The Scold's Bridle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St Martins Press (US)
Allen & Unwin (Aus)
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Minette Walters |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime / Mystery novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan Publishers (UK) St Martins Press (US) Allen & Unwin (Aus) |
Publication date | May 6, 1994 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback) & Audio CD |
| Pages | 480 pp (paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-330-33663-0 |
| OCLC | 60224582 |
The Scold's Bridle is a 1994 crime novel by English writer Minette Walters. The book, Walters' third, won a CWA Gold Dagger.
Mathilda Gillespie, an eccentric recluse known for her incredible meanness of nature, is found dead in her bathtub, her wrists slashed and her head locked inside a so-called "scold's bridle", a rusted cage built with tongue clamps which was used as a torture device throughout the Middle Ages. The dead woman's only friend, Dr. Sarah Blakeney, becomes the prime suspect in her murder after police discover that she's been left a great deal of money in the will.
To clear her name, Sarah delves deep into Mathilda's mysterious past, and subsequently unravels an intricate web of greed, abuse and depravity.[1]
