Mrs Burke & Mrs Hare: They got away with murder once . . .

by Michelle Sloan

They got away with murder once . . .  In the shadowy closes of Edinburgh's Old Town, sixteen people are murdered to feed surgeon Dr Robert Knox's insatiable need for his anatomy classes. Burke and Hare and their wives, Lucky and Nelly, are all complicit, but only Burke swings for their crimes. Lucky, Nelly and Hare go on the run from the angry mob, reinvention their only means of survival.

Years later, journalist Duncan Fletcher hears rumours of sightings of the two women. Keen to impress his editor, Duncan investigates the aftermath of the murder trial. With cobbler Joseph Campbell in tow, Duncan's quest leads him to the backstreets of London, where the horrors of the past collide with the present.

The time for retribution has come.

From the author of the critically acclaimed bestseller, The Edinburgh Skating Club.

Genres: Historical Fiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 17, 2025

About the author

Michelle lives in Broughty Ferry, Dundee with her family, feisty cat Lola and silly mutt, Scruff. In between chauffeuring her small people here, there and everywhere, wiping noses and tempering toddler tantrums, she squeezes in precious writing time. Her first picture book, The Fourth Bonniest Baby in Dundee was published in July of this year (Picture Kelpies).

Michelle trained as a Primary Teacher and worked for many years in Edinburgh, before indulging her love of all things theatrical by returning to university to study Drama. After dabbling in performance art in Glasgow, and starring in a one woman show in Edinburgh, Michelle finally settled on a specialty in Arts Journalism and developed a new, unknown passion for writing! After a few reviews for ‘The List’ magazine, she turned to scribbling creatively.

When it comes to writing fiction for older children, Michelle is inspired by the stories and bravery of previous generations – particularly those connected to WW1 and WW2. Focussing on historical fiction gives her a fantastic opportunity to engage in research and to bring those stories to life with an exciting modern day twist.

Reviews

[Marit Damming · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️5,0 Een heel leuk en interessant boek! Het is gemakkelijk te lezen en moeilijk om weg te leggen, je wilt graag weten hoe het verder gaat. Het is wel een pre om dit boek te lezen als je in Edinburgh bent/er net geweest bent, het verhaal speelt zich daar voor het grootste gedeelte af en je wordt door alle verschillende straten en closes meegenomen. Jammer genoeg hebben we de beeldjes niet gezien in het national museum, maar een volgende keer ga ik deze sowieso opzoeken!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tales of Burke and Hare (plus the mini wooden coffins) are well known to most Edinburghers, but this adds an extra dimension by focusing on their wives, their potential roles and imagined fates. Nice, zippy read with short chapters so you'll fly through.

[John Fulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people know the grisly story of Burke and Hare, who decided that stealing corpses from graves to sell to anatomists in 19th century Edinburgh was an inefficient use of time, and simply killed people to cut out the middle-man. They're the great Edinburgh bogey men, a reminder of the city's grim underbelly beneath the achievements of the Scottish Enlightenment.

What Sloan cleverly does with this well-known story is to concentrate on the wives of the men, and tell the story from their point of view. The two women couldn't be more different, but they're both drawn into the grisly enterprise for their own reasons.

The filth and squalor and drink and violence of the 19th century Edinburgh Old Town, far from the clean and prosperous New Town in character if not in actual distance, is richly depicted, and provides an atmospheric setting for the horrific events.

Part 2 of the novel picks up the story more than 20 years after the murders, with a young journalist following the trail of the two women. His literary investigation takes him deep into the poverty of his city, and beyond, and soon he's in over his head.

The shifting points of view, first from the wives, then from the journalist, provide depth and perspective on this familiar story, and make this a book that's easy to recommend, particularly if you have an interest in this period of history. Or even if you just like grisly murders.

[Lowri Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

All of the characters are painfully insufferable (though i suppose that’s the point). Gets an extra .5 simply for the vibes of reading this on a day trip to the scottish highlands.

[Ben Rigby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4.

The book is split into two sections covering different time periods, and I found the second section a little less compelling than the first (although once it got going, I did enjoy it).

[Marles Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Mrs Burke and Mrs Hare, Michelle Sloan has delivered a gripping and unsettling reimagining of one of Scotland’s most notorious crime stories, told through an often-overlooked perspective. Rather than the focus on Burke and Hare themselves, Sloan pulls the two partners in crime, Helen Burke and the chillingly calculating ‘Lucky’ Hare into the open. This shift in focus brought a unique perspective to a well-known historical narrative and exposed the power imbalance, betrayals, and compromising of morals that shaped this events.



