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Book Summary and Reviews of The Midwife and the Assassin by Sam Thomas

The Midwife and the Assassin by Sam Thomas

The Midwife and the Assassin

A Midwife Mystery

by Sam Thomas

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2016, 336 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

"Sam Thomas has created one of the most unique sleuths in modern mystery fiction." -The Plain Dealer

In this thrilling new mystery from the critically acclaimed author of The Witch Hunter's Tale midwife Bridget Hodgson travels to London where she's forced into a new profession - as a spy.

It's 1649. Three years have passed since midwife Bridget Hodgson and her deputy Martha Hawkins fled York for the safety of the English countryside. But when a mysterious letter from London brings them to the capital, they are forced into service under Jonathan Marlowe, Oliver Cromwell's chief spymaster. Reunited with Bridget's nephew Will, the three seek out Parliament's enemies even as the nation awaits the trial of the King on charges of treason.

Marlowe's first mission for Bridget is to spy upon Katherine Chidley, a notorious political radical and-Marlowe fears-a potential rebel against Parliament. The more time Bridget spends with Katherine, however, the closer the two become, and when Katherine's husband Daniel is murdered, Bridget and Martha join in the search for the killer. As the two uncover Daniel's secrets, the list of suspects grows ever longer, until it includes royalists, radicals, and a figure from Bridget's past, who is equal parts mysterious and deadly. When the killer strikes again, Bridget and Martha realize that he is bent on far more than mere murder, but intends to revive the civil wars or destroy England entirely.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Thomas expertly integrates the tumult of the time into a fair-play mystery." - Publishers Weekly

"Thomas supplies an informed look at the English civil war from the viewpoint of everyday people while providing a mystery filled with red herrings and a surprising denouement." - Kirkus

This information about The Midwife and the Assassin was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Sam Thomas Author Biography

Sam Thomas has a PhD in history with a focus on Reformation England and made the leap from the tenure track into a teaching position at a secondary school near Cleveland, Ohio.

Link to Sam Thomas's Website

Other books by Sam Thomas at BookBrowse
  • The Midwife's Tale jacket
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