The Once & Future Witch Hunt

Bookseller recommendation

“In 1692, Salem woman Martha Carrier was labeled the 'Queen of Hell' and hanged for witchcraft after she refused to confess. In this thoroughly-researched investigation, Martha's nine times great-granddaughter endeavors not only to learn about her ill-fated ancestor but to understand the convergence of social, religious, and economic factors that led to the Salem witch trials. Drawing on the few existing records about Martha (mostly court transcripts), Markham-Cantor alternates non-fiction chapters with a largely fictionalized telling of Martha's story, bringing to vivid life a woman about whom very little is known. The book also explores the broader context of witch hunts worldwide, and in a moving final chapter Markham-Cantor shares the names and stories of people - mostly women, the poor, and others on the margins—who have been demonized and condemned as witches as recently as 2023.”

— Lily • Quail Ridge Books