Starred review from June 24, 2024
Woods (The Lunar Housewife) draws on a real crime spree for this excellent historical suspense novel in which three women band together to bring down a serial killer. In 1894 Minneapolis, a spiritualism craze is sweeping through the lower classes and a string of women have died under mysterious circumstances. One morning, a bruised, nonspeaking woman arrives at the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers and is given the name “Faith” by treasurer Abby Mendenhall, a progressive Quaker and fierce advocate for the institution’s residents. Faith is assigned a room with May, a teen who was driven from home after getting pregnant by a man who wouldn’t marry her. Faith’s muteness soon stirs rumors that she possesses occult powers, which, in the eyes of some Bethany residents, might account for the city’s murders. Tensions mount with news that a brothel owner who employed several Bethany girls has been found dead. When Hal, the handsome suitor courting May, reveals a dark side, she starts to fear he could be the killer, leading her to team up with Faith and Abby to ferret out the truth. Fastidious historical detail, expert suspense, and indelible characterizations combine to make this a certified page-turner. Readers will be up all night. Agent: Shannon Hassan, Marsal Lyon Literary.
August 1, 2024
A charitable residence for women in 19th-century Minnesota is at the center of a murderous mystery. The Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers offers the women who reside there a chance to begin their lives anew. When its newest resident arrives with a dirty gown on her body and vivid bruises on her neck, it causes a stir, but not a shock. The woman, who is silent even when asked her name, is christened Faith Johnson and asked few other questions. Soon, though, the home, which prides itself on the transformational impact it has on the women who live and work there, is rocked by rumors concerning the mysterious Faith. Abby Mendenhall, board treasurer for the Sisterhood of Bethany, asks Faith's roommate, May, to investigate the suspicious circumstances of her arrival. While Faith and May grow closer, the other "inmates" keep their distance from the pair. Faith is accused of being a Mesmerist, capable of convincing others to do her bidding, and Abby thinks the death and disappearances plaguing local brothels might be traced to Bethany Home's newest charge; in the newspapers, a swirl of accusations mounts against the residence's practices. As the journalists circle closer, Abby's decisions increasingly straddle the line between doing the right thing and seeming to. In the backroom of one of the local brothels, a former tenant asks her, "What did you expect me to do, anyway? Go work as a seamstress? They're paid three dollars a week now, Mrs. Mendenhall. A month's bed and board can be as much as twenty. How's a girl to live?" "How's a girl to live?" is this book's central question. Faith, May, and their peers are scrabbling for a livable future among a few meager offerings: marriage, poverty, or brothel. Each woman must consider how to do the right thing, how to create a good life, and what those ideas, once examined, truly mean. The trust that ebbs and flows among the characters is this novel's strength; the supposed suspense at its center feels muted and dry by comparison. An atmospheric turn through a real-life 19th-century scandal.
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August 1, 2024
In Minneapolis in 1894, a young woman stumbled into the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers. Like many of the other girls seeking refuge, she bore visible signs of violence--but she was also mute. Abby Mendenhall of the Sisterhood of Bethany gave her the name ""Faith Johnson"" to use during her stay. She could see the remarkable beauty underneath Johnson's bruises, and felt a moment of unease about the unwanted attention it might bring to the Home and its other residents. This book is inspired by a real Bethany Home, and some of the characters and crimes committed were real, adding depth to an already riveting read, and possibly sparking further research by readers. The novel is peppered with thoughtful and engaging characters alongside a slow reveal of disturbing crimes in seemingly innocuous conversations, making it a good, timely choice for discussion on women's bodily autonomy and the ability to live independently from a man's control. Readers of Lisa Wingate (Shelterwood, 2024) and Christina Baker Kline (The Exiles, 2020) will also enjoy this book.
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