A tale set against a backdrop of the 1644 Siege of York finds midwife Bridget Hodgson joining forces with resourceful servant Martha Hawkins to prove the innocence of a woman who has been sentenced to burn at the stake for murdering her husband. - (Baker & Taylor)
A tale set against a backdrop of the 1644 Siege of York finds midwife Bridget Hodgson joining forces with resourceful servant Martha Hawkins to prove the innocence of a woman who has been sentenced to burn at the stake for murdering her husband. A first novel. - (Baker & Taylor)
In the tradition of Arianna Franklin and C. J. Sansom comes Samuel Thomas’s remarkable debut, The Midwife’s Tale
It is 1644, and Parliament’s armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of York. Even as the city suffers at the rebels’ hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of rebellion. One of Bridget’s friends, Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be burnt alive. Convinced that her friend is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer.
Bridget joins forces with Martha Hawkins, a servant who’s far more skilled with a knife than any respectable woman ought to be. To save Esther from the stake, they must dodge rebel artillery, confront a murderous figure from Martha’s past, and capture a brutal killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. The investigation takes Bridget and Martha from the homes of the city’s most powerful families to the alleyways of its poorest neighborhoods. As they delve into the life of Esther’s murdered husband, they discover that his ostentatious Puritanism hid a deeply sinister secret life, and that far too often tyranny and treason go hand in hand.
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McMillan Palgrave)
SAM THOMAS teaches history at University School, an independent boys' school outside Cleveland, Ohio. He lives in Shaker Heights with his wife and two sons. The Midwife's Tale is his first novel, and readers can expect a sequel in 2014.
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McMillan Palgrave)
Booklist Reviews
It is 1644, and civil war has erupted in York, England. The Parliament's armies have revolted against the king and laid siege to the city, but midwife Bridget Hodgson still has babies to deliver. She soon finds an even bigger problem. Her friend Esther Cooper has been convicted of murdering her husband. She will burn at the stake if the real killer is not found. Bridget and her servant, Martha Hawkins, set out to save Esther. Martha has street smarts and excellent knife skills. The two women begin investigating while keeping clear of the rebel artillery and confronting an evil figure from Martha's past. They find that Esther's husband, an ostentatious Puritan, had a very sinister secret life. Moving from the dank alleys of the poor neighborhoods to the mansions of the rich, Bridget and Esther capture a brutal killer and find that traitors are often tyrants. The author is a historian, and his period detail creates a vivid atmosphere. The strong female characters and action-packed plot will please historical-mystery readers. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.
