October 2015

Sandra Dallas is a writer who never disappoints me. Each book is fresh and satisfying. With THE LAST MIDWIFE, she delivers a story set in the 1880s in Swandyke, a rural town in Colorado. Gracy Brookens is the only midwife in town; she has coached many women in the town with their births and kept tabs on them after delivery. For first-time mothers, she is a coach as much as a midwife, sharing advice and encouragement.

But things change when a baby is found dead and Gracy is suspected of murder. Shaken to the core, she plods on with her tasks, pulling herself together even as these events shatter her reputation. She knows many of the secrets in the town, and some of those secrets could be harmful if they were shared. But she must learn the truth to ensure that she can remain free.

Sandra is a beautifully descriptive writer, who draws a strong sense of character and place. She writes strong women very well, giving them enough vulnerability to be real. Mysteries lie at the heart of the story, and their careful layering makes it a read you want to stay with from the first page. I love when someone is such a strong storyteller that she is able to blend and meld to create a compelling plot like Sandra does.