Writing Crime

Edith Maxwell's newest Quaker Midwife Mystery, JUDGE THEE NOT, is being released. She's answering our questions about her new book and writing.

Writers usually hate writing book summaries. Will you share with us your real book blurb or one you wish you could have used?

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.

What was the a-ha moment that made you write this story?

It was when I learned that most in the late nineteenth century still believed that deaf and blind were morons, and I wanted to address that issue. Rose’s friend Bertie, the Amesbury postmistress, is also a lesbian and lives with her lover, Sophie. They also encounter a great deal of judgment against them. In addition I was able to work in prejudice against immigrants. All of these issues, are of course, unfortunately still current.

Who is your favorite character and why?

In this book, my favorite characters is Jeanette Papka, Rose’s blind pregnant client. Jeanette, a trilingual interpreter for the court, is insightful, intelligent, and even tempered, even in the face of the prevailing attitude that disabled people like her were mentally deficient.

What is the hardest part of writing a book?

For me it’s the middle. Every single book, and I’m nearly done writing my twenty-third novel. Luckily by now I know if I keep typing, I’ll get through it!  

Were there indispensable people without whom you couldn’t have written the book?

Yes, my longtime friend and Friend (Quaker), Jeanne Papka Smith, the model for Jeanette. She has been blind her whole life, and she read the manuscript a couple of times and set me straight on a few details of living as a blind person.

Edith Maxwell writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and award-winning short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Country Store Mysteries and the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries. Maxwell, a six-time Agatha Award nominee, lives north of Boston. Find her at edithmaxwell.com, on Instagram, and at the Wicked Authors blog.