Turning the Tide

It's 1880 and there is an election for President, but half the population cannot vote. This exciting historical mystery is superbly written and offers insights into a woman's life in the late 1800s. In Turning the Tide by Edith Maxwell Quaker midwife Rose Carroll is at her first meeting of the Amesbury Woman Suffrage Association.

To her surprise Elizabeth Cady Stanton is in attendance and the women are inspired to demonstrate on Election Day. The next morning on her way home from a delivery, Rose spots the body of the previous evening's keynote speaker Rowena Felch under a lilac bush. From the disarray in the dining room, it appears Mrs. Felch interrupted a robbery.

But the more she digs into it, the more Rose realizes it was murder. Rowena was a prominent attorney, one of the few women in Amesbury, and she wanted to continue her career. Her controlling husband wants her to stay at home and have children. Rowena had planned to leave him. A co-worker believes Rowena was promoted over him even though he was not competent.

Rose has some issues of her own. Her Quaker Meeting Group has decided if she marries someone from outside the faith, she will be
"read out of Meeting" meaning she will not be able to attend. Rose loves Dr. David Dodge who happens to worship in a Unitarian Church and she loves the fellowship of the Quaker meetings, but this makes her unsettled about her decision.

As she gets closer to finding the truth about Rowena's murder, her life is threatened and her livelihood is in jeopardy. She must continue to serve as a midwife and maybe place herself in difficult situations. Her dedication to delivering babies overrides her fear for her safety.

Looking forward to the next book in this series.

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