''Utterly compulsive'' Daily Telegraph''A gripping gothic read'' Sarah Hall, Guardian''So seductive ... I was hooked'' IndependentThe Forest of Pendle used to be a hunting ground, but some say that the hill is the hunter - alive in its black-and-green coat cropped like an animal pelt.Good Friday, 1612. Two notorious witches await trial and certain death in Lancaster Castle, whilst a small group gathers in secret protest. Into this group the self-made Alice Nutter stakes her claim and swears to fight against the rule of fear. But what is Alice''s connection to these witches? What is magic if not power, and what will happen to the women who possess it?