Veil of Doubt

Terrible accusations against women who lack a man to give them standing are mainstays of history and literature, and Virts’s spellbinding work brings to mind related tales by Anita Shreve, Margaret Atwood, and, of course, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Emily Lloyd is a widow and childless since her children have died; the last one, Maud, was the final straw for her Reconstruction-era Virginia neighbors. She’s now accused of killing little Maud, Annie, George, and Henry, as well as her husband and aunt. What transpires is a medical and legal drama, based on a true story, that pits affable lawyer Powell Harrison against a prosecutor and a town that hates his client. It doesn’t help that Lloyd’s uncle was an outspoken abolitionist, nor that she lives next door to two mysterious sisters, one of whom is known to take gentlemen callers. But Powell just might be able to free Emily using his wiles and openness to scientific methods of finding the truth, both of which contribute greatly to creating an excellent read.