Tenth-century Scotland, Gruoch is on the run with her three companions, pursued by men who would kill her for her status as widow of Macbeth and Scotland’s first queen…

This is the latest instalment in the Darkland Tales series, and once again, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Whether or not you’ve ever actually read Shakespeare’s Macbeth, you probably know the general gist - power-hungry Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to do Terrible Things (murder) to become king, he then embarks on a paranoid reign of terror and she spends the rest of the play washing her hands (please do not base any exam answers on this summary). Well, McDermid delivers a big old Fuck You to Shakespeare’s (dubious) version of events (remember he was writing when Scotland was England’s enemy, so…).

There’s not much source material (though enough to know the Macbeths were not as portrayed in “the Scottish play”), so this is a fictional imagining of events, but it feels deeply considered. First of all, our leading lady has a name, not just a title: Gruoch. And she’s a fleshed-out character with emotions and desires, who cares for her companions and values their friendship. She’s canny and understands the brutal politics of power, the shifting landscape of loyalties and the price she will pay if caught because of what she represents, none of which makes her conniving or power-hungry, simply a smart woman.

The story is well-written - though it takes place over a matter of weeks, Gruoch’s life story unfolds through flashbacks, building a rich portrait of both the character and life during this first iteration of a unified Scotland. Honestly, I would have happily read this story expanded into a book twice or thrice the length. I also loved the smattering of (non-italicised!) Scots throughout - don’t let this put you off, there’s a glossary at the back.

An enjoyable reimagining of the much-maligned Lady Macbeth, a story of love, power and female friendship.