Love and Other Poisons
On sale
19th March 2026
Price: £12.99
‘A fascinating, forensic deep-dive’ DENISE MINA
‘Beautifully written, richly evoked and utterly gripping’ EVA DOLAN
‘A seductive tale of sex and death’ SARA SHERIDAN
***
1857, Glasgow.
Madeleine Smith, a young socialite, is on trial for murdering her lover. The scandal shocks the world, with intimate letters published in newspapers. The jury can’t decide – delivering a rare ‘Not Proven’ verdict. Madeleine walks free.
1927, New York.
Hollywood scout Harry Townsend believes he’s found Madeleine, now an elusive widow living under a new name. Once a dazzling figure in bohemian London, she vanished in 1890.
Could this quiet woman really be the infamous Madeleine Smith?
She holds one last secret. Will Harry convince her to share it?
***
More praise for Lesley McDowell:
‘Riveting – a clever portrait of a fascinating, flawed heroine.’ THE TIMES
‘An intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism’s forsaken muses.’ SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN
‘An absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered.’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘A must-read. McDowell brings to vivid, embodied life; a flirtatious, flawed woman fighting for her place in a man’s world.’ THE HERALD
‘Beautifully written, richly evoked and utterly gripping’ EVA DOLAN
‘A seductive tale of sex and death’ SARA SHERIDAN
***
1857, Glasgow.
Madeleine Smith, a young socialite, is on trial for murdering her lover. The scandal shocks the world, with intimate letters published in newspapers. The jury can’t decide – delivering a rare ‘Not Proven’ verdict. Madeleine walks free.
1927, New York.
Hollywood scout Harry Townsend believes he’s found Madeleine, now an elusive widow living under a new name. Once a dazzling figure in bohemian London, she vanished in 1890.
Could this quiet woman really be the infamous Madeleine Smith?
She holds one last secret. Will Harry convince her to share it?
***
More praise for Lesley McDowell:
‘Riveting – a clever portrait of a fascinating, flawed heroine.’ THE TIMES
‘An intimate and enlightening tale of one of Romanticism’s forsaken muses.’ SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN
‘An absorbing, intoxicating page-turner about a woman who deserves to be remembered.’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘A must-read. McDowell brings to vivid, embodied life; a flirtatious, flawed woman fighting for her place in a man’s world.’ THE HERALD
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Reviews
A fascinating, forensic deep-dive into the true crime case of Madeleine Smith. Mesmerising.
A feverish period thriller about the seduction of a young Scottish heiress. Beautifully written, richly evoked and utterly gripping. Based on a true story this one deserves to be huge!
A gorgeously written, seductive tale of sex and death, that delves into the darkness of Victorian women's hidden lives.
It's an enthralling novel, a beautifully organised tale in which McDowell shifts the perspective with great skill . . . thoroughly enjoyable - a remarkably intelligent and at times very moving fictionalisation of an extraordinary life.
Meticulously researched . . . gripping throughout