A scandalous double life in 17th-century England. First published in 1944, Magdalen King-Hall's Life and Death of the Wicked Lady Skelton tells the story of Barbara Skelton, a well-born young woman trapped in a loveless marriage. To escape the tedium of her life, Barbara leads a double life as a highway robber. Rich in historical detail and high on melodrama, the novel follows Barbara's infamous career of robbery, adultery, and murder. Yet, King-Hall paints Barbara with sympathy, depicting the frustrations of domestic life for an ambitious, intelligent woman with no means of self-expression. For readers of historical fiction and women's stories, this novel explores themes of social rebellion, class conflict, and the constraints placed on women in a patriarchal society.