Now out: Queen Macbeth by Val McDermid

Val McDermid is one of my very favorite authors. She is so versatile, writing the Tony Hill-Carol Jordan series, the novels that feature Karen Pirie, the historical series beginning with 1979, and her earlier Kate Brannigan and Lindsay Gordon stories. In addition, she has had several free standing novels like The Vanishing Point and A Place of Execution, to name just two.

So…is there still room for her to do something new? Indeed there is. Here, McDermid takes a new look at one of the best known characters in Shakespeare. It is a story of Lady Macbeth that is not the tale as he wrote in that drama. It is an excellent read.

Here, for example, the three witches are redefined as is the marriage to Macbeth and the nature of the conflicts. Readers become immersed in medieval Scotland.

Fans of historical fiction and McDermid will want to take a look at this short (122 page) title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Four stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Queen Macbeth:

“A page-turning tale of adversity and adventure, laughter and love, death and defiance.”—The Scotsman (UK)

“There’s much we don’t know about life in 10th-century Scotland, but McDermid supplements what we do know about medieval history with playful imagination and intertextual reference. It’ll be great fun for anyone who knows Shakespeare’s tragedy, offering the reader a fascinating glimpse of what lies behind the long shadow of Shakespeare’s politically motivated portrayal.”—Sydney Morning Herald

“McDermid allows Lady Macbeth to reclaim her real name—Gruoch—and casts her in an altogether more sympathetic light . . . a page-turner.”—The Irish News