How to Kill a Witch cover art

How to Kill a Witch

A Guide For The Patriarchy

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How to Kill a Witch

By: Claire Mitchell, Zoe Venditozzi
Narrated by: Claire Mitchell, Zoe Venditozzi
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About this listen

**** THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ****

'Fascinating and illuminating, this book tempers the justifiable rage with sharp and funny pinpricks to the pompous.' VAL MCDERMID, author of Past Lying

'As well as highly entertaining read, How To Kill A Witch is a tour de force of research, understanding and compassion.' PROFESSOR SUE BLACK, author of All That Remains.

'Serious and angry, but so completely accessible, How To Kill A Witch is a work of real historical investigation and a fierce warning for our times.' MALCOLM GASKILL, author of The Ruin Of All Witches

'At a time when women's rights are once again being threatened across the globe, this book could not be a more timely read if it tried.' SHIRLEY MANSON, Garbage

'Two of Scotland's most vivid storytellers.' THE TIMES

'Fascinating, angering' THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

As a woman, if you lived in Scotland in the 1500s, there was a very good chance that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch. Witch hunts ripped through the country for over 150 years, with at least 4,000 accused, and with many women's fates sealed by a grizzly execution of strangulation, followed by burning.

Inspired to correct this historic injustice, campaigners and writers Claire Mitchell, KC, and Zoe Venditozzi, have delved deeply into just why the trials exploded in Scotland to such a degree. In order to understand why it happened, they have broken down the entire horrifying process, step-by-step, from identification of individuals, to their accusation, 'pricking', torture, confessions, execution and beyond.

With characteristically sharp wit and a sense of outrage, they attempt to inhabit the minds of the persecutors, often men, revealing the inner workings of exactly why the Patriarchy went to such extraordinary lengths to silence women, and how this legally sanctioned victimisation proliferated in Scotland and around the world.

With testimony from a small army of experts, pen portraits of the women accused, trial transcripts, witness accounts and the documents that set the legal grounds for the hunts, How to Kill A Witch builds to form a rich patchwork of tragic stories, helping us comprehend the underlying reasons for this terrible injustice, and raises the serious question - could it ever happen again?©2025 Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi (P)2025 Octopus Publishing Group
Gender Studies Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts Social Sciences Women Magic Magic Users Witchcraft Funny Scotland

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Most relevant  
A deeply moving exploration of Scotland’s historical witch trials. Part historical investigation, part cultural reflection, and a powerful tribute. Beautifully written, with moments of humour that are highly engaging and effectively draw you right into the room with the writers.

The authors bring the stories back to life with clarity and compassion, and have vividly described the terrifying extent of these individuals’ suffering; the horror of what they endured is felt in every line. It’s heartbreaking, but also gripping, and essential reading—not just as an account of historical injustice, but as a warning of what humans are capable of when fear and power collide. By the end, you’re left more aware, forewarned, and—crucially—much more quarrelsome!

Meticulously researched, a great tribute

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2025 look at history and how we can rise above the patriarchy. Bloody brilliant 👏 Thank you Claire & Zoe

brilliant ✨️ 🖤

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It's hard to believe that humans did this to each other. I loved to voices and accents of the narrators.

Eye opening content

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History, horror, humour all brilliantly delivered by the authors.
A great listen, full of information about Scotland’s accused witches, the history of the time and why the stories of these women are sadly so relevant today.
If you think witches were all healers, who kicked around in pointy hats, casting spells with their cat, prepare to be amazed at how little you really know!
A call to arms for women everywhere to embrace the manifesto of the “quarrelsome dames”!!

Wonderful

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