AN AUTHOR who has set a supernatural story in Wem will be signing copies of her book at Whitchurch’s Bookshrop this weekend.

Ruth Goldstraw will be at the Green End store on Saturday (October 5) from 11am to sign copies of ‘The Witchfinder’s Assistant’, a story based during the English Civil War in 1643.

Dinah Anderson, from Bookshrop, said they were looking forward to welcoming the author to the signing.

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The book synopsis is as following: “Sometimes I can almost remember what it was like before.

“But I cannot even write my own story.

“(In) the town of Wem, Shropshire in 1643, Civil war is ripping England apart.

“Families are divided, emotions run high. Whether on the bleakness of the moors or in snug, wood-panelled rooms, danger lurks. A body is found, its mouth pierced with thorns.

“The Justice of the Peace, a godly man, is certain that witchcraft is involved. Only his assistant, former cavalryman John Carne, looks for reason where others see demons and witches. But John has secrets of his own – secrets that concern his cold and distant wife.

“And it’s not long before the darkness that has engulfed Wem grows darker still.”

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Reviews for the book say the story is an ‘intriguing look at England in 1643…Goldstraw's an excellent storyteller…this one pulled me in and kept me reading. 

“The historical setting is richly detailed, and Goldstraw does an excellent job of capturing the tension and paranoia of the time.”