The study of Scottish witchcraft has advanced greatly in the eleven years since the completion of Edinburgh University's Survey of Scottish Witchcraft (http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/witches/ [archived January 2003, accessed 6 August 2014]). Nevertheless, as these twelve essays show, plenty of new material remains to be uncovered. Each provides a case study of a specific witch, witch hunt or witch-hunter, a particular moment, phenomenon or practice with commendable sensitivity. Michael Wasser's examination of the 1568–9 Fife witch hunt and Alexandra Hill's exploration of the first three decades of the eighteenth century provide not just chronological bookends, but studies of previously obscure events. By contrast, the North Berwick witch hunt discussed by Victoria Carr is well known, although Carr's prosopographical and political approach to the accusations against Jean Lyon, dowager countess of Angus, adds a new layer of understanding to this event. James vi reappears as a bit-player in Liv Helene Willumsen's consideration of John Cunningham, a Scot sent by James to his brother-in-law Christian iv and appointed as district governor of Finnmark, the most northerly province of Denmark, where he conducted a witch hunt. Willumsen thus exposes how practices and beliefs were carried between geographical locations within Europe; more research of this nature would be welcome. Two studies, by Margaret Dudley and Julian Goodare on sleep paralysis in witchcraft, and Goodare's solo piece on flight in Scottish witchcraft, offer an interdisciplinary approach, drawing, in a duly cautious way, on modern psychological research to provide insight into the recurring motifs of witchcraft cases. Likewise, Emma Wilby borrows anthropological approaches to posit the possibility of shamanistic (i.e. visionary acts of violence undertaken for the benefit of the community) influences in the case of Isobel Gowdie. Naturally, with disparate and discrete topics of study each author identifies peculiarities of circumstances which on occasion lead to divergent interpretations. Anna Cordey's consideration of the burgh of Dalkeith successfully questions the significance of prior reputation in being accused of witchcraft, arguing instead that day-to-day conflict was the primary risk factor in this context where suspects were identified by the elite. Paula Hughes's focus on the 1649–50 hunt, by contrast, argues that accusations usually originated from amongst ordinary parishioners. These contrasting interpretations remind us of the dangers of generalising about witchcraft and confirm the importance of an approach focused on specific case studies. Three essays stand out in particular for this reviewer. First, the sheer detail and power of Lauren Martin's rich depiction of the fall of Isobel Barnes from respected head of household to reviled witch. Secondly, Laura Paterson's meticulous, although, frankly, gruesome, discussion of executing witches effectively highlights the fear with which contemporaries approached witchcraft, through exploring the careful contemporary considerations of symbolism and practicalities which underlay this exercise. Thirdly, Alistair Henderson's study of witchcraft in Scotland's urban environments moves into largely uncharted territory, making a significant suggestion about the specific impact of economic experiences such as stagnation or expansion within the burgh upon the phenomenon of urban witches. Henderson's attention to the urban context points to approaches which could be profitable for future research. Together, the studies in this volume provide several helpful steps forward in our developing understanding of this remarkable facet of life in early modern Scotland.