The First Witch of Boston, a gripping novel by Andrea Catalano, is based on the true story of Margaret Jones, the first woman to be found guilty of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts.

The story begins in 1648 when Thomas Jones, grieving over the hanging of his wife, boards a ship, leaving Charlestown, a Puritan community whom he feels wrongly accused his wife of witchcraft.

Thomas and Margaret Jones have been married for seventeen years when they are blessed with a precious baby girl. Thomas is expert in working with wood and is an accomplished cabinet maker. Margaret is a skilled healer and adept in working with herbs. She is also a much sought-after midwife. While Thomas is quiet and soft-spoken, Margaret speaks her mind, not a good quality in a Puritan community.

In dealing with her healing practice, Margaret’s comments are often met with suspicion by some who feel she has evil powers. Rumors spread and what Margaret has said is blown out of proportion, eventually leading to trial and a death sentence.

I found this novel harrowing, but well written. We know from the start what will happen to Margaret, and the rest of the novel deals with events that lead up to her execution. Religious hysteria and wariness of the unknown create fear, and people fear what they cannot understand. Margaret Jones’ unguarded nature often offended stern, austere people, creating suspicion and false accusations. It’s hard to believe that this happened in America, but it is, sadly, a part of our history.