Salem, Massachusetts - 1692
Thomas is marked as an outcast the moment he steps off the ship from England. As a Quaker, he's outnumbered and distrusted by Salem's Puritans. And as an orphan without any useful skills, he has nowhere to live and no way to earn his keep. In a stroke of luck-perhaps good, perhaps not-he's taken in by the aged widow Prudence Blevins, who's rumored to be a witch.
Patience has tried all her life to be a good Puritan-obedient to God and to her elders-and all her life, she has come up short. But her orderly world is upended when her younger sister, Abigail, falls victim to a mysterious affliction. The same torments have stricken other Salem girls, who claim they're being bewitched by servants of the Devil. Soon the girls, including Abigail, begin accusing neighbors of witchcraft.
As the community becomes consumed by suspicion and fear, Thomas and Patience search for the truth. To protect those they care about, they will have to question everything they think they know: their faiths, their loyalties, and their places in Salem.
"Through the eyes of her flawed but persevering fictional characters, Lois Ruby paints a vivid picture of prejudice, suspicion, and the cruelty that results from them."-Mary Downing Hahn, author of What We Saw
"Both immersive and timely."-Susan Kaplan Carlton, author of In the Neighborhood of True
"Gripping and harrowing...Told in crisp and vivid detail, Gallows Hill brings history to life for readers young and old." -Carolee Dean, Author of Forget Me Not
"A page-turner of a satisfying story . . . Highly recommended!" -Sandra Fenichel Asher, author and playwright
