The Last Midwife

Sandra Dallas is one of my must read authors.  I am quick to recommend her to friends, and feel like her books would be fun to discuss at book clubs.  Like Jodi Picoult she is often able to put a little twist in her story that I can't see coming.

Gracy Brookins is a midwife in the late 1800s in the small mining town in Colorado where she and her husband live.  Most women would prefer to use her services than those of the doctor who is new to town, but times are changing and there as Gracy is getting on in years, there isn't anyone to take over her practice.

When the baby of a prominent family dies, Gracy is accused of the murder since she is the one who was called to help him before his parents found him dead in his cradle.

Gracy has been a dependable and trustworthy member of the community for years- and has seen the privates lives of many families as she helps womenfolk through the childbirthing process.  Despite this, the suspicion that is cast on her has people looking twice at Gracy and her skill as a midwife.

As the trial begins, proving Gracy's innocence is difficult. Gracy refuses to share information she has acquired while on midwife calls that may help her prove she is innocent, if that information will hurt the women she has treated.

Dallas does her usual wonderful job of recreating life in Colorado long ago.  The Last Midwife was suspenseful to the very last page.