Some crimes end at the gallows. Others begin there.

Edinburgh, 1788. Young Una Luath works as a servant in a grand house at Calton Neuk. After she's betrayed by the very people meant to protect her, Una is cast out into the city’s closes and wynds, forced to survive among thieves and outcasts.

Under the guidance of unlikely mentors, she becomes familiar with the hidden rules of Edinburgh’s underworld... and learns of Judge Neville Buchanan, also known as the Colonel.

After Una's newfound family is targeted by the Colonel's men, the fragile balance of her life is shattered. But Una is not one to give up easily, and she's ready to seek revenge on those who have wronged her.

A tale of survival, courage and mystery set in 18th century Scotland, THE MAKING OF A CRIMINAL is the first book in the Journals of Una Luath series by Helen Susan Swift.