"Dear Lord, grant me wisdom. Give me strength. Show me who is committing such heinous acts. And stop any more from happening. Help me. Help me. Help me." (p. 178)

Author Liz Tolsma has written a chilling tale of a serial killer of the worst kind: a wife and mother who killed her husband, several children, and other family members, apparently to benefit from their life insurance policies. The Green Dress would seem to be the product of  an author's active imagination but it is actually based on the true criminal case of Sarah Jane Robinson, a woman who killed eight people over a course of five years before she was finally stopped. Tolsma weaves the historical aspects of the Robinson case into a fascinating story that has two fictional characters trying to discover just what is happening in this household. Harriet Peters and Dr. Michael Wheaton are the people who begin to suspect that these illnesses, and eventual deaths, might be more than just coincidence or a family curse. 

Tolsma offers a tantalizing glimpse of the sick mind behind such unthinkable acts and even though the details of the illnesses and deaths are disturbing, this story has so much more.  Readers are also given a message of faith, hope, and the sweet promise of a happy future for Michael and Harriet. The Green Dress is an intriguing combination of fact and fiction and a wonderful addition to the True Colors True Crime series. I recommend it to all who enjoy historical Christian romance and I especially enjoyed how Tolsma used the green dress in the title to create another shocking revelation to this story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via NetGalley. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

This is a clean read. Very suspenseful and enjoyable and a somewhat quick read. Good for a cool weekend read.

As in the other True Color Books. This one is a bit creepy and a page turner. How does a green dress play in a horrible crime? Read the book!

This series based on true crimes has been hit or miss for me. They are all interesting because they are based on historical happenings many of which I’ve never heard of. Unfortunately, The Green Dress was more of a miss for me. I felt like it was slow and repetitive and therefore it didn’t hold my interest.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I"m so glad to have found this series of Christian fiction.  I always enjoy learning about little known parts of history.  The Green Dress however has not been my favorite of the True Colors series.  It was an enjoyable read, but the identity of the villain and the green dress were things I had figured out very early on. 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I always try to figure out why the name of the book. This book is one of those books that is not revealed until the end.

Harriet’s friend is very sick. Her illness is very suspicious, she is young, and it came on very sudden. Others in the family get the same disease. Harriet and the new doctor is trying to figure out what is going on. Will they find out what it is before it is too late? Read the Green Dress to find out.


 
I received a complimentary copy of the

Wow! Exciting, fast paced, riveting! I had to hurry and finish because it was so good. One of my favorites in the True Colors series.

This series has been great! Thrilling stories that bring dark history to live leaving on the edge of the seat. Sad that these crimes actually happen but glad we can learn from them.

This author can seamlessly weave true crime facts into a well written, suspenseful, and enjoyable story.  The story took hold of me and gripped me in its powerful tale so much I couldn't put it down. The characters were developed in a natural, detailed manner that really made them come alive for me. This is an expertly told story and was both engaging and entertaining for me. 
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own voluntary opinions.

I’ve really been enjoying this series of little heard of historical crimes. However this one while entertaining enough wasn’t an edge of my seat read for me. I knew who the criminal was early on and was not surprised at the purpose of the green dress. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book was hard to put down.  Liz Tolsma's writing was good and held my interest right from the start.  However, the fact that the story was true bothered me.   I kept wanting to shake sense into Harriett.  I would have been out of that house as soon as I began to suspect murder instead of illness.  It never ceases to amaze me what people do to each other.  There is truly evil in this world.

I have really been enjoying the books in this series of fiction based on true crimes...however strange they may be.    The Green Dress is another book that makes the reader wonder how in the world someone can commit a crime like this??    The author takes the crime and adds a story to it that resonates with the reader in a personal and heartbreaking way.   When members of a family begin having strange symptoms that lead to a gruesome death, a friend of the deceased daughter, Harriet Peters, moves into the family home to fulfill a promise to care for the younger two children in the house.  Her friendship with Dr. Michael Wheaton brings him into the house where he begins to have suspicions as to the cause of death., and his fear for Harriet is real. Following the details, the investigation, and the character’s dilemmas throughout leads to a very interesting read.  As always, the addition of the true facts and statistics at the end of the story help the reader to truly understand the scope of the crime.  I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and  Barbour Publishing in return for an honest review, which this has been.   #NetGalley #TheGreenDress

Fiction based on True Crime stories.  Knowing that it was based on a true story... This one had me wondering how many family members would have to die before we got to the end and they were caught!  This was a "didn't want to put down" book for me. This series is one I definitely want to keep reading!
I was gifted a copy. No review was required, my review is voluntary.

4.5 stars - This is probably my favorite book that I've read from the True Colors series so far! The story is gripping and haunting, especially when you consider it's based on real-life events.

'The Green Dress' takes us to late 19th century Boston, where a tragedy repeatedly visits the Robinson family in the form of a mysterious illness that's taking the lives of otherwise healthy people. Seeking help, Harriet Peters (a close friend of the Robinsons') calls on young Dr. Michael Wheaton to diagnose the problem. When what Dr. Wheaton discovers threatens to destroy the lives of the Robinson family, Miss Peters, and even his own reputation, it's a race against time to find out "who done it" and "why" before another family member falls ill.

