Kenilworth Square East, Kenilworth Five-0-Eight

“It’s been a year since I died and still nobody has found me.” Thus begins Maria Marten’s tale of her own murder in 1827 in the village of Polstead, Suffolk, England. “I could tell you that story,” she says, “but I don’t want to yet.” The notorious “Red Barn Murder” sent shockwaves throughout England, retold over the years by playwrights, filmmakers, and balladeers. While the story has all the hallmarks of a classic crime drama—a missing body, a country location, a disreputable squire, a village stuck in its age-old traditions—it is not just a murder story. Told from the victim's perspective, Maria Marten reveals “who I really was. Before.” in an unexpectedly joyous story of female friendship and resilience.