Sam Thomas has been touring with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours since January 7 and The Midwife's Tale has garnered fabulous reviews! You can see the full schedule of stops HERE.
Publication Date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Hardcover; 320p
In the tradition of Arianna Franklin and C. J. Sansom comes Samuel Thomas’s remarkable debut, The Midwife’s Tale. It is 1644, and Parliament’s armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of York. Even as the city suffers at the rebels’ hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of rebellion. One of Bridget’s friends, Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be burnt alive. Convinced that her friend is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer. Bridget joins forces with Martha Hawkins, a servant who’s far more skilled with a knife than any respectable woman ought to be. To save Esther from the stake, they must dodge rebel artillery, confront a murderous figure from Martha’s past, and capture a brutal killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. The investigation takes Bridget and Martha from the homes of the city’s most powerful families to the alleyways of its poorest neighborhoods. As they delve into the life of Esther’s murdered husband, they discover that his ostentatious Puritanism hid a deeply sinister secret life, and that far too often tyranny and treason go hand in hand.
Read an excerpt HERE.
PRAISE FOR THE MIDWIFE'S TALE
"Thomas is a historian by profession and it shows in the wealth of detail with which he recreates the city of York amid the turmoil of the English civil war." —Rhys Bowen, author of the bestselling Royal Spyness series
"A heart-stopping page-turner coupled with a gritty and realistic portrayal of two strong and contrasting woman characters vividly depicted against the backdrop of the besieged city of York." —Cora Harrison, author of I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend
"A briskly plotted historical mystery starring a pair of brave, tenacious, intelligent women who take no prisoners and make no apologies." —Lyndsay Faye, author of Gods of Gotham
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sam Thomas is an assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Newberry Library, and the British Academy. He has published articles on topics ranging from early modern Britain to colonial Africa. Thomas lives in Alabama with his wife and two children.
Connect with Sam Thomas: WEBSITE | TWITTER | BLOG
FOLLOW THE REST OF THE TOUR
Wednesday, January 30
Review at The Bookworm
Review & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Thursday, January 31
Review at Book of Secrets
Review at Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews
Review at The Musings of ALMYBNENR
Friday, February 1
Review at Reading the Past
Review at Impressions in Ink
GIVEAWAY
Passages to the Past has one copy of The Midwife's Tale up for grabs!
Giveaway is open to US & Canada residents. To enter the giveaway, please see the Rafflecopter entry form below.
Giveaway ends on February 8th. Good luck!
I love historical mysteries and this one has a heroine in an everyday role so it sounds doubly interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I have read nothing but rave reviews for this one, so thanks for the chance to win a copy Amy!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds right up my alley! Thanks for the opportunity to Sam and Amy.
ReplyDeleteI've read about this book and am so excited to read it. The plot sounds like it is guaranteed to keep the reader on the edge of their seat!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great giveaway!
Connie Fischer
conniecape@aol.com
I read this book and it was wonderful!
ReplyDelete