| When | Wednesday 11th June 2025 at 15:00 |
| Where | The Exchange, Sturminster Newton 1 Old Market Hill Sturminster Newton Dorset DT10 1QU |
| Event Type | Talks |
| Price | £10 |
| Booking | Preferred |
| Tickets | |
| Also available at 1855, Market Cross, Sturminster Newton |
The Hanging of Hettie Gale is a dual timeline mystery with elements of history and the paranormal, and an underlying theme of women’s strength in adversity.
The Moor is a tough place to grow up in the 1700s, particularly for Hettie Gale, who is abused by her own father and banished from the family home. She builds a new life with her young son and manages to fill their days with love and laughter, until she is accused of drowning him, and hanged for the crime.
In the present day, Alice receives news that her cousin has gone missing from her cottage on The Moor, where Alice spent many happy family holidays. Wanting to help find Fleur, Alice heads to the cottage and becomes increasingly obsessed with the legend of Hettie Gale, and the various people who have gone missing on The Moor over the centuries.
Bit by bit, Alice uncovers clues that reveal the truth about Hettie and the missing people. But what links Hettie to Fleur? And how will this knowledge help Alice find her cousin?
Tess Burnett likes to think of herself as a late bloomer. She spent her childhood in Hertfordshire, moving to Dorset at the age of 15. In her teenage years, school was a source of horror, the only lessons she truly enjoyed were English literature and language. A succession of unfulfilling jobs in retail, catering and the financial industry followed, but then came the joy of raising her three daughters. She and her husband Steve moved to the mountains of Kerry, Ireland in 2015 where they lived for six happy years. Returning to Dorset, Tess won the Dorchester Literary Festival 2022 local writer’s prize with her self-published novel, The Hanging of Hettie Gale. This gave her the confidence to seek a publisher, and she was taken on by Bloodhound Books in 2023, who published the book in October 2024. Tess is inspired by nature and wild places, myths and legends, and is a proud advocate for age being no barrier to following your dreams.
Jo Durrant is the award-winning presenter of the independent arts & science podcast ‘Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe’. She’s a highly respected and accomplished interviewer and event chair, and a familiar face at literature, history, and science festivals. For over 20 years Jo was a presenter, producer & reporter with BBC radio and interviewed hundreds of people, from Melanie C to Tim Peake. She is now freelance.