If you think word of mouth doesn’t work – think again. The rave reviews everywhere I looked caused me to pick up this book and give it a try. I am so glad I did. What an adventure! ~Sheila

Martha Ballard is a midwife and a healer. One day in Maine, Martha is requested to come and examine a body of a man found frozen in the river. Martha knows this man well as he had been documented in her well kept daily journal as a suspect in a rape. But it is 1789, and Martha’s documentation needs a lot more to make this accusation ring true.

As fingers are pointed and stories told of what not only happened to cause the body to be found in the river, but details of incidents in the days prior to the death that can bring a number of things to light.
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The heart of this story really falls into Martha’s incredibly detailed documentation of her whereabouts and visitors – it is a rare for a women of this day and age to read or write and Martha has the ability to do both.

The book was just as engaging as others in my circles were saying it was. As the details come to light I found myself reaching for this one every chance I had to inch my way towards the truth – and when it does come out, its so worth the wait.