{"product_id":"the-specimens","title":"Specimens","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"A work of fiction that is both a potent portrait of early 19th-century Edinburgh but also a story about female agency or the lack of it. The result is a compelling, painful, haunted piece of work.\"\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003eTHE HERALD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH AUGUST 2025\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUp the close and down the stair, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003emeet the women of Burke and Hare\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdinburgh, 1828. Two women - one rich, one poor - must navigate life against a frenzied backdrop of medical discovery, mob mayhem, and murder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSusan's sheltered life as the wife of Robert Knox, a wealthy anatomist, is a far cry from Helen's perilous existence in the Old Town slums with her lover William Burke.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYet as people begin disappearing, these two different women face the same impossible choice. Should they protect what they have or tell the truth about what they know?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDiscover the notorious serial killings of Burke and Hare, told for the first time through the eyes of women whose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003estories reveal the depths of the human heart.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCOMING OCTOBER 2025 - Poor Creatures - \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eUnearth the fascinating story of Mary Shelley: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ethe mind which birthed Frankenstein's monster...\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR THE SPECIMENS\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Beguiling and atmospheric\"\u003c\/i\u003e HEAT MAGAZINE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"A fresh, feminine take on the horrors of Scotland's most notorious serial killers\"\u003c\/i\u003e SALLY MAGNUSSON\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Gruesomely gripping, this story will stay with you for a long time\"\u003c\/i\u003e SUE LAWRENCE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Mairi Kidd holds a lantern up to the brutality of women's lives in Burke, Hare and Knox's Edinburgh\"\u003c\/i\u003e LUCY RIBCHESTER\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bonnier Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49789003137368,"sku":"9781785306365","price":21.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781785306365.jpg?v=1764432026","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/the-specimens","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}