Publication Date: February 26, 2026
Internationally bestselling author Harriet Tyce returns with a page-turning thriller involving three teenage girls, one murdered classmate, and a chilling modern-day witch trial that will leave readers breathless.
Let the Witch Trial begin . . .
When eighteen-year-old Christian Shaw is found dead in a park, the city of Edinburgh is stunned-and the shock only deepens when police charge her best friends, Eliza Lawson and Isobel Smyth, with the murder. As social media explodes in a tizzy of theories and headlines scream for justice, rumors of bullying are overshadowed by something more wicked and frightening: whispers of dark rituals, feverish obsession, and a teenage pact gone wrong.
When the trial begins, everyone in Edinburgh clamors for a front-row ticket to the show: to look upon the murderous Eliza and Isobel with their own eyes. Everyone, that is, but Matthew Phillips, a respected heart surgeon picked for the jury. But, as the trial unfolds-and the girls’ lawyers offer a surprising and unsettling defense-the reluctant Matthew finds himself questioning everything: the motives, the evidence, even his own judgement. Then he begins to have strange visions of terrifying things-hallucinations he tells himself. After all, witchcraft isn’t real . . . or is it?
Who is telling the truth? Who can be trusted?
And what really happened to Christian Shaw?
A prominent heart surgeon considers the jury duty summons a welcome respite from his chaotic life, but he never expected to become quite so involved.
In Witch Trial, author Harriet Tyce delivers a modernized version set in Scotland. The premise easily could have been pulled from history books, as two teenage girls are on trial for the murder of a third teen.
From the beginning, Matthew Phillips comes across as an imperfect character. While he may have the persona of a heart surgeon, his life is starting to crumble. As evidence is introduced indicating witchcraft is involved, Matthew finds himself becoming fixated to the point of physical illness.
The author serves up multiple unexpected twists that keep the story interesting. While technically a horror story with a murder-mystery theme, the author uses intriguing approaches to take readers to a shocking conclusion.
While Witch Trial offers a unique twist to the genre, some readers may not appreciate the unconventional zigzagging. I, however, find it adds a creative touch.
Witch Trial delivers courtroom drama at its finest with a juror whose front-row seat is touched by the supernatural.
Harriet Tyce was born and grew up in Edinburgh. She graduated from Oxford in 1994 with a degree in English Literature before gaining legal qualifications. She worked as a criminal barrister for ten years, leaving after having children. She completed an MA in Creative Writing – Crime Fiction at UEA where she wrote Blood Orange, the Sunday Times bestselling novel, winner of a gold Nielsen Bestseller Award in 2021. It was followed by The Lies You Told and It Ends At Midnight, both also Sunday Times bestsellers. A Lesson in Cruelty was published in 2022 and met with great critical acclaim and her fifth novel Witch Trial will be published on 26 February 2026. She is a contestant on series 4 of The Traitors.
