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Rich and colourful story on the Eighty Years War

Gallows Maid

Pat Van Beirs & Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem

Nita Nomansdaughter is a late 16th century cutpurse. Her mother left her at an orphanage in Antwerp with a cameo around her neck bearing the arms of Almendraje. At the age of thirteen, she is sold to a travelling apothecary who swindles market-goers. Nita becomes proficient at her trade, until one day she is caught and sentenced to the gallows. Thanks to her cameo, however, the deputy reeve believes her to be the daughter of the Spanish Duke of Almendraje and is able to save her from the axe in the nick of time. In return for her life, Nita is set to work as a spy for the Dutch Prince of Orange in Seville.

A real page-turner with innumerable surprising and thrilling twists
De Standaard

There, she is able to convince the Duke of Almendraje that she is his long-lost daughter, and finds herself in a completely different world, living in the lap of luxury. The longer she is there the more Nita grows to love her Spanish family and the more difficult she finds it to carry out the espionage plan.

After the great success of With a Sword in My Hand, Van Beirs and Van Rijckeghem have constructed a rich story about the period that would later be referred to as the Eighty Years War. A true page-turner, 'Gallows Maid' is a worthy successor.

A truly worthy successor to the highly-praised 'With a Sword in My Hand'
Boekenleeuw jury
A rich, colourful youth novel that will also appeal to adults
Trouw