Mrs Burke and Mrs Hare
Michelle Sloan
Book of the Month: July 2025
Reviewed by Jannath Fazli
Sometimes, some names slip between the fingers of history and fall into the gaps between time. The most intriguing stories are the ones that pick such names up, blow the dust off them and place them on a shelf for the world to read. Michelle Sloan’s Mrs Burke and Mrs Hare is one such story. It revives the tale of Edinburgh’s infamous Burke and Hare, but this time highlights the involvement and contribution of their formidable wives, resulting in an exploration of gender, justice, and the political nature of history itself.
The novel is strategically split into two parts. Part I is dedicated to the vivid recreation of the lives of Helen McDougal and Lucky Hare in a live-action reimagining of nineteenth century Edinburgh. Part II is a journey the reader is invited to take with the curious Duncan Fletcher as he embarks on a dangerous expedition to find ‘the women of Burke and Hare’ more than two decades after their reign of cunning and cruelty. The powerful images of the characters in the first instalment of the story serve as backdrops for Duncan’s investigation, and as the reader follows him, they cannot help but be jostled with an excitement that is lightly tinged with fear.
Sloan’s love and knowledge of Edinburgh goes hand in hand with her expertise in drama to create a setting that truly transports the reader back in time. The key locations in the story – Arthur’s Seat, Grassmarket, Old Town, and Surgeon’s Square – all assume three-dimensional reality, clothed in the garbs of the early nineteenth century. From the details of the cobble stones to the ruckus of vendors and lowing cattle, Sloan incorporates Edinburgh as a character in what she now reclaims as Helen and Lucky’s tale. And the city serves the two women first as a shield that protects them from prosecution, and later as the very reckoning of justice that forces them to confront themselves.
Through the astute Lucky and the comparatively submissive and reluctant Helen, Sloan creates space for versatility in the form of the femme fatale. To add to this, while both characters are violent and dangerous in their own ways, neither is sexualised overtly, subverting the conventional depiction of the ‘dangerous woman.’ This brings a blissfully true-to-life quality to the main characters, making them relatable despite being unlikable. Moreover, the advantages the women had is explored in the story; in the second half of the book, Duncan’s aunt remarks, ‘People trusted them because they were women. There were moments I’m sure they were instrumental in luring victims.’
Throughout the narrative, Sloan has taken great care to show not only the involvement of Helen and Lucky, but also that of the people – and especially the women – they betrayed. Mary Paterson, Madgy Docherty, Ann Gray and so many other well-built characters add depth to the story. While narrating this sensational tale, Sloan has also paid great attention to the sensitivity of the issues from which it is inseparable: murder, and the cold-hearted sale of cadavers by the Burkes and Hares. Though there are times when this attention takes the reader out of the narrative, it also serves as a technique to make them question the characters and their motives – a quality that is well-suited to a multi-dimensional story like this.
Between the covers of Mrs Burke and Mrs Hare lies the tale of two impressively cunning women who bring vigour and vitality to the page. Through their characters, the story explores history, politics, and the unfairness of power. Moreover, the book beautifully narrates the history of Edinburgh, making it accessible and enjoyable to the reader. I will definitely be recommending this book widely, with a fair warning that, after reading it, Surgeons’ Hall may appear a lot more sinister.
Mrs Burke and Mrs Hare is published by Polygon
Jannath Fazli is a writer and theatre artist with a passion for responsible and liberating storytelling. Their debut Dawn: A Collection of Poems was published in 2021.