“Queen Macbeth” is a wonderfully written, concise story set out as a novella but packs so much into it, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d just finished a full length novel. Val McDermid is one of Scotland’s best known authors and she is exceedingly well placed to re-enact a famous story everyone knows the name of. Taking the story from the point of view of Macbeth’s wife and portraying her as the strong and powerful woman she must have been, with obvious guts and determination but with a real heart, allows the love story entwined in the constant family battles to soften the brutality of 11th century Scotland. 

 

McDermid can turn her hand to any style of writing and her take on this retelling of Lady Macbeth, has obviously been written with a mixture of clever research and realistic imagination.  I loved the layout, with the before and present intermittent chapters.  The tension that builds as Queen Macbeth and her three loyal women companions, as they evade capture from rival, power hungry leaders, culminates in a fierce denouement. 

 

An excellent quick read, that I enjoyed from start to finish and can happily recommend if this book appeals to you too. 

 

#QueenMacBeth - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️