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The Specimens

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The Specimens

By: Mairi Kidd
Narrated by: Gerda Stevenson
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About this listen

 "A work of fiction that is both a potent portrait of early 19th-century Edinburgh but also a story about female agency or the lack of it. The result is a compelling, painful, haunted piece of work." THE HERALD

Up the close and down the stair, meet the women of Burke and Hare

Edinburgh, 1828. Two women - one rich, one poor - must navigate life against a frenzied backdrop of medical discovery, mob mayhem, and murder.

The home Helen shares in the slums of the Old Town with her lover William Burke could hardly be more different from Susan's dreams of an affluent existence as the wife of Robert Knox, one of the foremost anatomists of the day. But as people begin disappearing, these two very different women face an impossible choice. Should they protect what lives they have or tell the truth about what they know?

This is the story of the notorious serial killings of Burke and Hare, told for the first time through the eyes of two very different women, whose stories explore the depths of the human heart in a perilous, vulnerable world.


PRAISE FOR THE SPECIMENS

"Beguiling and atmospheric, this is as much an engrossing character study as a bold reimagining of the infamous anatomy murders." HEAT MAGAZINE

"A fresh, feminine take on the horrors of Burke and Hare and their complicit Edinburgh anatomists" SALLY MAGNUSSON

"Gruesomely gripping, this story will stay with you for a long time, its characters so well developed, you fear you might bump into one in a dark Edinburgh close" SUE LAWRENCE

"Mairi Kidd holds a lantern up to the brutality of women's lives in Burke, Hare and Knox's Edinburgh. She draws a fine thread between women's bodily experiences now and then, and her voice is so authentic I felt as if I was there" LUCY RIBCHESTER©2024 Mairi Kidd (P)2024 Bonnier Books UK Crime Thrillers Historical Medical Thriller & Suspense Heartfelt
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Profile Image for Yvonne McCue

Beautifully written, fascinating story....even if mostly fictional

Loved this from the outset. Living in Edinburgh and being familiar with all the locations made it really come to life for me, helped by the brilliant, atmospheric descriptions by the author. The connections to Edinburgh's dark history gave me goosebumps, especially towards the end and provides plenty food for thought. Wonderful, admirable and strong leading women with intriguing, believable characters throughout makes this a engaging, fascinating read and all narrated fantastically too. Brilliant! 👏

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