It was the greatest scandal of the Jacobean age. In 1616, Frances Howard and her husband the Earl of Somerset were found guilty of the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury. Frances Howard was branded a lewd woman, a wife, a witch, a murderess and a whore, and has gone down in history as the model of female villainy. But has she been misjudged? In a fascinating examination of both the historical evidence and cultural representations of Howard, David Lindley presents important new insights into the case against her. In doing so, he challenges the assumptions that have constructed Howard as a deviant...