However, the adventure elements are far more prominent. The author doesn’t like people who trivialize the things women enjoy. She only takes offense when people use ‘Romance’ as a derogatory term. Even though she technically writes historical fiction, her publisher’s decision to categorize her books under the romance umbrella doesn’t bother Donati. To her surprise, not only did she secure a publisher, but the first book sold well. She finally sat down to write her first novel, unaware of what would happen once she finished it, if it would sell, or whether it would sit in her drawer forever. Donati was also tempted to write adventure stories fronted by strong female characters. The people that populated her academic setting held a low opinion of fiction.īut the author had an interest in frontier stories that she couldn’t shake. But eventually, Donati’s dissertation pulled her back to Austria.Īs a young scholar, it never occurred to the author that she would write novels for a living. She left for a spell to finish her undergraduate degree. She stuck around for a year to teach grade school. Initially, a stint at a teacher’s college took the author to Austria. Eventually, her interest in the subject reached a fever pitch, driving her to pursue linguistics in graduate school. And clearly demonstrate that fake news is certainly NOT a new phenomenon.She remembers moving to Austria and realizing that people in Switzerland spoke a variety of German, which differed from the German people saw in books.Īdditionally, Donati noticed the discrimination that language created. It was interesting how the author mixes newspaper clippings and other documents and reports into her narrative. And the book is a skillfully-constructed mystery. All of this makes for a compelling read, all 650 pages of it.
There’s kidnapping, drug addiction, sexual abuse, mental illness, and a notorious court case. Beyond missing persons, it touches on midwives, including Anna and Sophie’s own cousin. There are growing complexities to the case. As does a young student physician, Elise, who is being mentored by the two Savards.
I don’t want to give much away but both Anna and Sophie get involved. Some are pool immigrants others are among New York’s elite. The mystery begins with Jack and his partner Oscar working on several disappearance cases - primarily young women. And the orphaned children Rosa, Lia, and Tonino make a reappearance. And there’s still plenty of prejudice against women who practice medicine. Anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock is still obnoxiously fighting to impose his vision of decency on the city. And Sophie, newly widowed, is just returning from an extended stay in Europe. Anna is happily settled in with her police detective/husband, Jack. Cousins and doctors, Anna and Sophie Savard, are once again the central characters.
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