The Doctor’s Daughter – Journey to Justice
The Doctor’s Daughter follows Kate Seaver as she attempts to prove her father’s death – a gunshot wound to the chest – was not a suicide because of bad business decisions; it cost the family their livelihood, their dignity and their home. The ‘doctor’ is her mother, who disbelieves the murder theory, and it is her abilities as an experienced doctor of herbal medicine that keep things going. Eighteen-year-old Kate is determined to see that her father’s murder is avenged. Her search for justice leads her on an interesting path through life in Civil War America in the 1860s.
Leaving her best friend, a quiet country boy, behind, Kate seizes an opportunity for aid in her quest when the son of a powerful and wealthy man takes an interest in her.
The research seems meticulous – for readers who primarily enjoy the depth of detail in a novel, the book will delight; for plot-driven readers, perhaps not so much. I found the narrative a little slow to get going, but I am glad I continued because there are several plot twists and turns in Kate’s narrative, and the characters are well written. Ms Blackburn writes well and has a lovely sense of humour. (I liked the fact that a horse was called ‘Belle’, after the author perhaps?)
Possibly some of the red-herrings were overdone and some plot twists slightly unbelievable – but this is an imaginative story intended to be read with enjoyment, not with strict analysis. My only slight grumble is that the end is left somewhat hanging – presumably because there is a sequel?
