The Midwife's Tale
A Mystery
Sam Thomas
Published: January 8, 2013
Minotaur Books
Genre:
historical fiction, mystery
Series: A
Midwife's Mystery
Pages: 308
(ARC edition)
First I want to applaud Sam Thomas for writing historical
fiction/mystery with an attractive, widow of means, Bridget Hodgson, as the
novel's central character. From the
start I was impressed by his selection of this independent woman who was very
much a loyal subject, she moved in the shadows of society because of her
profession, making her the perfect amateur sleuth. Thomas also pulls the reader in within the
first paragraph that sets the novel in York during the English Civil War. The city is under siege and with it has
brought out the immorality, treachery, corruption and deprivation of some of
the citizens of York.
What I loved most about Bridget aside from her determination
to remain single, to work as a midwife, even though her earnings were not
necessary, but for her love of the work.
She is tough, but so fragile, still overcome with grief, especially for
her little girl, but emotions aside if there is something that must be
confronted Bridget is a straight ahead full steam woman. She is a force to be reckoned with, which
earns her both respect and scorn from the people of York. Like most crime fighters she has a partner,
in The Midwife's Tale, this comes in the form of Martha, a trusted servant, a
skillful and helpful assistant at birthing's, but who has some secrets
herself.
We first encounter the guile and cunning of these two women
when Bridget's dear friend, Esther, is accused and then convicted of murdering
her husband. Esther is sentenced to be burnt
at the stake and the situation seems hopeless.
Hopeless that is to everyone except Bridget and Martha, who immediately
begin to methodically deconstruct what they know about Esther, her husband, her
servant's and the case made against her.
As most good deeds, Bridget and Martha's work to help a friend leads to
discover a far reaching plot involving many of the town's most respected
families.
Bridget holds an unwavering adherence to her midwife oath,
"to do no harm", and with that she plunged headlong into the exigent
mystery and refused to ignore warnings, threats or attempts on her life as she
slowly unraveled the mystery that would lead her all the way to the King of
England himself.
Sam Thomas gives his reader a story that repeals the reader
further. It is full of the twists and
turns one expects in historical mystery which make for an enjoyable fast moving
read. I would imagine that with a few
more novels under his belt Sam Thomas will stand shoulder to shoulder with C.J.
Samson. Thomas has learned the craft of
characterization and rich descriptive detail and I firmly believe in time the
historical backdrop will be further weaved into his narrative. Though, on second thought, perhaps that is
what Thomas intended; as his main character is a head's down, get through it woman
and the war, nor anything for that matter gets between Bridget and her goal,
including Civil War.
I highly recommend this novel and look forward to more from
Sam Thomas in the future.
The Harlot's Tale
A Midwife Mystery
Sam Thomas
Publication
Date: January 7, 2014
Minotaur Books
Genre: historical fiction, mystery
Series: A Midwife's Mystery
Hardcover;
320p
ISBN-10:
1250010780
My hopes and prayers were answered as The Harlot's Tale
arrived on the heels of my completion of The Midwife's Tale and I immediately
sat down to see what fate held in store next for Bridget. As much as I imagine Bridget wished that life
would return to at least what it had been before she became wrapped up in the
criminal quagmire that surrounded the fate of her friend, Esther. Still working as a midwife, now with Martha
as a recognized apprentice, she is back to solving murders as well.
Puritan religious fanaticism has made its way to York and
infiltrated the government, which add further hardship to most citizens' lives
as they must perform their work and do so in a manner pleasing to the Puritanical
city government officials. As the
Puritans rise in political power in York the city attracts a fanatical
preacher, who arrives in York with not only his family, but a substantial
number of devoted followers as well.
Seemingly overnight strict Puritanical religious fervor is whipped up in
York. Mysteriously, around the time of
the preacher's arrival the city's prostitutes, as well as a pair of adulterers,
start turning up murdered and mutilated with biblical quotes left behind at the
scene. Is it the fervor that the
preacher has whipped up amongst the citizenry that has pushed someone over the
edge or could it be someone among the large group that surround the preacher
himself? Anything is possible.
Bridget becomes involved with the investigation with her
brother in law, a York alderman, asks her to inspect the body of a woman who
has been found alongside a man, who has also been murdered. As a midwife Bridget serves as a medical
examiner of sorts as that which concerns the genitals of the woman. The women are horrified to find that the
woman has been horribly mutilated and within her hand a note with a Bible verse
written upon it. Suddenly, Bridget and
Martha are faced with a complex and challenging mystery and an ever increasing
number of victims. Bridget feels the
strain and the burden of the task that will take every ounce of her influence
among all the female citizens of work, her instincts and her hardheaded refusal
to quit until the murder or murders are found and stopped.
The preachers are quick to call the deaths part of God's
judgment on the city for its sins and inflame the already tense situation by
threatening that more is still to come as York is far from being the godly city
it should be. In The Harlot's Tale,
Thomas successfully sets his crime in a historical setting and allows that
setting to influence his narrative. The
societal struggles confounded with the rise of fanatical Puritanism as well as
the vivid description of the squalor which many of York are forced to live in
as well as the numerous orphans running the street, with no one to care or who
will care for them, resorting to thievery to survive, which further plunges the
city into the lawless hole that the killer thrives on. Not only the city itself but the narrow
minded citizenry holding tight to a societal system that no longer works, but
as yet has nothing to replace it, so it seems that scornfulness and judgmental
attitudes are in the majority amongst the citizens of York and it seems that
nothing or no one will be able to help Bridget and Martha get to the truth and
put a stop to the killing.
Each morning Bridget fears news of another death and
personally feels the urgency to solve these crimes and the responsibility for
not being able to do so before another woman has to die. Just as Bridget agonizes over the
responsibility that she has been given so will the reader become more anguished
and frantic for the pair to find the truth which I can assure you is worth the
ride!
The Harlot's Tale is a brisk, well told story in which
Thomas further perfects the interjection of a criminal suspense plot immersed
within a specific historical setting and time period and successfully keeps his
narrative in touch with the known history of the period. Truly, Thomas has made an innovative and
uniquely creative contribution to the sub-genre of crime/suspense within the
genre of historical fiction itself.
Do not miss Sam Thomas' creative, suspenseful and historical
novel, The Harlot's Tale; it is truly an irresistible read.
About the Author
Sam Thomas is an assistant professor of history at the
University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has received research grants from the
National Endowment for the Humanities, the Newberry Library, and the British
Academy. He has published articles on topics ranging from early modern Britain
to colonial Africa. Thomas lives in Alabama with his wife and two children.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!!