A family's conflict becomes a battle for life and death in this gripping and original first novel based on family history from a descendant of a condemned Salem witch. After a bout of smallpox, 10-year-old Sarah Carrier resumes life with her mother on their family farm in Andover, Mass., dimly aware of a festering dispute between her mother, Martha, and her uncle about the plot of land where they live. The fight takes on a terrifying dimension when reports of supernatural activity in nearby Salem give way to mass hysteria, and Sarah's uncle is the first person to point the finger at Martha.
Kimberley
Stewart is inexplicably drawn to the memory of her ancestor Elizabeth who was
inextricably associated with the Salem Witch Trials of the seventeenth century.
Such was her involvment that she has remained a taboo subject within the family
ever since. Intrigued and convinced that Elizabeth is innocent, Kim sets out to
renovate the old family house and discover exactly what atrocity her ancestor
was accused of.
However, Kim is not the only one making investigations, her scientist
boyfriend, Edward Armstrong, discovers a bacterial mould in Elizabeth's cellar
which he isolates into a remarkable anti depressant. All appears to be going
fantastically well and the new "feel good" drug, Ultra, seems to be a
miracle find which can only lead to great wealth and happiness. "Ultra"
is allegedly free of side effects but as Edward's behaviour becomes
increasingly erratic and the mutilated corpses of animals begin to show up near
the laboratory Kim decides to investigate the truth. The peace of Salem is
threatened by a modern day witch hunt and it becomes imperative for Kim to
discover the link between the past and the present.
