Publication Date: September 24, 2024
Shakespeare created the myth of the Macbeths as indefensible murderous conspirators. But now internationally bestselling author Val McDermid drags the truth out of the shadows, exposing the patriarchal prejudices of history
Britain’s reigning “Queen of Crime” (The Scotsman), Val McDermid has ensnared audiences worldwide for over thirty years with her thrilling and masterfully plotted crime oeuvre. A radical, rip-roaring counternarrative drawing on the historical record, Queen Macbeth delivers an illuminating portrait of Shakespeare’s most famous villain, and the treacherous pursuit of ambition that made her legendary.
A thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three companions – a healer, a weaver, and a seer. The men hunting her will kill her – because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: she is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth. As the net closes in, what unfurls is a tale of passion, forced marriage, bloody massacre, and the harsh realities of medieval Scotland. At the heart of it is one strong, charismatic woman, who survived loss and jeopardy to outwit the endless plotting of a string of ruthless and power-hungry men. Her struggle won her a country. But now it could cost her life.
Immersive and utterly riveting, Queen Macbeth is an electric reimagining of one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated tragedies and reaffirms McDermid as one of the preeminent writers of our day.
Shakespeare’s plays have long been part of the high school learning tradition, with Macbeth serving as one of the shortest tragedies.
History offers up a different version, at least according to author Val McDermid, who notes that the titular characters are actually named Macbethad and Gruoch.
This opens the door for Queen Macbeth, and an imaginative tale of duty, enduring love, and, of course, revenge. The book uses flashbacks to explain how Gruoch ends up fleeing for her life along with her three women.
It details how she was traded for status by her father into a loveless and childless marriage, only to receive a prophecy wrought with danger. Yet there’s something about her husband’s cousin that shakes Gruoch to her core.
In a time when bloody battles determine seats of power, a woman stands firm against those who seek to destroy her.
Queen Macbeth reimagines a character vilified by Shakespeare and imbues her with the strength and determination needed to outwit those determined to kill her.
Val McDermid’s bestselling novels have won the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year Award, and the Crime Writers’ Association’s Gold Dagger and Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement. She is also a five-time finalist for the Edgar Award, including for the Fact Crime nominee Forensics and most recently the Sue Grafton Memorial nominee Past Lying. She lives in Scotland.
