A Poisoner's Tale

'A gut-wrenching, empowering and gripping feminist read ' - 5-STAR Reader Review **WINNER OF THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD 2025** A dark and powerful feminist retelling of the best serial killer you've never heard of. Inspired by the true story of Giulia Tofana. 'Gorgeous. . . brimming with rich detail and intrigue .’ C. J. COOKE ' Not for the faint-hearted' SCOTSMAN ' Fully satisfying . . . savoured every chapter' - 5-STAR Reader Review -------------- Rome, 1656 In Rome’s shadowy backstreets lies an apothecary’s shop – a place for women to take their heartbreaks and troubles. Herbs for childbirth. Tarot readings to tell their fortunes. An undetectable poison that can kill in four drops. Alongside her circle of female poisoners, Giulia Tofana dispenses her deadly potion to free the downtrodden women of the city from their abusive husbands. A path she’s determined to follow after a harrowing childhood in Palermo. But even in a time of plague, it does not go unnoticed when the men begin to fall like flies. With the Holy Office of the Inquisition on her tail, Giulia is in more danger than ever. . How far will she go for the women who need her help? MURDERER OR SAVIOUR? YOU DECIDE. A POISONER'S TALE explores the realities of what it is like to be a woman who rebels against society and takes the reader on a tense, challenging but spellbinding journey. -------------- 'An incredible debut that I simply could not put down ' - 5-STAR Reader Review ‘ Devastating. A beautifully intense read.’ ISABELLE SCHULER ' This book will stay with me for a very long time' - 5-STAR Reader Review ' Moving and unforgettable .' STELA BRINZEANU ' Superbly written . . . a real page turner that I didn't want to end' - 5-STAR Reader Review ‘ Perfect example of quality historical fiction.’ LAURA CARLIN ' Incredibly compelling .' GRIMDARK MAGAZINE 'Kemp is an astonishingly talented storyteller , and her characters will linger long after you’ve finished reading.' NAOMI KELSEY

'A gut-wrenching, empowering and gripping feminist read ' - 5-STAR Reader Review **WINNER OF THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD 2025** A dark and powerful feminist retelling of the best serial killer you've never heard of. Inspired by the true story of Giulia Tofana. 'Gorgeous. . . brimming with rich detail and intrigue .’ C. J. COOKE ' Not for the faint-hearted' SCOTSMAN ' Fully satisfying . . . savoured every chapter' - 5-STAR Reader Review -------------- Rome, 1656 In Rome’s shadowy backstreets lies an apothecary’s shop – a place for women to take their heartbreaks and troubles. Herbs for childbirth. Tarot readings to tell their fortunes. An undetectable poison that can kill in four drops. Alongside her circle of female poisoners, Giulia Tofana dispenses her deadly potion to free the downtrodden women of the city from their abusive husbands. A path she’s determined to follow after a harrowing childhood in Palermo. But even in a time of plague, it does not go unnoticed when the men begin to fall like flies. With the Holy Office of the Inquisition on her tail, Giulia is in more danger than ever. . How far will she go for the women who need her help? MURDERER OR SAVIOUR? YOU DECIDE. A POISONER'S TALE explores the realities of what it is like to be a woman who rebels against society and takes the reader on a tense, challenging but spellbinding journey. -------------- 'An incredible debut that I simply could not put down ' - 5-STAR Reader Review ‘ Devastating. A beautifully intense read.’ ISABELLE SCHULER ' This book will stay with me for a very long time' - 5-STAR Reader Review ' Moving and unforgettable .' STELA BRINZEANU ' Superbly written . . . a real page turner that I didn't want to end' - 5-STAR Reader Review ‘ Perfect example of quality historical fiction.’ LAURA CARLIN ' Incredibly compelling .' GRIMDARK MAGAZINE 'Kemp is an astonishingly talented storyteller , and her characters will linger long after you’ve finished reading.' NAOMI KELSEY

'They will forget that we are flesh-and-blood women who have lived, and who now die, at the mercy of those who judge us.' Palermo 1632: Giulia is thirteen years old when she learns her mother Teofania's greatest secret. Her mother knows how to brew an undetectable lethal poison, which she uses to free the broken and abused women of Palermo. Now Teofania wants to pass her recipe on to her daughter, and Giulia soon learns that, in a time when women have no voice, justice is sometimes best served in a cup of wine. Rome, 1659: Years later, Giulia ends up alone and poor in Rome. Within the alleys and shadows of the Eternal City, she forms her own circle of female poisoners, who work together under the guise of an apothecary to sell poison to women in need. But even in a time of Plague, when death looms over the city, it does not go unnoticed that the men of Rome are starting to fall like flies. And with the newly elected Pope determined to rid the city of witches and heretics, Giulia is in more danger than ever. How far is she willing to go to continue her mother's legacy?

'They will forget that we are flesh-and-blood women who have lived, and who now die, at the mercy of those who judge us.' Palermo 1632: Giulia is thirteen years old when she learns her mother Teofania's greatest secret. Her mother knows how to brew an undetectable lethal poison, which she uses to free the broken and abused women of Palermo. Now Teofania wants to pass her recipe on to her daughter, and Giulia soon learns that, in a time when women have no voice, justice is sometimes best served in a cup of wine. Rome, 1659: Years later, Giulia ends up alone and poor in Rome. Within the alleys and shadows of the Eternal City, she forms her own circle of female poisoners, who work together under the guise of an apothecary to sell poison to women in need. But even in a time of Plague, when death looms over the city, it does not go unnoticed that the men of Rome are starting to fall like flies. And with the newly elected Pope determined to rid the city of witches and heretics, Giulia is in more danger than ever. How far is she willing to go to continue her mother's legacy?