‘Witch Trial’ by Harriet Tyce

Published by Wildfire,
26 February 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-03541191-7 (HB)

Witch Trial starts with heart surgeon Matthew Phillips being chosen for jury duty. Due to personal reasons this is the perfect opportunity for Matthew to get away for a few weeks, and he feels this has fallen at the perfect time. Little does he know, the trial he is taking part in has garnered a media circus and he is on the jury for ‘Witch Trial’. 

Isobel Smyth and Eliza Lawson are on trial for the murder of eighteen-year-old Christian Shaw, a fellow boarding school student and best friend, in Inverleith Park, Edinburgh. They are known as ‘The Witch Girls’ as they claim to be in direct contact with the devil. This story is heavy on witchcraft, satanic rituals and obsession, but is a standout in that it provides you with a great deal of insight into the workings of the law. 

Harriet puts you on the jury as Matthew and you experience his perspective throughout the events of the trial, but soon things start to spiral and somethings’ not right, it leaves you questioning the lines between what the truth is and what is a lie, as they quickly being to blur. 

Don’t expect to go into this book finding relatable and likeable characters as I don’t think there are any, which makes the story all the more interesting and the twists this book holds will take you on a ride you’ll not be anticipating. 

Witch Trial is sharp, unsettling and unpredictable and will leave you rethinking everything.
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Reviewer: Lorraine Carpenter

Harriet Tyce grew up in Edinburgh and studied English at Oxford University before doing a law conversion course at City University. She practised as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade, and recently completed an MA in Creative Writing - Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia.  

Lorraine Carpenter lives in the Southwest of England with her partner Doug. She spends most of her free time reading and has loved mysteries and thrillers since a very early age. If she’s not reading, she is most likely to be drawing or crocheting (very poorly) and watching a true crime documentary.