The scold's bridle
Dr. Sarah Blakeney is one of very few mourners when her sharp-tongued patient, Mathilda Gillespie, dies at home in the bathtub, apparently of suicide. The woman has taken barbiturates, slit her wrists, and bound her head in a rusted device called a scold's bridle, a cage with tongue clamps used...
| Main Author: | Walters, Minette. |
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| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Picador,
2007.
|
| Edition: | 1st Picador ed. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: |
Dr. Sarah Blakeney is one of very few mourners when her sharp-tongued patient, Mathilda Gillespie, dies at home in the bathtub, apparently of suicide. The woman has taken barbiturates, slit her wrists, and bound her head in a rusted device called a scold's bridle, a cage with tongue clamps used to torture women in the Middle Ages. The police start to suspect homicide right around the time they learn that Sarah has been generously included in the dead woman's will. When she becomes the prime suspect in the murder, it's up to Sarah to delve into the bizarre details of Mathilda's private life -- a history of greed, abuse, and depravity -- and uncover the real killer. |
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| Physical Description: |
353 p. ; 21 cm. |
| ISBN: |
0312427557 9780312427559 |
| Author Notes: |
Her first mystery novel, The Ice House (1992), won the John Creasy Award for Best First Novel. Later novels have also been award winners. Scold's Bridle won a CWA Gold Dagger and The Sculptress (which was made into a BBC television play) won an Edgar Award. (Bowker Author Biography) |