Medb

by Brigid Burke

Singer Dan Sampson and his wife Theodora suddenly divorce after twenty years of happy marriage for no apparent reason, leaving Theodora devastated and his friends mystified. Three months later Dan has married another woman, Morgan, who is the opposite of Theodora in almost every way. In their new home in England, they have employed a housekeeper called Medb. Medb appears to have a strange relationship with Dan and Morgan, and is the subject of terrible nightmares for Theodora and some of Dan's friends. Together they try to find out who-or what-Medb is, suspecting she is connected to Morgan, an admitted magician. However, they don't realize that Dan has a secret past of his own

216 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2020

About the author

Brigid Burke holds a doctorate in Literary Studies from Drew University. Her book "Death and the Maiden" serves as the academic platform for the works on Chthonia.net, which includes a podcast, publications, and other related services. The Chthonia Books imprint also operates under this umbrella. Brigid is interested in how our fear of change relates to the fear of death, and the difficulties we have with people and situations that fall outside of "black and white" categories...or "masculine" and "feminine". For a full explanation of her vision and work, visit chthonia.net.

Reviews

[Geoffreyjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Medb is a book written by a writer/editor friend of mine I much admire, Brigid Burke. When she published this slim volume in the fall of 2020 I immediately bought a copy, but it has taken me time to find a clear moment to read it. Another mutual friend wrote a short review of the book, and this provided the impulse to carry me forward. Not only that, I actually read the entire book in a single sitting. The story hooked me from the first chapter, and I couldn’t put it down after that.

I have to say to begin with, I love the title. One of the characters in my ongoing book saga is called “Maeve”. “Medb” is a variation on that – well, actually, “Medb” is the original name and “Maeve” is the variation. A good Irish name, and it is the introduction of that name into the story that hooks the reader. There is then a puzzle to solve, and the reader, if they are like me, spends much of the time trying to work out the solution to the puzzle as one advances through the book. I do love puzzle books. And it is a hard puzzle to solve, at least, it was for me, even though I myself have resonances with the story as it eventually emerged. I won’t spoil the story by revealing the solution, except to say that the solution is well thought out, still carries elements of surprise, and leaves one with a sense of satisfaction at the end. The story is also embedded inside a set of myth layers that give it more depth than one might expect, and draw on the writer’s extensive knowledge of myth. None of this is intrusive, however – if anything, it all serves to heighten the mystery at its centre. Highly recommended!

[Melanie Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I took it to the beach for vacation. The only disappointment was that I finished it in one day! I don't want to go into the plot too much because of spoilers. What I can say that it was intriguing, a tad bit confusing, but ended up with a wonderful reveal. Loved it!