‘No Women Were Harmed’ by Heather Mottershead

Published by Sphere,
18 September 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-40873093-5 (HB)

The 1880s, and Lily has been in an asylum for nearly eight years – the length of her sentence for murder. Now she has a chance to get out: a young woman doctor is keen to test her Freudian theories of key early life events on Lily’s story ... but what was the truth behind her killing, and can she convince the doctor of her sanity? 

I was gripped by this novel right from the start. It’s narrated by Lily, and she takes us straight into the world of a Victorian asylum: the sights, the sounds, the smells, the repressive regime and the effect it has on its inhabitants, like raving Maggie, and silent Elise. I am mad after all, Lily announces right at the start, but we don’t believe her; she’s far too rational in the way she describes how she’s living now. 

When she’s given a session each month with Dr Fairchild in a room outside the asylum’s wards, we revel in her enjoyment of polished furniture, curtains, a fire, tea and cakes, but we’re also shown how she manipulates her attendants and gives Dr Fairchild an edited version of her life story. She then recalls the truth of each episode, and we come to sympathise with her behaviour, given the way she has been treated by the men in her life, and the difficulty of making a living as a woman in that era. We’re shown other Victorian worlds; the farm she grew up in, the factory, the theatre she worked in, and the well-heeled family of the most important man in her life, Titus.

Her story twists and turns, with several excellent shocks along the way. Victorian society condemned her, but the male behaviour that drives her to crime could still happen today, and with as little protection for the woman. 

A superb historical crime novel, with a vividly created protagonist, and a Victorian world that felt like time-travel. Once I’d started reading, I didn’t want to put it down.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor

Heather Mottershead was born in Shropshire. She was the winner of the 2023 Daily Mail First Novel competition. She took a degree in English and History at the age of forty-five. Her debut novel, No Women Were Harmed, was published Autumn 2025.

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  

Click on the title to read a review of her recent book
An Imposter in Shetland 
www.marsalitaylor.co.uk