Win a copy of Kill-Grief by Caroline Rance

A few days ago I reviewed the brilliant, but disgustingly realistic Kill-Grief by Caroline Rance. I am now pleased to announce that I have a copy to give away, so you can experience the gore and smells for yourself!

To enter, just leave a comment below before midnight GMT on 12th August.

The competition is open to EVERYONE, no matter where in the world you live.

I have never read a book which captures the squalor of 18th century England so realistically, so I asked Caroline a few questions about her research in the comments section of the review. Some of you may have missed them, so I’ve copied them here:

Do you enjoy reading about the medical procedures of this time period?

I loved doing the research. The starting point was the actual records of Chester Infirmary in the 1750s – these showed how the hospital was run, and I used some of the names of real-life staff. For the more gruesome aspects, I read 18th-century surgical textbooks and visited medical history museums to see things like the instruments used. I find all that stuff really interesting.

How did you manage to capture the smells so realistically?

I think I must have an unusually strong sense of smell, as that’s often what I notice first about a place. I find modern life quite smelly too, so it was fairly easy to imagine the smells in all the new situations Mary finds herself in.

Did you visit any sick people to observe their pus? LOL!!!

I have seen a fair bit of blood and pus while looking after horses for the past 20 years, so had some first-hand experience of that!

Thank you Caroline! I am impressed by your sense of smell, and look forward to reading your next book about a Victorian freak show.