The Dance Tree av Kiran Millwood Hargrave

<p><b>Set in an era of superstition and hysteria, and inspired by the true events of a doomed summer, <i>The Dance Tree</i> is a story of family secrets, forbidden love, and women pushed to the edge. The gripping, historical novel from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, as seen on BBC Two''s <i>Between the Covers</i>.<br><br>‘Brilliant’ – Marian Keyes</b><br><br><b>‘I absolutely loved this book’ – Elodie Harper, author of </b><b><i>The Wolf Den</i></b> <br><br><b>Strasbourg, 1518.</b> In the midst of a blisteringly hot summer, a lone woman begins to dance in the city square. She dances for days without pause, and as she is joined by hundreds of others, the authorities declare an emergency: musicians will be brought in to play the Devil out of these women.<br><br>Beyond the city, pregnant Lisbet tends the bees that are her livelihood. And then, as the dancing plague gathers momentum, Lisbet’s sister-in-law Nethe returns from seven years’ penance in the mountains for a crime no one will name.<br><br>As the city buckles under the beat of a thousand feet, Lisbet finds herself thrust into a dangerous web of deceit and clandestine passion, but she is dancing to a dangerous tune . . .<br><br><b>Shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown</b><br><br><b>‘Intriguing, haunting, beautiful’ – Jennifer Saint, author of </b><b><i>Ariadne</i></b><br><br><b>‘Extraordinary, enthralling’ – </b><b><i>Sunday Times</i></b></p>