Giveaway of the novel The Midwife's Tale: A Mystery

Earlier this year, St. Martin’s Press published Sam Thomas' debut novel, The Midwife’s Tale: A Mystery. The novel is set in seventeenth century England, in the midst of their civil war. It tells the story of a midwife named Bridget Hodgson as she tries to solve a murder before her friend – wrongly convicted – is executed for the crime.

I am thrilled to sponsor a giveaway of the book!

Sam Thomas wrote to me recently, explaining how he--a historian and academic--came to write a novel about a midwife: 

You might be wondering how an American man came to write about an English midwife. It’s a rather long story, so I’ll keep it brief. In a previous life, I taught history at the college level, and the focus of my research was the history of childbirth and midwifery, and I published several articles on the history of midwifery in historical journals.

When I left the Ivory Tower for high school teaching I wanted to keep writing about midwives, so I turned my hand to fiction. All of this is to say that while the book is fiction, the history is solid as can be.

I should also mention that Bridget Hodgson, the protagonist of my novel, is based on a real midwife of the same name who I discovered in the archives. I try to make clear that in the seventeenth century, the work of a midwife was broader in scope than today. Midwives not only cared for mothers and newborns, they played a vital ceremonial role in the baptisms and the (all too frequent) burials of the children they delivered.

In addition to this, midwives investigated crimes ranging from bastard-bearing, to witchcraft, to infanticide. The one constant between past and present, I think, is that the profession attracted strong, assertive women.

To enter the giveaway:

• Visit www.samthomasbooks.com, then leave a comment here about why you'd like to read this book
• For an additional entry, list your favorite fiction or non-fiction book about midwives (new comment, please)
• Giveaway open to US or Canada residents
• Giveaway ends Saturday, March 9 at 5 pm EST