The Last Midwife
Gracy Brookens has delivered hundreds, if not thousands, of babies over her decades as a midwife. However, modern times are coming to Colorado’s mountains in 1880, and a doctor has taken up residence in the mining town of Swandyke. Gracy, feeling the weight of decades, is wondering whether it’s time for her to retire, even though she’s the last midwife in the region, and doesn’t believe that women will confide in the inexperienced Little Dickie – I mean, Dr. Richard Erickson.
Then, Gracy is accused of murdering a newborn infant in revenge for her husband’s firing from his job at the gold mine. Gracy has heard more than her share of childbirth confessions, and some truths just can’t stay hidden from experienced eyes, so she knows that there’s a dilly of a cover-up behind the little boy’s birth – and death. Revealing the truth could save her from jail or the gallows, but Gracy has never betrayed a confidence.
Secrets and suspicions abound in Swandyke, and Sandra Dallas does a terrific job of sorting them out in The Last Midwife, saving the best twist for last. Ms. Dallas is no stranger to the New York Times best seller list, and The Last Midwife may well take her there again. It’s fast-paced and clearly told; the reader becomes part of Gracy’s world. I loved this story, and it is highly recommended.
