Although Edith Maxwell ended her Agatha Award-winning Quaker Midwife series, she hasn’t forgotten about Rose Carroll. The Amesbury, Massaschusetts midwife is featured in most of the short stories in A Questionable Death and Other Historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries. These stories are an excellent introduction to the series, or, if you read all the novels, you can catch up with Rose.

If you read any of the mysteries, you know John Greenleaf Whittier, poet and abolitionist, was a neighbor and mentor for Rose. In the first story, “The Pursuit of Justice”, he asks the young midwife apprentice to assist when a member of the Religious Society of Friends is murdered. This is Rose’s first case after Whittier noticed that Rose has an ability to “listen, perceive, and discern”.

Each mystery tells of Rose’s love of her profession as a midwife, and there’s often a birth. But, Rose enjoys her sleuthing as well. In “Murder in the Summer Kitchen”, the discovery of a dead man in Whittier’s summer kitchen leads both Rose and Whittier to suspect that the dead man might not have been the intended victim. Rose always learns so much when she’s talking to the women about to give birth.

Rose’s postmistress friend, Bertie Winslow, has her own case, and the story featuring Rose’s niece, Faith, “A Fire in Carriagetown”, takes readers back to the first book in the series, Delivering the Truth. It’s a treat to see a little more of beloved characters from the mystery series.

Maxwell ended the series with A Changing Light. But, “The Management of Secrets” is set ten years after that last book. Fans can catch up Rose, and find out about her family after she retired from investigating. But, her friend, Kevin Donovan, now Police Chief in Amesbury, has one more case for her.

Even in her short stories, Edith Maxwell manages to skillfully develop the plots while bringing the characters to life. It’s such a pleasure to catch up with the midwife, the history of the time, and the cases. The historical mysteries always captured the time period. A Questionable Death and Other Historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries brings history to life as well.

Edith Maxwell’s website is https://edithmaxwell.com/

A Questionable Death and Other Historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries by Edith Maxwell. Crippen and Landru Publishers, 2023. ISBN 9781936363742 (paperback), 172p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent a copy, hoping I would review it.