The Glassmaker's Wife - by Lee Martin (Paperback)

About the Book

"In August of 1844, a man named Leonard Reed takes violently ill at his home near Heathsville, Illinois, and four days later he is dead. The cause? Arsenic poisoning. The suspect? His wife, Betsey. The chief witnesses against her? A hired girl, Eveline Deal, and the local apothecary, James Logan. The evidence? Eveline claims she saw Betsey put a pinch of white powder in Leonard's coffee. Betsey Reed, a woman who dabbles in herbal healing, is know about town as a witch. As the gossip and the circumstantial evidence mount, Betsey finds herself under the shadow of a trial--and a noose. A histoical crime inspired by the true story of Betsey Reed, for fans of The Trial of Lizzie Broden and The Good Sister, Lee Martin's latest weaves a tale of a pinch of white powder, a scorched paper, a community hungry for a villain, and a young girl's first taste of revenge--but above all, of the contradictions and imperfections of the human heart"--

Book Synopsis

In August of 1844, a
man named Leonard Reed takes violently ill at his home near Heathsville, Illinois,
and four days later he is dead. The cause? Arsenic poisoning.

The suspect? His
wife, Betsey.

The chief witnesses
against her? A hired girl, Eveline Deal, and the local apothecary, James Logan.
The evidence? Eveline claims she saw Betsey put a pinch of white powder in
Leonard's coffee.

Betsey Reed, a woman
who dabbles in herbal healing, is known about town as a witch. As the gossip
and the circumstantial evidence mount, Betsey finds herself under the shadow of
a trial--and a noose.

A historical crime inspired by the true story of Betsey Reed, for fans of The Trial of Lizzie Borden and The Good Sister, Lee
Martin's latest weaves a tale of a pinch of white powder, a scorched paper, a community
hungry for a villain, and a young girl's first taste of revenge--but above all,
of the contradictions and imperfections of the human heart.

Review Quotes

Praise for Yours, Jean

"Martin creates a subtle and intricate portrait of
small-town mores and of the after echoes and reverberations, for those who've
witnessed it, of sudden, shocking violence." --Kirkus Reviews

"Based on the 1952 murder of Georgine Lyons, Martin's
latest novel explores the crime and its repercussions. ... Each of those
affected narrates her or his own perspective on the story, and the ensemble
paints a rich picture of a crime, societal expectations, and the painful echoes
in a small town that feels universal." --Booklist

"Like his highly acclaimed The Bright
Forever, Lee Martin's latest novel, Yours, Jean,
is based on a true crime. And, like that earlier narrative, a finalist for the
2006 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, the interplay of rich details and raw emotions
that Martin so masterfully unfolds in his latest novel makes you ache for the
lonely men and women he tenderly brings to life in this powerful story about a
murder and the lasting impact it has on a close-knit community." --Linda Kass, Gramercy Books

"Fantastic...Martin expertly weaves one storyline with
another, and despite the many threads and characters, all remains clear. I read
it in one sitting!...Highly recommended reading!" --Defrosting Cold Cases