Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for Called to Justice by Edith Maxwell

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, for Called to Justice by Edith Maxwell.  Please leave a comment or question for Edith to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above.  Good Luck!

Called to Justice

By Edith Maxwell

A Quaker Midwife Mystery, Book 2

Publisher: Midnight Ink

Release Date: April 8, 2017

Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 312 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0738750323
Kindle ASIN: B01FOR0YRW

Buy Links:  Amazon US | B&N | Kobo | Indigo | Google Play | IndieBound | iTunes | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon FR

About the book: 

Quaker midwife Rose Carroll is enjoying the 1888 Independence Day evening fireworks with her beau when a teenaged Quaker mill girl is found shot dead. After a former slave and fellow Quaker is accused of the murder, Rose delves into the crime, convinced of the man’s innocence. An ill-mannered mill manager, an Irish immigrant, and the victim’s young boyfriend come under suspicion even as Rose’s future with her handsome doctor suitor becomes unsure. Rose continues to deliver babies and listen to secrets, finally figuring out one criminal – only to be threatened by the murderer, with three lives at stake. Can she rescue herself, a baby, and her elderly midwifery teacher in time?

About the Author:

Agatha-nominated and Amazon best-selling author Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries  and the Local Foods Mysteries , the Country Store Mysteries  (as Maddie Day ), and the Lauren Rousseau Mysteries  (as Tace Baker ), as well as award-winning short crime fiction. Maxwell lives north of Boston with her beau and three cats, and blogs with the other Wicked Cozy Authors. You can find her on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, and at www.edithmaxwell.com.

Website: http://www.edithmaxwell.com
Blog: http://wickecozyauthors.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdithMaxwellAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/edithmaxwell
GoodReads Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826191.Edith_Maxwell
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Edith-Maxwell/e/B001HQ0XU8
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/edithmaxwell/

Since I’m a fan of both historical fiction and cozy mysteries, I jumped at the chance to read and review Called to Justice by Edith Maxwell.  While I have not read Delivering the Truth, the first book in Ms. Maxwell’s A Quaker Midwife Mystery series, I was able to read and enjoy Called to Justice on its own.  If you enjoy historical fiction, know nothing about the Quaker way of life, or just like cozy mysteries, this is a book you will undoubtedly enjoy.

Ms. Maxwell does a very good job introducing her primary character, Rose Carroll, straight from the start.  A single twenty-six year old single woman living in Amesbury, Massachusetts, Rose is both a Quaker and a mid-wife.  This is important to the story as it explains why Rose is what I would have considered a “liberated” woman ahead of her time.  She has a career of her own, lives with her widowed brother in law and his children, and is free to mingle in society on her own, unlike many women in other parts of the country at the same time.  She’s smart, attractive, and fervently believes in the equality of all men.  She’s a true Northerner. 

When a young woman she knows through her niece requests her assistance, Rose is quick to volunteer to help her, even as she discovers the young woman is pregnant and unmarried.  When the young woman is killed a few hours later, and a free black man she is friends with is accused of the crime, Rose knows she must get involved and prove his innocence.  Her willingness to help, or interfere as some people look at it, is both a testament to her Quaker religious beliefs and her intelligence.  I really liked Rose’s character and rooted for her from the start, even though there were a few times I had to re-read sections because of her speech patterns, which were mostly due to the historical and Quaker nature of speech at the time.

The secondary characters are also well developed and I enjoyed getting to know David, a young local doctor Rose is in love with, though he doesn’t share her faith, and her niece Faith, who is a lovely young woman.  The mystery is well written and is also well paced.  There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, though I will admit that I had a suspect chosen within the first two chapters – I won’t tell you if my choice is right or wrong and let you make your own choices when you read the story.  Ms. Maxwell’s voice as an author is well developed and enjoyable.

Will Rose be able to identify the identity of the killer?  Will anyone else die before Rose can solve the young woman’s murder?  And will her romance with David continue or run into a major problem?  You’ll have to read Called to Justice to find out, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book in this series.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns

FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley.  The review is my opinion, and my opinion alone, of the reading material provided.

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