A Promise of Ruin (Dr. Genevieve Summerford Mystery)

by Cuyler Overholt

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I first met Dr. Genevieve Summerford on July 31, 2016. When I met her in the pages of A Deadly Affection I became enchanted with her drive to help people, her struggle with classism and her struggle to prevent herself from falling in love, a prospect that rarely ever works in books like this, much to the delight of this reader.

I was looking forward to catching up with Dr. Summerford again this summer between the covers of A Promise of Ruin, the latest mystery in the Summerford Mystery series by Cuyler Overholt. Genevieve, or maybe by this point I can call her Gennie as Simon does, is full that same fire and determination that won me over in A Deadly Affection.

The topics touched on in A Promise of Ruin may walk a fine line for readers—sex abuse, child abuse and sex trafficking. These are not easy topics to read and Overholt doesn’t shy away from affects of the mental and physical abuse and the cultural implications of the time period which still resonate today. Although I suspect that Overholt just scratched the surface of all that could be touched on in relation to these topics. View Spoiler »

As in book one, the other characters that populate Genevieve’s world are just as real and tenacious as she is. Simon, Genevieve’s love interest, struggles with his own masculinity as Genevieve strives to forward her position and ideas in a world that traditionally does not allow women to be so outspoken. Pauline and Angela, who run a home for ‘fallen’ women, help Genevieve out immensely and show Genevieve she is not alone in trying to make the world a better place. Fo me, it was nice for Genevieve to have a connection with other women bucking tradition as sometimes it feels she is awfully alone in her crusade.

I definitely enjoyed this second installment in the Dr. Genevieve Summerford Mystery series. Overholt continues to write historical mysteries that resonate into twenty-first century. I can’t wait for my next meeting with Dr. Summerford!

This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews