The Upas Tree

By Eva Hanagan

Torn between a safe but unhappy life and jumping headfirst into the unknown…

Meek Scottish spinster Ishbel Mackintosh has never had much get up and go about her, sacrificing a fulfilling life to work in the family shop and take care of her demanding mother’s every need. Held back for a lifetime by her clergyman grandfather’s warnings, she’s never given a moment’s thought to herself.

But when her mother dies on Christmas Day, Ishbel suddenly finds herself without a burden in the world – and a nice inheritance to sweeten the deal. Free for the first time in her life, she begins to spend time with the new gardener, Ian, and is finally able to quieten her grandfather’s cautions about fleshly pleasures in her head. But when Ian turns out not to be the man she thought he was, her thoughts turn to revenge. Set in the wild and rough beauty of the Scottish Highlands, The Upas Tree is a tale of regret, absolution and hope.

Eva Hanagan was a Scottish author. Her novels include Playmates, In Thrall and A Knock at the Door.