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HOW TO KILL A WITCH

A Guide For The Patriarchy

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About this listen

 **** THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ****

WINNER 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards

Blackwell's Scottish Book of the Year

'Fascinating and illuminating, this book tempers the justifiable rage with sharp and funny pinpricks to the pompous.' VAL MCDERMID, author of Past Lying

'As well as highly entertaining read, How To Kill A Witch is a tour de force of research, understanding and compassion.' PROFESSOR SUE BLACK, author of All That Remains.

'Serious and angry, but so completely accessible, How To Kill A Witch is a work of real historical investigation and a fierce warning for our times.' MALCOLM GASKILL, author of The Ruin Of All Witches

'At a time when women's rights are once again being threatened across the globe, this book could not be a more timely read if it tried.' SHIRLEY MANSON, Garbage

'Two of Scotland's most vivid storytellers.' THE TIMES

'Fascinating, angering' THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

As a woman, if you lived in Scotland in the 1500s, there was a very good chance that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch. Witch hunts ripped through the country for over 150 years, with at least 4,000 accused, and with many women's fates sealed by a grizzly execution of strangulation, followed by burning.

Inspired to correct this historic injustice, campaigners and writers Claire Mitchell, KC, and Zoe Venditozzi, have delved deeply into just why the trials exploded in Scotland to such a degree. In order to understand why it happened, they have broken down the entire horrifying process, step-by-step, from identification of individuals, to their accusation, 'pricking', torture, confessions, execution and beyond.

With characteristically sharp wit and a sense of outrage, they attempt to inhabit the minds of the persecutors, often men, revealing the inner workings of exactly why the Patriarchy went to such extraordinary lengths to silence women, and how this legally sanctioned victimisation proliferated in Scotland and around the world.

With testimony from a small army of experts, pen portraits of the women accused, trial transcripts, witness accounts and the documents that set the legal grounds for the hunts, How to Kill A Witch builds to form a rich patchwork of tragic stories, helping us comprehend the underlying reasons for this terrible injustice, and raises the serious question - could it ever happen again?©2025 Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi Gender Studies Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts Social Sciences Women Magic Magic Users Witchcraft Funny Scary Thought-Provoking Scotland

Critic reviews

'Fascinating and illuminating, this book tempers the justifiable rage with sharp and funny pinpricks to the pompous.' (Val McDermid)
'As well as highly entertaining read, How To Kill A Witch is a tour de force of research, understanding and compassion. What the world needs is more quarrelsome dames - and Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi are two of the best.' (Professor Sue Black)
'A dignified, defiant memorial to thousands of ordinary women branded as witches and, all too often, put to death. Told with imagination and empathy, the stories in this book expose the tragedy of their lives, as well as the subordination, paranoia and cruelty responsible. Serious and angry, but so completely accessible, How To Kill A Witch is a work of real historical investigation and a fierce warning for our times.' (Malcolm Gaskill)
'As a woman who has been called a witch from as early as age ten, you could say I've been waiting my whole life for this book. How did they get away with the wholesale slaughter of women simply for being opinionated, intuitive, creative or intelligent? At a time when women's rights are once again being threatened across the globe, this book could not be a more timely read if it tried.' (Shirley Manson)
'Quite possibly the most horrific portrayal of one of our darkest periods in history. This book, whilst an addictive read, also warns us of the dangers of powerful men (mostly) who used scapegoating and mass hysteria to target and murder women (mostly). The writers hand us a nightmarish blueprint of what could easily happen today, if we chose to ignore our past.' (Aamer Anwar)
'The Witches of Scotland... profile persecuted women from the burning times. Their tales are woven by archivists, historians and writers - and by Venditozzi and Mitchell themselves, two of Scotland's most vivid storytellers.'
'A unique, angry, surprisingly funny tour of what Scottish witch trial history means today' (Marion Gibson)
'Utterly absorbing and drags you in immediately.' (Jenny Colgan)
'The most important book I'll read this year. A manifesto, a call to arms, a historical heist and a paragon of storytelling, How to Kill a Witch prods some of the most topical issues of the moment and provides a wealth of insights, stitching the past and present together like some gorgeous tartan. Zoe and Claire are a dynamic duo of quarrelsome dames, and their take on witches is the very best. Brilliant, witty, searing, and necessary, this is a book to share and treasure.' (CJ Cooke)
'Terrifying, fascinating and important' (Sara Sheridan)
'This book pulls off the difficult feat of being simultaneously entertaining, unsettling and enraging. A brilliant account of what happened during Scotland's witch 'panics', and why it still matters today.' (Mairi Kidd)
All stars
Most relevant
This book tells the story of normal women living in this country, and not so long ago accused of witchcraft. These woman were treated horribly, tortured then be nothing but a pile of ash the next day. This was all Legal.
But the book is so well written, beautifully narrated and tells the stories of these woman. If you are considering buying this book then get it. I found it so engaging & interesting and the stories were incredibly fascinating.

Fascinating

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One of the most harrowing yet profoundly moving books I’ve ever listened to. As a Geordie with Scottish roots, it struck me deeply and sparked a personal fascination with local witch trials. This is a story everyone should hear—regardless of gender identity—but be prepared: it contains graphic details that are essential to the truth being told. The author’s powerful narration transports you back in time, weaving together historical injustices with the ongoing struggles against misogyny and modern-day witch hunts. It’s a book I know I’ll return to again and again.

Can't stop thinking about this!

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Humane stance on a difficult topic. I would love to invite the authors to my ideal dinner party!

Great research, fantastic narration

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I was really excited when I found out that Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, the hosts of one of my favourite podcasts, Witches of Scotland, were releasing a book. I was even more excited when I saw the tongue in cheek title, How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy. As you might expect from that name, the book is not just an exploration of the witch trial process, but also a darkly funny and distinctly feminist commentary on the control exerted over women in 16th century Scotland and across the world, extending into the present day.

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I can see this book being a valuable tool for people interested in Scotland's history of witch trials and approaching the subject for the first time. The authors have used what remains of the Scottish records to diligently compile an essential guide to the steps of a witch hunt, taking the reader on a journey from witch identification, through witch accusations and witch trials, to execution and burial. The result is a comprehensive overview of witch trials in Scotland that manages to be both well-researched and engaging.

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I already had an interest in, and at least some knowledge of, Scotland’s history of witch hunts, and I still found that this book contained a lot of information that was new to me, making for an interesting read. I was also impressed that the wit and warmth I've come to associate with the podcast transferred well into audiobook format - it's a skill to be able to tackle the patriarchy with such humorous irreverence while retaining utmost sensitivity for its victims.

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I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in witch trials and, with Halloween and Non-fiction November approaching, it's the perfect seasonal read!

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Witches of Scotland

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This is the best way to learn about history, in my opinion. It’s quite unbelievable how we find that these atrocities happened a really long time ago but there are so many things happening these days that are quite similar in so many ways. It’s a great book to help you gain knowledge about this specific bit of history but also how it has influenced the present. The touch of sarcasm was absolutely magnificent.

Informative with a touch of fun

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