This work investigates the complex intersection of social manipulation, legal procedure, and political power in early 17th-century England through the case of Anne Gunter. James Sharpe, a professor of early modern history, utilizes primary court records and contemporary pamphlets to reconstruct the life of a young woman who accused several neighbors of bewitching her. The book argues that Gunter’s case was not merely a local superstition but a calculated performance that eventually reached the attention of King James I, revealing the fragility of the English judicial system when confronted with fraudulent testimony.

Historians recognize this text as a rigorous micro-history that effectively demystifies the mechanics of witchcraft accusations in the Jacobean era. Scholars frequently cite the book for its balanced treatment of legal history and the psychological motivations behind Gunter's elaborate deception.