Veil of Doubt
Adult; Mystery/Thriller; (Market)
When a mother is charged with murder in a town already convinced of her guilt, can defense attorney Powell Harrison find truth and justice in a legal system where innocence is not presumed?
Emily Lloyd, a young widow in Reconstruction-era Virginia, is accused of poisoning her three-year-old daughter, Maud. It isn’t the first death in her home—her husband and three other children all died of mysterious illnesses—so when Maud succumbs to an unexplained malady, the town suspects foul play. Soon Mrs. Lloyd is charged not only with poisoning the child but also with murdering her children, her husband, and her aunt.
Enter Powell Harrison, a soft-spoken, brilliant attorney who recently returned to his Virginia hometown to help his brother manage their late father’s practice. Approached to assist in Mrs. Lloyd’s defense, Harrison initially declines, worried that an infanticide case might tarnish their family’s reputation. But as details about the widow’s erratic behavior and her reclusive neighbors emerge, Harrison begins to suspect that an even more sinister truth might lurk beneath the family’s horrible fate and finds himself irresistibly drawn to the case.
Based on a shocking true story, Veil of Doubt is part true-crime thriller, part medical and legal procedural. Perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace and filled with rich period detail gleaned from exhaustive research, Veil of Doubt delves into the darkness of the South during Reconstruction, exposing intrigue, deception, and death.
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Prose: 9 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 8.50 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Based on true events, Virts's engaging narrative delivers a stunning portrayal of dissociative identity disorder in 1870s Virginia, through the eyes of the troubled Emily Lloyd, accused of poisoning her young daughter Maud. Added to Emily's problems are the previous deaths of most of her family, save herself and Maud, placing her squarely in the crosshairs of a unsettling trial. Virts crafts realistic courtroom scenes, believable trauma depictions, and an ending that will surprise—though several clues are dropped along the way.
Prose: Virts writes convincing prose, bolstered by more traditional dialogue that fits the novel's 19th century setting.
Originality: Virts's interpretation of dissociative identity disorder during a time in history when the diagnosis was virtually unknown is evocative, giving this historical mystery—built around a real person—a decided edge.
Character/Execution: The characters are well-drawn, with subtle depth and intricacy. Emily Lloyd is fascinating: at times empathic, at times moody, forgetful, and scatter-brained. Powell Harrison, her primary lawyer, is perhaps the most fully drawn of the cast, a good man driven by a need for justice, who continually fights the balance of his home life with his demanding court schedule.
Date Submitted: April 01, 2024
Reviews
Anthony McCarten, award-winning novelist and screenwriter
“Powerful and compelling. Her characters step off the page and into your life.” —Anthony McCarten, award-winning novelist and screenwriter, The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour, and Bohemian Rhapsody
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, bestselling author of Her Heart for a Compass
“Sharon Virts’s latest novel kept me turning pages, left me thinking about the characters long after the last chapter. Absolutely amazing.” —Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, bestselling author of Her Heart for a Compass and A Most Intriguing Lady