There’s a fine line between verisimilitude and a textbook, and Trent crosses it. My main problem with Trent’s novel is that you might mistake it for a primer on Victorian funeral practices. What’s more, her husband develops serious social ambitions that come between them. When she investigates a series of suspicious deaths, there is someone to stymie her at every turn. She was trained by her husband in a field where women are unheard of. Meanwhile, in Lady of Ashes, by Christine Trent (Kensington), we find Violet Morgan, an undertaker in Victorian-era London. We learn something of the political turmoil, but it’s done with a light hand, and it never overpowers the story. Since this tale takes place during an era of civil unrest involving the conflict between the Parliament and the King of England, there is a strong historical subtext that wraps around the main, fictional yarn. Unfortunately, her attempts to free her friend bring her into conflict with the local political establishment. However, Bridget is convinced of her innocence. It’s clear that midwifery is a tough job, both emotionally and physically.īridget’s friend Esther Cooper is accused, and then quickly convicted, of poisoning her husband. And if the woman didn’t reveal the name of the father, she was subject to whipping. For example, midwives of that period were required by law to forcibly examine any unmarried woman if someone thought she was pregnant. Hers is a traditional woman’s occupation, but one that comes with obligations unheard of today. In The Midwife’s Tale, by Sam Thomas (Minotaur), widowed Lady Bridget Hodgson is a midwife in mid-17th-century York, England. Reflecting changes in society, mystery writers have expanded their venues from the days when books cast female protagonists as teachers or nurses. But one of them works much better than the other.

Both of these historical mysteries focus on women with strong professional lives.

The Midwife's Tale by Sam Thomas