She is interested in phrenology and believes it can shed a light on one's crimes. 'Dotty' is a smart and inquisitive young woman who wants more out of life than just being a married woman. This book had my attention from the get-go! I loved the synopsis: Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer? Victim or villain? I knew this book would be pretty much up my alley and it was! But what does that say about my alley? It's dark and twisted folks!ĭoretha 'Dotty' Truelove (let's, for a minute, admire her last name!), is a young woman from a 'good home' Her mother died when she was young, and she has been raised by her father. Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer? The Poison Thread is a spine-tingling, sinister read about the evil that lurks behind the facade of innocence. The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations - of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses - will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption.

But when she meets one of the prisoners, the teenaged seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another strange idea: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread - because Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches. When Dorothea's charitable work brings her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted by the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. Ruth Butterham is young, poor, and awaiting trial for murder. A thrilling Victorian gothic horror tale about a young seamstress who claims her needle and thread have the power to kill.ĭorothea Truelove is young, wealthy, and beautiful.

The poison thread by laura purcell