KAREN MAITLAND
Welcome to the official web site of Karen Maitland, author of medieval mysteries Company of Liars and The Owl-Killers.
The paperback of The Owl Killers is now out in shops in Britain, including Waterstones, Tesco's and WH Smith's. Waterstones is selling a special limited edition paperback containing The Lost Chapter of Healing Martha written especially for Waterstones. This is a self-contained murder-mystery story set in among the canals of Bruges. Healing Martha recalls the time when as a young woman she became in embroiled a in series of chilling murders which terrorised the city. Was it the devil's work, or was there a human hand behind the deadly events? Look out for special stickers on the book in Waterstone's stores to find the ones containing The Lost Chapter.
The Middle Ages was an amazing time of discovery and invention, but one in which monsters and magic, angels and demons, were as much part of everyday life as salt-fish and dung heaps. Life was a constant battle between light and darkness. Yet it was also an age very like our own, a time of drastic climate change, war and social revolution. The medieval period was an age of power and passion, mischief and murder. And I am so excited to be able to share some of its dark and wonderful secrets with you.
On this site you will find information about my books, both those already published and those still to come. My newest publication is The Sacred Stone, a collaborative novel by the Medieval Murderers, to which I have contributed a chapter!
I am delighted to be able to tell you that I have now signed a contract with Penguin to publish my next two solo books, The Gallows' Curse and The Falcons of Ice and Fire. I will also tell you how I came to write these particular books, and some of the things I learned in the process. I am fascinated by medieval myths and legends, as well as the details of daily life. I will share some of that background with you here on my web site, with a new snippet of information appearing on this page each week, gradually building up a glossary with its own section of the site. Some of these items first appeared in the Glossary of Company of Liars, some contribute to The Owl-Killers and some have not (yet!) found a place in a book. This week, a thought for a wet summer:
- Ordeal by Water
- - Under King Athelstan (925-939) and later, Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), trial by water (iudicium aquae) was enshrined in law as one of the tests of guilt or innocence for all crimes.
The suspect was bound hand and foot, then thrown into water. If they sank, they were innocent. If they floated, they were guilty. This was based on the belief that water was used for baptism, therefore water would not receive anyone who was guilty and refused to confess it.
Ordeal by water was officially abolished in 1219, under Henry III, but its use continued unofficially for many centuries, increasing being reserved for those suspected of witchcraft.
Previously: how to animate a golem.
"Karen Maitland has dug into some obscure corners of medieval history to produce an almost parallel universe; a place where myth, magic and superstition take over as the established order breaks down, but a world that nevertheless rings true. On top of that, she has fashioned a compelling mystery story that should appeal to a much wider readership than historical fiction fans; indeed, anyone looking for an engrossing, bulky fireside read."
John Harding, Daily Mail
Contact details:
You can contact me via my agent, Victoria Hobbs of A.M. Heath & Company Ltd. (web site).
Photograph © John C. Gibson, Lincoln, UK.
Web site designed and maintained by Cornwell Internet
With thanks to John Gray for permission to use elements of his cover designs.
Last update: 20th August 2010.