As always, big thank you to Barbour Publishing and #NetGalley for the digital copy of this book!

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK 

This is really a terrifying read, to say the least. Harriet love the Robinson family as her own, and she can’t figure out why so many family members were dying, and all with the same mysterious illness. And bringing in the new neighbor Dr didn’t sit well with Mrs. Robinson, or the old retired Dr. Beers.

I have read a few books by Liz Tolsma and like her writing very much so I was happy to be able to review her new book. This author is good at her writing. She is able to tell a gripping tale that will grab your heart and keep it for a while. Just as it was with The Green Dress. So much loss. So much heartache and hurting. These characters were so well crafted, each one telling their part of the story so well. If I have to pick a favorite it is the strong and courageous Harriet, with a heart of gold. Michael was new, not well known but trust worthy. Dr Beers, I don’t know about him, and Mrs.Robinson, heartless mean and kinda weird! Of course this is just my opinion.

As horrible as this story was, with it’s fantastic and expert writing, author Liz Tolsma weaves the story together and gives an ending that was just the right ending. To me is was a wow moment. I was in awe of the entire book when I finished! If you enjoy historical reads, i highly recommend this book to anyone!!

A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Absolutely unbelievable! If you read a book this year, this story I recommend. Once you begin reading, you won't soon forget the contents of a terrible tragedy! Can it be stopped? If so, how? 

As this story opened, I wasn't only captured from the first page, I was transported back to the 1800's along with the characters; back in time. My heart went out to these people as I read and they relived what happened. Truly amazing characters! Even the title was a mystery. I didn't know what to think when I saw the title. THE GREEN DRESS, by Liz Talsma. I was intrigued to the last page. 

As the plot thickened, and the farther I read into the story, things started happening much faster. Will Harriett Peters help to solve this mystery, or will the mystery wind her deeper into its evil web, alone? How can she stop it?  Is there someone willing to help her? If so, how can she fight something if she doesn't believe what is going on around her? Wonderful writing skills from truly an amazing author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

What immediately stood out to me was the delightfully creepy, gothic vibe. There was this cloak of despondency, mystery, and tension hovering over the entire story, though there was a thread of hope throughout, which created this spine-tingling vibe that enhanced the gothic tone. I loved the mysterious phantom illness that plagued the entire family. This kept me invested throughout. The leading lady’s heart for children and the downtrodden was exquisite and beautiful. We need more folks with such rich depth in this world.

It's not very often that I get so engrossed in a book that I sit down and read during the day when I have other things I should be doing. It's even less often that my heart starts racing as I read, because of what might be coming next. The Green Dress did both of those things to me. This was quite the story.
Harriet was horrified that her best friend Lizzie Robinson was suddenly deathly sick, just as her father and several other family members had been over the course of the past few years. What was going on? They had been very healthy, and then suddenly fell ill, dieing within a short time. Could Harriet do anything to get to the heart of the matter? Would the new young doctor in town be able to help the Robinson family? 
I thought I knew, within the first few chapters of the book, what was happening, and soon figured out why. It took the doctor much longer to put the pieces together, and even longer for Harriet to figure it out and accept it. Then, near the end, I was afraid that the worst would happen—that's when I really couldn't put the book down! It got more intense than most of the books I read. 
This is the third book in the True Colors series. These books tell the stories of true crimes in America's past. I have not read them all, so can't recommend them, but if you like that kind of story, you will like this one. I enjoyed the way the author slowly revealed more and more of what was happening, and the real character of the villain, although I could hardly stand the way Harriet couldn't see the truth. This story does really show how a person can be manipulated by another person, though. Liz Tolsma is an expert at writing a mystery, and I'll be watching for more of her books. I liked the way she showed Harriet growing in her faith in God throughout the story. Faith was woven in very naturally as events unfolded.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

This story was something else. I was drawn in quickly and there was no looking back. What I suspected was accidental deaths due to arsenic in green dye during the Victorian Era became something much more sinister. I was able to grasp who was killing early on and why, but was still pulled in by the story and waiting to see how it all played out. The evil depicted in this book was depicted in such a way that I almost hoped I was wrong about who did it. 

Harriet was a strong character who was fiercely loyal which became both good and bad. Michael was a persistent doctor who was looking for the truth. Together they were a well-matched couple and drove the romance side of the story very well. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book and this is my true review.

From the very beginning of the book, I liked Harriett.  Her backstory was intriguing and seeing that she had risen above her circumstances to succeed offered hope.  I felt her struggle throughout the book between keeping her promise to her friend and wanting to hold on to the one area where her life was her own.  I anticipated who the killer was early on within the story.  I was curious, however, to see if I was correct or if there would be a twist near the end.  I did struggle though with sticking with the book.  There wasn't much action, or even any kind of hook that kept me wanting to turn the pages.  I felt that the romance between Harriett and Michael could have been fleshed out a bit more.  I did gasp though when the purpose of the green dress was revealed in the end.  While this one missed the mark for me, I think the remainder of the reviews show that not every book is for every reader as others have clearly enjoyed it.  If you like true crime and don't mind if the story is a bit predictable, give this one a shot.  I have enjoyed the series overall.