Firstly the narrator for this audio book version was perfect. So many books have an unsuitable voice that ruins it for me.
Two school girls are on trial for the death of a fellow student. The trial is to look at whether she died from a heart attack brought on by the activities and use of the occult. This is for the jury to decide. Sitting on the jury is Matthew, a cardiac surgeon. Such are the pressures of his job he is looking forward to this case as a break from work. Narrated mostly by Matthew we see him slowly start to unravel as the trial unfolds and he finds himself becoming more and more susceptible to an unearthly power.
This book was going to be 4 starts from me until I got to the last hour of the book. It’s so crazy and unusual and I loved it. So 5 stars from me. Well done to the author for a very novel ending.

#WitchTrial. #NetGalley

Witch Trial by Harriet Tyce is a dark, gripping and very atmospheric book that kept me completely absorbed throughout. The setup alone is enough to pull you straight in. Two teenage girls charged with the murder of their friend, a media frenzy that turns them into the witch girls, and a jury caught between truth, fear and the stories people want to believe.

The point of view from Matthew Phillips is one of the strongest parts of the book. His arrival on the jury feels ordinary at first, then slowly shifts as the trial begins to twist everything he thinks he knows. The way the tension grows is excellent. The evidence feels unsettling, the behaviour of the girls is hard to read, and every time I thought I understood what had happened, something else made me doubt everything again.

Harriet Tyce builds a brilliant court setting. The atmosphere is thick, the pressure is constant and the question of what is real hangs over every page. The story never rushes, but it never drags either. It has that addictive quality where you keep telling yourself one more chapter and suddenly an hour has passed.

The ending is clever and leaves just the right amount of unease. It is the kind of finish that makes you replay the whole book in your mind. A tense, layered and very compelling read that I enjoyed from start to finish.

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I listened to the audiobook, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Court room thriller, with a very unique feel. A death and a bit of witches, the occult and belief.

The main character is a surgeon, chosen for the jury of the trial of two school girls accused of another teenagers death.

Interestingly most of this is written from the perspective of the surgeon juror. We see the workings of his mind. Which is fun in its self. But then there is an epilogue which is a must read part of the book. Which is equally if not more interesting and clever.

Thank you to Headline audio and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I'm a huge fan of Harriet Tyne's writing. She's so adept at making the reader look the other way and this book really kept me on my toes, plot-wise. There's this sense throughout that you're missing something just out of reach, and when the multiple twists come, it feels SO satisfying. Witch Trial asks a number of moral questions and cleverly illustrates how the power of a good story in the courtroom can make the difference between a killer being found guilty or walking free. I enjoyed all the witchcraft stuff, loved the Scottish setting and thought the audio was brilliant. Another surefire hit for Harriet that I will be recommending to everyone.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read.