Sarah Carrier is nine when The Heretic's Daughter begins. Quiet, watchful and willful, there is little doubt to anyone, but to Sarah herself, that she is her mother Martha's daughter. Falling upon hardship, her family moves from their home in Billerica to Martha Carrier's mother's house in neighboring Andover. Unbeknownst to them, smallpox has made itself a traveling companion, affixing itself to son Andrew. This, together with a feud within the family, Martha's steely resolve and unwavering belief in right and wrong, as well as her acid tongue when wronged will lead to much devastation and agony of the Carrier family a the hands of vengeful young girls who accuse Martha of witchcraft at the height of Salem hysteria.

I have an avid fascination of the Salem witch trials and leapt at the chance to read this book with my book club. While interesting from the start, I had a hard time plodding through the first third of the book at more than a slow clip. That changed quickly and I could not put the book down from then to finish. Sarah's voice grasped me and the pain and agony of her family, not the least of which was the troubles and pain of her brother Andrew, brought tears to my eyes. Martha's proclamations of innocence throughout were a testament to her strength. Author and descendant of Martha Carrier, Kathleen Kent has woven a beautifully told, moving story on the framework of fact. Many thanks to Hachette for my copy.