Fiddler's Wrath. It's the tale of a prima donna who died of heartbreak after her husband committed murder and was sent to the gallows.

But as Isobel will discover, Mrs Abercorn's curiosity is far more than just a fickle interest. As Isobel recounts rising through the social classes, her role in this ill-fated tune is brought to light, awakening the chilling retribution of a once-buried secret.

A story of betrayal, mystery, and the secrets some would die to protect. Perfect for fans of Patrick Sskind Perfume and Kate Foster's The Maiden.

'This glorious romp through the filth, greed and duplicity of 18th century Edinburgh is a feminist delight. Highly recommended.' - Mary Paulson-Ellis

'A wildly original and alarmingly readable historical novel whose dark, blood-soaked narrative takes us by surprise at every turn.' - Andrew Taylor

'I couldn't put it down. The writing oozes passion and guts, interlaced with a dark humour.' - Devika Ponnambalam

'Tales of opera singers and murderers, of cobbled streets and Old Town tenements, of audacious women and what can befall them. The writing is sublime, I loved every word.' - Elissa Soave

'A gripping and grisly tale of opera, art and ownership set in eighteenth-century Edinburgh' - Lynsey May

Author Bio

Lucy Ribchester was born in Edinburgh. She has a first-class degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a Masters in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London & Shakespeare's Globe. In 2013 she received a New Writers Award from The Scottish Book Trust. She has since won a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship, and been shortlisted for the COSTA Short Story Award and Manchester Fiction Prize. Her first novel, The Hourglass Factory was longlisted for the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown, picked by Val McDermid for her New Blood panel at Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, and selected by Waterstones' Edinburgh branches as their Book of the Year.