Judge Thee Not Releases!

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Edith here, so happy that Quaker Midwife Mystery #5 is now in the hands of readers!

Here’s the blurb: No stranger to judgmental attitudes in her small town, 1880s Quaker midwife Rose Carroll is nonetheless stunned when society matron Mayme Settle publicly snubs Rose’s good friend Bertie for her nontraditional ways. When Mrs. Settle is later found murdered—and a supposed witness insists Bertie was spotted near the scene of the crime—the police blame her. Rose is certain her friend is innocent, and she enlists the help of a blind pregnant client—who’s endured her own share of prejudice—to help her sift through the clues. As the two uncover a slew of suspects tied to financial intrigues, illicit love, and an age-old grudge over perceived wrongs, circumstantial evidence looms large in small minds, and Rose fears her friend will soon become the victim of a grave injustice—or worse. 

This is the first Rose Carroll book to come out since Midnight Ink – the previous publisher – folded, stranding me and so many other fabulous authors, including Wicked Julie. I’m really pleased with how Beyond the Page Publishing welcomed my series, gave it a good edit, and followed the look and feel of previous covers.

Those who follow this series know full well that postmistress Bertie is a lesbian, and she’s directly attacked for it in this book. Amesbury was filled with immigrants in the late 1800s, so we also see even recent immigrants like Irish police detective Kevin Donovan looking down his nose at the newer arrivals from places like Poland. Finally, you’ll read about attitudes of the era toward those with deafness or blindness. Pop over to the fabulous Jungle Red Writers blog today, in fact, and hear about my research on the blind and my role model for pregnant interpreter Jeanette Papka.

I’m glad I could address the issue of prejudice against the disabled, against immigrants, and against those whose sexual orientation is not that of the mainstream culture. Alas, these are still issues today.

Thank you for helping me celebrate the release of my nineteenth novel!

I’m just wrapping up the first draft of Quaker Midwife #6, and I am under contract for at least one more after that. I’ll happily send a signed copy of Judge Thee Not to one commenter here today (US only).

Readers: Share what you know about attitudes toward “the other” in the late nineteenth century. Or just say hi!

Published by Edith Maxwell

Agatha Award -winning author Edith Maxwell writes the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page) and short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Dot and Amelia Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries series, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries (all from Kensington Publishing). She lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and cat Martin, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

61 Thoughts

  1. Congratulations! It so exciting to see your hard work come to fruition. May there be many more wonderful projects in the future!

  5. Congrats on your release. I find your books to be interesting and educational. Beautiful cover.

  6. Congratulations Edith. A FB friend shared the news of your release and your book looks intriguing. So, wondering if I should start with the first in the series or just take the plunge and start with this new one?

    1. Thanks so much, Ruth. The books are written to stand on their own, so you can jump in with Judge Thee Not. It is a series, though, and some prefer to start with book one – Delivering the Truth, in this case.

  8. Congratulations Edith! How funny (not really) that a son of an Irish immigrant would look down his nose at another immigrant. Those attitudes have sadly been around for a long time, among many people, I guess.

  9. Congratulations on the release of “Judge Thee Not”!

    Can’t wait to read more about Rose Carroll as well as Bertie and Kevin. Thank you for the great opportunity to win a copy of your new release!

    From my understanding, the attitude on “the other” during that time frame was extremely harsh. There was no middle ground or grey areas. I believe that is why people were so secretive. Once it became public knowledge then there was awful prejudices and repercussions including violent acts upon those seen as as “different”. We’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

  10. Happy book release day, Edith! JUDGE THEE NOT sounds so good. My son, sister, and cousin are all teachers of the blind, so it looks like I’ll be doing some early Christmas shopping.

  11. I agree with the other commenters – unfortunately, people deemed as “the other” have been unfairly judged since the beginning of time and clearly it remains an issue even in 2019. Thanks for writing a book that reminds us about the importance of loving one another, despite our differences. I’d love a copy, given the fact that apparently I have some Quaker roots!

  15. Prejudice comes from ignorance and fear of rejection. Once someone gets to know an “other”, prejudice diminishes. Books like yours help pave the way. Thanks for being willing to take on the tough topics and present them in an entertaining way.

    Looking forward to reading Judge Thee Not.

  19. Congrats on your newest release 🎉📚. I’ve been meaning to start this series and your new release is just the kick start I needed. Just went on the library website and ordered in the first two books. Renee

  20. Hi Edith! Our local library is remodeling so no telling how long they will be closed. 😕 At least this is during the many doctor appointmen appointments so doesn’t depress me as much. 😊 I would love to start this series . Reading the blurb and knowing you write very well about tough issues helps push this series up on my TBR list! Have a magical week!

  23. Pingback: Judge Thee Not Releases! — The Wickeds – Three Rivers Novelties

  24. This book sounds wonderful, Edith. I’m really looking forward to it!

    This is not from the 1800’s, but my cousin, born in 1950, had epilepsy. My aunt was a nurse, and she should have known better, but they kept Betty segregated to prevent her from being exposed to ridicule during her seizures. We started out in school together since she was less than a year older, but they took her out at the end of second grade, once she made her First Communion, and she was homeschooled for years. I’m saddened when I remember how she was babied, and sheltered, and kept from having friends for a long, long time. It affected her in so many ways, to the point where she was treated as “retarded”; nowhere was that more true than socially. Betty never went to high school, and worked at Goodwill until my aunt died, when she went to live in a group home.

  25. Thank you for the chance one day hopefully things will change for the better. Being Prejudice is wrong. We have a ways to go yet.

  26. When I was on a tour of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, our Austrian guide made derogatory remarks about some Italians in a restaurant. I never thought of that kind of prejudice. Congratulations on your new book.

  28. I can’t wait to read this series – and since this one is new, my library doesn’t have it yet so sure would love to win – thanks for the chance

  31. Super Congrats! I’ve only read 1 book in this series, but love it and am looking forward to this one (I totally love the cover!). I like the fact you address the tough issues in your books. nani_geplcs(at)yahoo(dot)com

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