Delivering the truth

by Edith Maxwell

Other authorsGreg Newbold (Cover artist), Ellen Lawson (Cover designer), Theresa Pojar (Book format)
Paperback, 2016

Status

Available

Call number

A MAX v1

Publication

Woodbury, Minnesota : Midnight Ink, [2016]

Original publication date

2016-04-08

ISBN

9780738747521

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: Quaker midwife Rose Carroll discovers dark secrets in 1888 Massachusetts For Quaker midwife Rose Carroll, life in Amesbury, Massachusetts, provides equal measures of joy and tribulation. She delights in attending to the needs of mothers and newborns even as she mourns the recent death of her sister. Likewise, Rose enjoys the giddy feelings that come from being courted by a handsome doctor, but a suspicious fire and two murders leave her fearing for the well-being of her loved ones. Driven by her desire for safety and justice, Rose Carroll begins asking questions related to the crimes. Consulting with her friends and neighborsâ??including the famous Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittierâ??Rose draws on her strengths as a counselor and problem solver in trying to bring the perpetrators to light. Praise: A 2016 Agatha Award Finalist for Best Historical Novel A 2017 IPPY Award Silver Medalist for Mystery/Cozy/Noir "[A] smart new series from the prolific Maxwell."â??Booklist "First of hopefully many more to come, I believe that everyone will definitely enjoy this stand-out book."â??Suspense Magazine "Maxwell . . . introduces a series heroine whose struggles with the tenets of her Quaker faith make her strong and appealing. The author also imparts authentic historical detail to depict life in a 19th century New England factory town."â??Library Journal "A highly competent mystery."â??Kirkus Reviews "Rose Carroll is a richly crafted and appealing sleuth. A terrific historical read."â??Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author "The historical setting is redolent and delicious, the townspeople engaging, and the plot a proper puzzle, but it's Rose Carrollâ??midwife, Quaker, sleuthâ??who captivates in this irresistible series debut."â??Catriona McPherson, award-winning author of the Dandy Gilver series "Maxwell introduces a fascinating new heroine with her Quaker midwife Rose Carroll."â??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."â??Kathy Lynn Emerson, Malice Domestic 2014 Guest of Honor and author of How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries, Murder in the Quen's Wardrobe, and the… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member alekee
We get a real look into Quaker life in this story set in Amesbury, Massachusetts, in 1888. We meet midwife Rose Carroll as she goes about her work of helping women with their births and the babies as they spend their first few weeks on earth.
Rose has taken up residence with her deceased sister’s
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family, and uses their porch for her bedroom and office. Life seems rather routine until the lifeblood of the town goes up in smoke. There are three factories burned to the ground taking many lives with it, and it was arson.
Now Rose is privy to a lot of the goings on in this community as she goes about her work, and she has her suspicions as to who would have committed such a heinous act. Things go from bad to worse as murders start happening, and Rose becomes involved again.
There is also a bit of romance going on between Doctor David and Rose, but then there is also his mother and her want of an upper class woman for a wife for him, you will wonder how that will work out.
In the end I was wondering who would end up surviving with all the evil going on, and what a surprise when you find out the perpetrator of these crimes.
I enjoyed this quick interesting read, and once you pick it up you will want to read until the end, you need the answers.
I received this book through Net Galley and the publisher Midnight Ink, and was not required to give a positive review.
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LibraryThing member Maydacat
This novel was a good mix of historical fiction and mystery. Rose is a Quaker midwife in 1888 who becomes embroiled in a murder when one of her knitting needles turns out to be the murder weapon. Trying to solve the mystery and catch a murderer, reveling in a growing relationship with a wealthy
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doctor, taking care of her deceased sister’s large family all while delivering babies and caring for new moms keeps Rose hopping. Adding interest to the story is the addition of Quaker John Greenleaf Whittier whose counsel Rose often seeks. But when Rose gets too close to solving the murder, her life, too, is threatened. First in a new series, this cozy with its engaging characters and interesting plot was quite enjoyable and entertaining.
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LibraryThing member Carolee888
This cozy is a treasure for historical fiction lovers and those who have ancestors in Amesbury, Massachusetts. It is set in 1888 and Rose Carroll is a Quaker midwife. Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell has the usual double meaning in titles of cozies.

Besides the complex mystery and the
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indications that the main character and her relatives are Quakers, the author also amuses us with the standard price of the day like $2 for delivery of a baby and the fact that telephone, bicycles and electricity were just starting to be used. Herbal medicines were very common. I also learned more about delivering babies. I remember that when my son was born, my doctor called it a difficult birth. Now, I know what would have happened if he had not turned my baby before my son was born.

Rose Carroll, the main character, has moxie and she is definitely Quaker. She gets invited to a fancy dance frets over whether she would wrong in wearing a special dress for the occasion. She consults with John Greenleaf Whittier, her friend over that subject and at times about the mystery that she has taken herself to investigate because of her need for the truth. There are more than one murders in this story and even more than one case of arson.

The pace is very steady and the story always entertains and at sometimes feel sad. Child labor was still the norm for the children of poor families. I think this type of cozy is especially best for people who love history and genealogy with a passion. I am eager to read the second book in this series. Edith Maxwell crafted an excellent historical cozy.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the Publisher as a win from FirstReads but that in no way made a difference in my thoughts or feelings in this review.
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LibraryThing member Romonko
This first in a series about a Quaker midwife looks to be a very promising new start to an intriguing series. There certainly aren't any other female protagonists like Rose Carroll out there in fiction-land that I know of. It is an historical mystery set in the little town of Amesbury,
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Massachusetts. Rose is a midwife as I mentioned and she lives with her brother-in-law and his five children and practices as a midwife for the fortunate women of Amesbury. Amesbury is a quiet little town usually, but suddenly there seems to be a crime spree going on. First, a local carriage making business is set on fire, killing people working inside, and then not one, but two different murders. Rose knows that the crimes are related in some way, and the local constable Kevin Donovan decides to use Rose's observation skills, and her pragmatism, as well as the access she has as a midwife to the town's populace, to try to get her to get information that will help him solve these crimes. I loved Rose, and her quiet, Quaker ways, her honesty and forthrightness, and her love of humanity. She is absolutely marvellous, as are all the characters in this book. This was a very satisfying and an enjoyable read, and I will be certainly reading more of Rose and her escapades.
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Call number

A MAX v1

Barcode

5228
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