Love and Other Poisons

A fascinating, forensic deep-dive into the true crime case of Madeleine Smith. Mesmerising. – DENISE MINA, author of GarnethillA feverish period thriller about the seduction of a young Scottish heiress. Beautifully written, richly evoked and utterly gripping. Based on a true story this one deserves to be huge! – EVA DOLAN, author of One Half TruthA gorgeously written, seductive tale of sex and death, that delves into the darkness of Victorian women’s hidden lives. – SARA SHERIDAN, author of The Fair BotanistsIt’s an enthralling novel, a beautifully organised tale in which McDowell shifts the perspective with great skill … thoroughly enjoyable - a remarkably intelligent and at times very moving fictionalisation of an extraordinary life. * The Scotsman *Meticulously researched … gripping throughout * The Herald *

Lesley McDowell’s debut novel The Picnic came out in 2007. In 2010 she published Between the Sheets: The Literary Liaisons of Nine 20th-Century Women Writers, which was shortlisted for the non-fiction prize at the 2011 Scottish Book Awards. Her second novel Unfashioned Creatures, about Mary Shelley’s Scottish childhood friend, was published in 2013. Lesley was a literary critic for the Herald, Scotsman, Independent, TLS and others. She has a PhD on the work of James Joyce and has won three Creative Scotland writers’ bursaries. Her third novel, Clairmont, is a historical retelling of the story of Lord Byron and the Shelleys from the perspective of his secret muse, Claire Clairmont. Love and Other Poisons is her fourth novel.