On Flashback Fridays, I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.
I reviewed Taken Too Soon last week and am thankful that I can review A Changing Light this week to sadly wrap up the series.
A Changing Light (Quaker Midwife Mysteries)
Historical Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Setting – Massachusetts
Publisher : Beyond the Page Publishing
Publication date : April 13, 2021
Print length : 173 pages
Paperback
ISBN-10 : 1954717008
ISBN-13 : 978-1954717008
Kindle
ISBN-13 : 978-1950461998
ASIN : B08TL3RCNH
In a mystery from Agatha Award-winning author Edith Maxwell, midwife Rose Carroll confronts a killer on the cusp of a new age . . .
As the nineteenth century nears an end, midwife Rose Carroll can see signs of progress and change everywhere in her Amesbury community. Adding to the excitement is the annual Spring Opening, when the town’s world-famous carriage manufacturers throw open their doors to visitors from all over the globe. This year’s festivities are tainted, however, when a representative from a prominent Canadian carriage company is murdered.
Driven by her strong sense of justice, Rose is determined to track down the killer. She has only just begun her investigation when she learns that the plans for a radical new horseless carriage have gone missing. Faced with the question of whether the two crimes are connected—and a list of suspects that includes some of Amesbury’s own residents and any number of foreign visitors—Rose has to delve into a case with implications for the future, even if the motive for murder is one of mankind’s oldest . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
We are back in Amesbury for the annual Spring Opening. It is when the town’s world-famous carriage manufacturers invite visitors from far and wide to come see their carriages and talk about plans for the future. Is a horseless carriage in the works?
This year, the event takes a tragic turn when Justice Harrington, a representative from an Ottawa, Canada, carriage company, is found murdered behind the opera house. Midwife Rose Carroll Dodge’s presence has been requested at the police station by her friend, Acting Chief of Police Kevin Donovan. She has helped him with several investigations and will help him again with this one. The investigation becomes complicated when she is informed that a set of very important carriage plans is missing. Now, she will be doing her best to see justice served and find the plans, even if it means questioning long-time Amesbury residents.
I have enjoyed this entire series so much. Rose is such a strong woman. She is a capable, well-liked, and excellent midwife. Her Quaker faith keeps her present and grounded. I have learned so much about the faith reading this series. Silent worship services and holding people in the light feel so rewarding and rejuvenating. Rose has been through a lot in seven stories, and those quiet moments serve her so well. Now married with a child on the way, there will be changes ahead.
But first, she has to solve one more murder. Acting Police Chief Kevin appreciates her insights and observations. He also knows people naturally open up to her. When clear evidence points to the killer, it sets off a chase that puts Rose in a very dangerous situation with an exciting resolution.
Daily life continues for Rose even when she is investigating. A dear friend is in her last days, women are still coming in for their prenatal care, and babies are still coming into the world. She and Dr. David Dodge are settling into married life and getting ready to welcome their own child. Tuberculosis and consumption are plaguing the area, which has brought a new doctor to town. Women still don’t have the right to vote, but the effort to secure it is ongoing. Readers can easily see the amount of research Ms. Maxwell did to bring us so many details of this time in history.
In this final installment of this wonderful series, the author includes an epilogue that brings the series to a beautiful end. I love Rose’s baby’s name, the nickname is near to my heart because it’s a family name from my past for a very special person. Also, Kevin gives the child a lovely Irish blessing, awakening my Irish ancestry with something I had heard a lot over the years: “May strong arms hold you, caring hearts tend you, and may love await you at every step.” Rose also informs Kevin of a major decision.
A Changing Light brings the series to a satisfying conclusion, but I will miss my visits to Rose and the good people of Amesbury. I want to thank Edith Maxwell and her fantastic imagination for creating extraordinary characters and placing them in extraordinary situations for all her readers to enjoy. I also want to apologize for not reading the last two books sooner, at first, due to a health issue. Then, I knew this was the last book in a series I didn’t want to end, and selfishly waited longer than I should have.
If you haven’t experienced this series, start at the beginning and read them in order. It’s a series that shouldn’t be missed.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
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About the Author
Agatha-nominated and Amazon best-selling author Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries the Cece Barton Mysteries, and Cozy Capers Book Club Mysteries (as Maddie Day), and the Lauren Rousseau Mysteries (as Tace Baker), as well as award-winning short crime fiction. Maxwell lives north of Boston with her beau and three cats, and blogs with the other Wicked Cozy Authors. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and at www.edithmaxwell.com.
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