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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Period violence; murders and the darkness of frontier colonial justice
Language
Barely any
Period language; mild
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief adult content in the period setting
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
Themes of superstition, justice, and the courage of rational thought in irrational times
What this book is about
Magistrate Isaac Woodward and his young clerk Matthew Corbett arrive in the frontier settlement of Fount Royal to try Rachel Howarth, accused of witchcraft and murder. Matthew is convinced she's innocent — and that the real killer is among the townspeople. McCammon's historical thriller is richly researched and builds to a genuinely surprising conclusion in an atmosphere of colonial superstition and genuine menace.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Witch trial setting and period violence
Historical colonial violence
Reader Verification
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