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Kathleen Kent Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Kathleen Kent

Kathleen Kent

Kathleen Kent Biography

Kathleen Kent is the author of the Edgar Award-nominated The Dime, as well as three bestselling historical novels: The Heretic's Daughter, The Traitor's Wife, and The Outcasts. Kent lives in Dallas, TX.

Kathleen Kent's website

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Interview

A brief letter to readers from Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic's Daughter, followed by a short history of the Salem witch trials.

A Letter from Kathleen Kent

Dear Readers,

Martha Carrier, my grandmother back nine generations, was hanged as a witch in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Called the "Queen of Hell" by Cotton Mather, Martha was unyielding in her refusal to confess and went to her death rather than join the accused men and women who did so and were spared.

I've read countless historical sources about the trials, including the transcripts that captured verbatim Martha's defiance to the court. But it was the stories of my mother and my maternal grand parents that defined more clearly the courage—and obstinacy— that set the Carriers apart.

All the Carrier tales I heard as a child were enthralling. The children made bows and arrows and practiced shooting objects off each other's heads. Their cow was fed pumpkins so she would give golden milk. Martha's husband Thomas was, according to local gossip, a soldier for Cromwell and the executioner of King Charles I of England. Thomas was over seven feet tall and, when he died at 109, two coffins had to be fitted together to bury him.

Sarah is the central character of The Heretic's Daughter, and Martha did have a daughter with that name. She was arrested ...

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Books by this Author

Books by Kathleen Kent at BookBrowse
Black Wolf jacket The Burn jacket The Outcasts jacket The Wolves of Andover (The Traitor's Wife) jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Kathleen Kent but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Anita Amirrezvani

    Anita Amirrezvani

    Anita Amirrezvani was born in Tehran, Iran, and raised in San Francisco. For ten years, she was a dance critic for newspapers in the Bay Area. She has received fellowships from the National Arts Journalism Program, the NEA's ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Heretic's Daughter

    Try:
    The Blood of Flowers
    by Anita Amirrezvani

  • Melanie Benjamin

    Melanie Benjamin

    Melanie Benjamin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Children's Blizzard, Mistress of the Ritz, The Girls in the Picture, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, The Aviator's Wife, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, and ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Heretic's Daughter

    Try:
    The Aviator's Wife
    by Melanie Benjamin

We recommend 17 similar authors


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