There is a lot of care taken to ensure the victims of the crimes were given a voice, as much as the perpetrators. Victims including as red haired Mary Paterson, Madgy Docherty, and Jamie Wilson were vividly depicted, which highlighted the human cost of the crimes, and not allowing them to be eclipsed by sensationalism. This story does not shy away from brutality or gore. It was unflinching. The murderous actions felt purposeful, encouraging an interrogation of the twisted logic that allowed murder and the sale of cadavers to become normalised within both the criminal underworld and the medical establishment in the 1830s.



The story was created in two parts: the first covering the life of the Burkes and Hares, and the second following journalist Duncan Fletcher years later as he sought answers for his journalistic endeavours. Both parts are quite distinct, yet the second part specifically expands the story with more reflection across Helen and Lucky. There is also a depth of consequence, especially when the women are grimly rediscovered, knowing some things have not changed at all with time.



The building of Edinburgh in the 1800s was masterful. The Old Town, Grassmarket, and Surgeon’s Square were captured with such detail, almost as if you can smell and feel the dirt on the streets under your feet. This story was chilling, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant. It was a great blend of history, fiction and thrilling psychological drama. It was gripping up until the final pages, and that’s precisely what you want in a book like this.



Thank you #newsoutbooks for the #gifted copy.

[Maddy McGlynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A visceral, chilling and dark retelling about the serial killers Burke and Hare, told through the women in their lives.

I knew of Burke and Hare, and having been to Edinburgh a few times this year, I really wanted to know more about their story. I sped through this one in two days.

Burke and Hare were serial killers in 19th-century Edinburgh who sold bodies to the anatomist Robert Knox. For about ten months in 1828, they provided 19 bodies to him – most acquired through violent means.

Sloan has created an immersive novel that captures the events that terrorised late Georgian Scotland through the eyes of Mrs Burke and Mrs Hare. Not only has she created a chilling picture of the men, but she also focuses on the villainous ‘Lucky’ Hare and the initially reluctant Helen Burke, who gets sucked up into the crime. Seeing the story from their side provides an alternative lens and creates an informative, effective and rounded view. The novel is in two parts, with the second part set years later and following a journalist on the trail of these two women. Whilst it did feel like a very different narrative and disnticly separate from the events in the first half, it is effective in allowing for a more complete narrative arc, where we get answers.

I knew of the Burke and Hare murders, but I didn’t know much about them. Sloan does an effective job of informing the reader of these events through gripping fiction. Mrs Burke and Mrs Hare is unflinching in its gore, and it’s a terrifying read, not only for its dark and cloying atmosphere and villainous characters but also in its depiction of the lure of power and wealth on human nature. At times it is unflinching, and when we see and hear the stories of the victims, it can be emotional.

This is a chilling, haunting and violent book that shines a light on two notorious criminals of history and the women who were part of the events. If you don’t know the story of Burke and Hare, then I’d recommend this one for starters.

Thank you to Birlinn books for the gifted copy.

[Serena Locritani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning! This book captivated my attention completely! The narratives brings you back in Old Town Edinburgh, you walk with them between the dark alleys of the Royal Mile and you feel what poverty does to those souls. Everything started with stories of bodies snatched from their graves, poor souls never left in peace even in the death. In a old place that doesn't give you better opportunity, why not make a profit from those deaths? That is what Lucky Hare tought and that is from where this grimm story start. Medicine searching for better answer and humanity lose all their values.
A dark incredibly well written Tale of the famous Burke and Hare and their wives, the women that decide how everything started and who had to die. I always found the real story so interesting so I was curious from this fiction version and what a beautiful reading and an incredible book!

[Lesley-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not really one for writing reviews, more of a star rating type of person but this book almost has a different slant. Taking historical fact, turning it into fiction but then predominantly focusing on the supporting cast of Burke & Hare’s wives. Just when you think that the story is tied up with a nice neat bow, Michelle Sloan circles back and delivers - not only sticking the knife in, but giving it a wee twist too!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book to both read, but I have to commend the narration of this audiobook too with the constantly changing voices of the different characters between Scottish and Irish / Northern Irish.

[Barbara Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning book! Perhaps the best I have read this year so far. I found the unusual angel on such an infamous period in Scottish history utterly compelling and would recommend this to anyone interested in history and atmospheric period reads.

[James G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated by the crimes of Burke and Hare for a long time so this book was an interesting take on the subject. I thought it was a little repetitive at times, especially at the start but the second half of the book was fantastic. I Ioved it!!

[glittering reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one for writing reviews. But I am enjoying this story and from Edinburgh should have known about Burke and Hare, which I did but never knew they murdered people. I always thought they were bodysnatchers. Shame the other three did not escape justice as Burke only was hung.

[Sam Dolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The style didn't grab me but very atmospheric and the characters were brilliantly depicted

[Farhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5.. very well-written book of 19th century Scotland.. again serial killers but of a different type!! Enjoyed it a lot.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual but captivating read.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling dark, perfect gothic horror read

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

fabulous book. great to see the story from a different perspective.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed this, a nice twist or two as well.