First published 2023
In 1692, two young girls in Salem Village begin suffering violent fits and strange behavior. Their mysterious affliction quickly spreads to other young women in the community. Whispers of demonic possession and witchcraft take hold of Salem. Authorities arrest three women as suspected witches, but the panic grows beyond control. More than 200 people face accusations. Thirty receive guilty verdicts. Twenty die by execution while others perish in jail or see their lives destroyed. O'Reilly examines what truly occurred during this colonial nightmare. He places the Salem events within the broader context of similar community frenzies of the era. The author analyzes evidence from the original trials, eyewitness accounts from the time, and later investigations. The book reveals how fear can destroy reason and turn neighbors against each other in a small Massachusetts town.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, non-fiction, true-crime
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: small-town, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Salem Village, Massachusetts
Period: 1692
291 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: violence