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Summary
Summary
Winner of the 2019 Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery
Quaker midwife Rose Carroll seeks the true cause of a young mother's death in turn-of-the-century Massachusetts.
The winter of 1889 is harsh in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but it doesn't stop Quaker midwife Rose Carroll from making the rounds to her pregnant and postpartum mothers. When Charity Skells dies from an apparent early miscarriage, Rose wonders about the symptoms that don't match the stated cause of death. She learns that Charity's husband may be up to no good with a young woman whose mother appears to offer prohibited medical procedures. A disgraced physician in town does the same, while Charity's cousin seems to have a nefarious agenda of his own. With several suspects emerging, each with their own possible motives, Rose and police detective Kevin Donovan race against time to solve the case before another innocent life is lost.
Praise for the Quaker Midwife Mysteries:
Turning the Tideis a 2018 Agatha Award Nominee for Best Historical Novel
"Engaging."--Publishers Weekly
"Not only is it a well-plotted, intelligent mystery, it also shines light on how women were treated--and, in many cases, mistreated--by people they trusted for help in desperate situations. Highly recommended."--Suspense Magazineon Charity's Burden
"First of hopefully many more to come, I believe that everyone will definitely enjoy this stand-out book."--Suspense Magazineon Delivering the Truth
"Rose Carroll is a richly crafted and appealing sleuth. A terrific historical read."--Rhys Bowen, New York Timesbestselling author
"The historical setting is redolent and delicious, the townspeople engaging, and the plot a proper puzzle, but it's Rose Carroll--midwife, Quaker, sleuth--who captivates in this irresistible series debut."--Catriona McPherson, award-winning author of the Dandy Gilver series
"Maxwell introduces a fascinating new heroine with her Quaker midwife Rose Carroll."--Victoria Thompson, bestselling author of Murder on St. Nicolas Ave
"[Rose's] strong personality combined with the author's distinctive voice and vivid writing style transported me instantly to another time and place."--Kathy Lynn Emerson, Malice Domestic 2014 Guest of Honor and author of How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries, Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe, and the Diana Spaulding 1888 Mysteries
"A riveting historical mystery featuring a refreshingly different kind of heroine, a Quaker midwife who also solves crimes with wit, intelligence, and gentle grace. It's a page turner. It's a fascinating look at nineteenth-century American faith, culture, and small-town life. And best of all, it's the second of what is sure to be a long and beloved series."--William Martin, New York Timesbestselling author of Cape Codand The Lincoln Letter
"An intriguing look at life in 19th-century New England, a heroine whose goodness guides all her decisions, and a mystery that surprises."--Kirkus Reviews
Author Notes
Edith Maxwellis President of the New England chapter of Sisters in Crime and a long-time member of the Society of Friends. She is the author of the Local Foods Mysteries and writes the Country Store Mysteries under the pseudonym Maddie Day.
Reviews (2)
Kirkus Review
Murder poses difficult challenges for a compassionate 19th-century Quaker midwife in Massachusetts.When Rose Carroll is called to the bedside of impoverished Charity Skells, a woman who already has five children and appears to be having a miscarriage, she finds her patient's bleeding so excessive that she takes her to the hospital. The doctors are unable to staunch the bleeding; Charity dies; and Rose suspects that she may have resorted to an illegal abortion. Before the Comstock Act of 1873, abortions were legal, but ever since it was passed, even birth control has been against the law, placing a heavy burden on women who bear child after child their families can't afford and often sending both mother and baby to an early grave. Rose knows how dangerous illegal abortions can be, especially if they're not done properly. She fears there may have been a motive for Charity's deliberate murder when she realizes her patient's husband is having a dalliance with a woman he works with at Lowell's Boat Shop. Charity's well-to-do parents disliked her husband so much that they refused to help the couple financially and are now devastated and furious at her death. After Rose (Turning the Tide, 2018, etc.) shares her suspicions with police detective Kevin Donovan, a well-placed friend, he manages to arrange an autopsy that proves Charity died from a perforated uterus. Rose misses the sage advice of her fiance, David, a physician who is out of town. And she's sad because her 18-year-old niece is about to wed while she and David still await his mother's approval. Rose's search for possible abortion providers earns her threats and puts her in physical danger. Because her actions are motivated by her faith, she won't let threats keep her from doing the right thing as she seeks the truth.Plenty of suspects keep the pot bubbling as Maxwell examines the roots of the abortion controversy that continues to this day. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Quaker Rose Carroll is a skilled midwife, but when one of her patients, Charity Skells, appears to be bleeding out, Rose takes her to the hospital. When Rose asks her policeman friend to insist on an autopsy, her worst fears are confirmed. Charity, a mother of five, appears to have died of a botched abortion. However, the more Rose learns of Charity and her husband, the more she fears the young mother's death may have been murder. Despite the disapproval of the new police chief, Rose asks questions of her friends and the mothers-to-be as she makes her rounds in Amesbury, MA. Even with births, a forthcoming family wedding, and her fear of Charity's cousin, Rose is determined to find the killer before another life is lost. The fourth "Quaker Midwife" mystery (following Turning the Tide) is a compelling historical, presenting characters, especially Rose, who highlight a lifestyle, time, and place not often featured in the genre. VERDICT This story of women's rights and the need for safe abortion practices is as relevant today as it was in 1889 following the enactment of the Comstock Laws. Fans of Victoria Thompson's "Gaslight" mysteries will enjoy.-Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
