‘This I remember. The earthiness of his fingertips as he holds the cherries, one after the other, to my lips . . .’
Polstead, Suffolk, May 1827
Maria Martin has arranged to meet her lover, William Corder. After months of delay, they are to travel to Ipswich to be married. But she is mourning the loss of their child only weeks before and is exhausted and confused. She has been promised so much before by other men and no longer knows which way to turn.
She enters the Red Barn and is never seen again.
The mystery of Maria Martin’s disappearance and the subsequent arrest of William Corder gripped the imagination of the whole country. Witness after witness condemned him – but was William telling the truth?
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Inspiration for ‘The Red Barn‘
The Red Barn fascinated and horrified the British public in 1828 and even now, nearly two hundred years later, conjecture and rumours abound. For no one knows what really happened. This book is a work of fiction, but based on as many truths as I could find. I wanted this to be Maria’s story, told from her point of view as a complex and intelligent young woman who made mistakes but ultimately just wanted to be loved and cherished. I hope I have done her justice.
Read more about the stories behind the books here.
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