Taken Too Soon Bookday!

by Posted on

Edith writing from north of Boston on my twenty-second book birthday! You heard that right, and it’s my third new mystery to release this year (with one more to follow at the end of the month – my alter-ego’s Candy Slain Murder).

Taken Too Soon is the sixth in the Agatha-winning Quaker Midwife Mysteries series featuring midwife Rose Carroll. Because of all the obstacles she and her beloved David Dodge have faced, for a while fans have been asking, “Are Rose and David ever going to be able to marry?” It’s no spoiler to tell you that yes, the book opens directly after their Quaker marriage ceremony.

But soon enough, things take a turn. Even at the lavish reception David’s mother insisted on, Rose’s maiden aunt summons Rose to Cape Cod with her new husband when Tillie’s teenage ward is found dead. Rose and David’s modest honeymoon turns into a murder investigation, with suspects including a close friend of the victim who may have harbored secret resentments, David’s estranged brother who has an unsavory reputation, the son of a Native American midwife who supposedly led the young woman astray, and a rich local Quaker. As Rose grows closer to identifying the perpetrator, the solution rattles her assumptions about her own family and faith. With the help of the local detective, Rose digs in the shifting sands of the case until the murderer is revealed.

I decided to take Rose and David down to the Cape after I discovered that the hamlet of West Falmouth was a virtual hotbed of Quakers in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

I often go on a solo writing retreat in the Quaker retreat cottage behind the Friends Meetinghouse’ graveyard, with the Meetinghouse (pictured on the book cover but oddly reclocated to the beach) and the graveyard nearly identical today to what they were then.

Cottage beyond graveyard

I researched Falmouth and Woods Hole, too, and loved poking into the history of the area.

Picture snapped of a map in the Book of Falmouth, an invaluable resource for my research

The old West Falmouth post office is now a hair salon, but the owner preserved the history.

I doubt the marshes have changed much, with the exception of the motor on the boat at the left.

And I expect the sunsets over Buzzard’s Bay haven’t, either. (By the way, this Southern California native loves to see the sun set over water – as it should.)

I hope you adore this next installment of Rose’s life. I certainly had a lovely time writing it. Today is also my friend Ellen Byron’s book birthday, and you can catch the two of us live (virtually) on the ‘Ellen and Edith Show’ at the famous Mystery Lovers’ Bookshop tomorrow night, September 9, at 7 pm Eastern. Register here.

Readers: Cape Cod? Historical fiction? Old maps? What catches your fancy? I’ll send one commenter an e-copy of Taken Too Soon!

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.

64 Thoughts

  1. I love all three, and to have all in one book is this reader’s dream. I’m excited about your 22nd book birthday!! Congratulations, Edith.

    And pass on the congrats to Ellen, as well.

  2. All three fit my cup of tea. Congratulations on your new release. I enjoy all of your books but this series is one of my favorites. Thanks for the chance to enter your giveaway.

  4. Congratulations on the book birthday for TAKEN TOO SOON!

    I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one a bit more since it is set on the Cape. I find that I’ve enjoyed a number of books that have been set on Cape Cod. This is probably because I’m so close to it myself.

  6. Congratulations on the release of TAKEN TOO SOON, Edith! Hope you enjoy your book birthday. Cheers!

  10. Congratulations on your 22nd book birthday! What a wonderful event – and congrats to Ellen, too, if she is reading the comments as I suspect she might.

    I love all three. It’s a hard trifecta to beat.

  11. I’ve never been to Cape Cod, but I love historical fiction and adore old maps. A relative has a shop in Toronto that’s full of old prints and maps. I never get enough opportunity to browse there (mostly because I’m rarely in Toronto).

    The Meetinghouse and graveyard look so peaceful…sigh.

    Congrats on the new release!

  15. Congratulations on your 22nd book birthday! An awesome achievement. 🙂

    My family ran a summer theater on the Cape for several years and I always enjoyed visiting the area and hearing the stories about the famous actors coming up from NYC.

    Looking forward to reading “Taken Too Soon.” 🙂

  16. Congratulations, Edith. I can hardly wait to read it… and to learn of Rose and David’s marriage. They were both so ready. Having the two of them sleuthing will be interesting indeed

  18. Congrats on your book birthday, Edith! I share the same book birthday as you and Ellen today 🙂 Cape Cod, historical fiction, AND old maps all capture my fancy so I’d love the chance to win a copy. Thanks!

  20. Congratulations! Quite an achievement. Great photos, love the map. I enjoy all your books and most all genres but this is an especially good pairing of historical fiction in a setting not quite as familiar as some others. Enjoy the day!

  21. Congratulations on your book birthday! As a former OB nurse, I enjoy books about midwives.

  22. My trips to the east coast have been lovely, and too brief, so I welcome a return visit via book. Your splendid research and attention to detail make it all feel real, and I can hardly wait! <3
    I worry a bit that maps will go away, with reliance on GPS, and that would be sad, as they aid in understanding where everything is and the relationships between places.

  24. All 3. So happy that Rose and David finally got married. Stay safe and well. See you and Ellen tomorrow.

  25. Happy book birthday! I love historical fiction, everything from the middle ages to WW II, especially mysteries. Love the Quaker Midwife mysteries and hope for many more!

  26. Congratulations on your Book! I love the cover and it sounds very good! I would pick all three. But, I do love old maps. They can tell a story of the past! Please, tell Ellen Happy Book Birthday too! Have a great evening!

Comments are closed.