Welcome to the Official website of Karen Maitland

Author of the medieval thrillers Company of Liars, The Owl Killers and The Gallows Curse

I am delighted to share my new website with you. On it you'll find links to videos of me filmed in the magnificent Ely Cathedral in which I talk about some of the historical background to my novels and share with you a few of the things that fascinate me about medieval life.

If you visit the Myth & Magic page you'll discover all kinds of medieval facts, folklore and forgotten words, as well as medieval recipes. You might even want to try cooking the dishes to bring a bit of spice to a themed Reading Group evening.

I do hope you will enjoy exploring the mayhem and mystery of the medieval world with me. If you want to keep up to date with the latest News & Events, why not sign up to receive the quarterly newsletter?

Latest novel: The Gallows Curse

My latest medieval thriller The Gallows Curse has just been published in paperback. The thirteenth century has just begun and King John has fallen out with the Pope, leaving babies to lie unbaptised in their cradles and corpses in unconsecrated ground. Across a fear-ravaged England, people are dying in sin.

And into the Norfolk village of Gastmere comes a new Lord of the Manor – the cruel and bloodthirsty Osborn, not long returned from crusading. Spying treachery at every turn, he is prepared on the slightest pretext to damn anyone to hell and the scaffold...

Find out more about this novel and what inspired it

Video

Karen Maitland talks about her books and medieval history. See more videos by Karen on the Penguin Books YouTube Channel.

News & Events

New Audiobook

The Historical mystery ‘Hill of Bones’ written by me, Susanna Gregory, Bernard Knight, Philip Gooden and Ian Morson is now available on Whole Story Audiobooks. It is read by Colin Mace, who has appeared in, amongst other series, The Bill and Eastenders.

Competition!

Your chance to win a signed copy of one of my novels, and those of eight other authors – perfect for your summer holiday reading.

Myth & Magic

In The Gallows Curse Raffe makes a vow to a dying friend. Vows were taken very seriously in the Middle Ages, and with good reason, for the consequences of breaking them could be fatal.

The Broken Vow

In the 1300’s Earl de Warrenne fought a dual with Lord Pevensey. Lord Pevensey raised his sword to strike the fatal blow, but Warrenne’s pregnant wife prayed to St Nicholas to save her husband. The saint heard her prayer and turned aside Pevensey’s sword blade, saving Warrrenne’s life.

In gratitude, the Earl vowed to do anything the saint commanded. St Nicholas told him that his wife would give birth to a son, and that when the son became a man, Warrenne must send him to Byzantium to place the saint’s own belt on the grave of the Virgin Mary. This the son must do before he married. Warrenne promised on his unborn son’s life to see that the vow was fulfilled but years passed and Warrenne entirely forgot his vow…