Review by Booklist Review
Dillsworth's (Theatre of Marvels, 2022) Victorian gothic novel delves into injustice as a former slave master uses a Black doctor to help him seek absolution for his past crimes. Hester Reeves feels a sense of dread as she approaches Tall Trees for her new position as doctoress to Gervaise Cherville. Little does she know that her dark family history is deeply entwined in this place. Cherville hires Hester not only to treat his deathbed ailments but also to help him locate two formerly enslaved women who escaped his household, so he can financially compensate them. Hester questions his motives, but with the salary he is offering her, she cannot turn the job down. Her other motivation is to get her sister Willa away from a rogue bachelor, who happens to be Cherville's son, before Willa gets in over her head. Hester's search leads her to find secrets that, once exposed, could have life-altering effects not only for those women who ran away but for herself and her family history. With haunting imagery, Dillsworth delivers a fast-paced story of overcoming familial treachery, racism, and social inequality.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dillsworth (Theatre of Marvels) delivers a crisp Victorian gothic about a former slave owner and the Black doctoress who treats him on his deathbed. In 1833 London, Hester Reeves worries about her younger sister, Willa, after she catches the eye of wealthy rogue Rowland Cherville. Hester begrudgingly agrees to treat Rowland's father, Gervaise, for the enormous salary of £10, enough to move her and Willa somewhere safe from Rowland. Because Hester regularly treats sex workers, she recognizes that Gervaise has syphilis. Sensing he's near death, he confesses to Hester that he made his fortune from plantations in Honduras and that he wishes to atone for his sins. He then charges Hester with finding two women, Aphrodite and Nyx, who were enslaved on one of his plantations many years earlier and later worked as servants in his London house until they ran away, so he can make amends. When Hester learns there was a third woman who left the house with Aphrodite and Nyx, she begins to question Gervaise's motives. Much of the plot is predictable, but Hester is a heroine worth rooting for, and her search leads to the discovery of some surprising connections between her family and the women who escaped. Historical fiction fans will be pleased. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young Black woman in 19th-century London takes a job as a dying white man's nurse and becomes an amateur detective. In 1833, Hester Reeves arrives for the first day of a new job at a foreboding mansion called Tall Trees. Hester is 23, a free Black woman who uses the title "doctoress" to indicate her skills as an herbalist. Up to now, she has used those skills mainly to treat the city's sex workers at King's Cross, with the support of her kind husband, Jos. Hester's mother has died, leaving her to care for Willa, her pretty and headstrong younger sister. Willa's factory job has brought her to the attention of her rakish boss, and Hester wants to move her family out of the city, farther from such temptations. So she jumps at the chance to undertake the care of the wealthy Gervaise Cherville for a month, as he settles his affairs before moving to his country estate to live out his last days. Hester's skills are suitable--Gervaise is dying of syphilis--and the pay generous enough to finance a move. She soon discovers Gervaise wants something more from her. Years ago, he brought several enslaved women from his family's plantation in Honduras to London. They escaped, but he is haunted by them and wants Hester's help to find out their fates. She proves to be a good detective, but her discovery of what happened to the women could ruin lives. Complicating the situation are Gervaise's sternly protective housekeeper, Margaret, and his son, Rowland, the very man Hester hopes to distance Willa from, who is eager to get his hands on his father's estate. The plot has some interesting turns, and Gervaise's situation as an enslaver coming to terms with his behavior has potential. But the book suffers from stereotypes and limited character development; Hester is so unfailingly upright she can come off as priggish, while Rowland is such a stereotypical villain he almost twirls a mustache. But with brisk pacing and plentiful historical detail, it's still an entertaining read. This historical novel offers an unusual situation, but the trappings of the story are not as fresh. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
