Liz Tolsma is a wonderful author and does a great job taking a true crime and creating a Christian fiction novel. I believe from her notes she kept to the facts as much as possible. I had a hard time getting through the novel, at no fault of the author's but more because of the plot of the book. If you are interested in true crime stories this is a must-read for you.

The Green Dress by new to me author Liz Tolsma was a very well written and wonderful story. The story is seen through the eyes of Michael and Harriet Robinson and centers on a true crime tale. Although I am not a big fan of the sleuth genre, I have lately taken to reading mysteries that have very nice twists and turns and this story had plenty of them. I had a hard time figuring out who did the crime and when I thought I knew...the story took me somewhere else. My enjoyment of good historical fiction is what let me to want to read this story. Will I continue with the series, I am not sure at this point. Again, very nice story that will hold your attention.

Thank you Netgalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

4-Stars

With perfect pacing, a suspense unfolds that kept me up at night turning pages. This 1886 true crime fiction is a story that is hard to believe, yet it really happened. The characters were well crafted and the villain was hinted at but disguised. A bright spot in the story is a romance between two young people with good hearts. There are also lessons of faith in regards to dying, death and heaven that were nicely added. Tolsma is a wonderful story teller and the Green Dress is a great addition to The True Color Crime Series and I am looking forward to the upcoming books in the series. I received a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Very good historical fiction. I had never heard of the Robinson family or these events. Until I completed the book I hadn't really thought about this actually being a true story. As I was reading, it was just another serial killer except during the 1800:s. It holds your interest even though you can guess who the culprit is and the reasons for the deaths. Sometimes you wanted to shake some sense into several of the characters for not listening or following through to get help or following sound advice. Amazing that police had to be prodded to investigate after 3 or 4 similar deaths. The cover blurb gives an adequate description of the story so I will just say it is a quick interesting read.
I received this book as a complimentary of without any obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a nice little mystery. It caught my attention from page one and kept my attention to the end. At times I did feel annoyed with Harriet. I kinda wanted to shake her and make her listen to Michael. I enjoyed the story. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

If you're a fan of true crime books, you'll want to check out this book and series. I've read all the books in this series. Some I've enjoyed more than others, and this was one of them.

There's murder, suspense, and a bit of romance. The Christian message is present, but it's not overwhelming. The ending wasn't a surprise to me, but it was still an enjoyable read. There were a few twists, and the characters were interesting. I really enjoyed the author's note.

While I love the cover I read another book in the series and they are darker than I expected so this isn't a book for me. The series is wonderful for crime geeks!

A thrilling adventure that keeps you longing for more, I love how well written this book was an how it is based on historical events.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning! I ended up staying up too late reading this! I had kind of suspected what was going on and who was doing it. I have really enjoyed reading these true crime stories that are still Christian Fiction. I really enjoyed this book!



I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Another excellent addition to the series. Historical fiction/true crime is such a great choice for storytelling since it gives the author a framework in which to teach as well as entertain. This story does both very well. Strong character development bring to life a good tale.

Characters were believable and likable, and the dialogue flowed well. The book was just long enough, not drawn-out. I liked this author and look forward to reading more of her work.

This book took me completely by surprise! I have read a couple of books by Liz Tolsma and I know what a great author she is. This book is it is based on a true story. Of course, Tolsma took license with the storyline but in most respects, she portrayed everything accurately. It was so annoying at certain points. I felt it was obvious who was committing the crime and who the next victims would be. But I was drawn into the storyline. Of course, everything was obvious. Except how they did it and the significance of the green dress. As I would read and the green dress would be mentioned, I would wonder why that dress was so important. But I never really worried too much about it. I was just waiting to see which victim was going to be taken next. I like reading about the late 1800s and how society worked. This particular story would never happen during our time. It just goes to show how easy it was for people to commit murder and actually get away with it! The characters are well-written, the storyline is entertaining and the religious aspects are appropriate. The Green Dress is not preachy nor is it scary. It is simply very entertaining! I highly recommend this book especially if you like a good murder story. I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

The Green Dress by Liz Tolsma is Christian Historical True Crime. It is the latest book in the wonderful Christian True Crime series published by Barbour. A story of death and murder in a family with constant danger, suspense and a clean romance. This book has a strong Christian message of hope in this life and promise of the life to come. I found the murder plots simple, with an expected ending but not knowing exactly who was involved kept it exciting. The characters were somewhat unusual and each had their own interesting stories to tell. The Author’s note is excellent and reveals even more of the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 4 Stars

I requested a free NetGalley preview copy of this novel, which is another new installment in True Colors, Barbour's Christian historical fiction true crime series. Like the others I have read and reviewed in the series, this novel is suspenseful and engaging. My main metric for judging historical fiction is whether it interests me enough to make me want to go study the real story behind the novel or gives me something new that I didn't know before...and this one does. (The history of life insurance policies -- who knew it would ever be interesting enough to research without a school assignment attached to it?!)

Different authors contribute to this series, but from what I have read so far, they follow a pattern of heavily basing the plot on a real crime and real people, but they insert an extra character as a pair of eyes for the reader to experience the story. In this case, Harriet is a young woman who has been brought into the Robinson family in her time of need, which gives her an up-close and personal view of the mysterious deaths occurring, each just a few months apart. The clues are pretty obvious throughout the story; it is not a surprising plot twist situation, but that doesn't make the story any less intriguing. I definitely found myself wanting to just scream at these poor people, "How could you not figure this out now?!?!" Of course, I had to keep reminding myself that I'm looking at it from the perspective of a 21st-century reader with 130+ years of improved forensic science techniques and lots of forensics books and TV shows available that Harriet and the doctors did not have in 1886.

There is a category of readers out there, and I certainly fell into this category as a pre-teen/young teenager, of pre-teens and young teenagers who want more than just a diet of today's YA. I was always a huge mystery reader -- Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Lois Gladys Leppard's Mandie series, you name it. When I got to middle school, I was ready for more challenging books, but not ready for some of the content in adult mysteries and thrillers. Thankfully, Mary Higgins Clark books are pretty mild on language front and the romance always stops at the very early I-think-I-like-you-so-let's-go-on-a-date-once-we-find-this-murderer stage or picks up again in a later book with the couple already married, completely avoiding any intimate scenes, so I devoured MHC novels for years! I also enjoyed reading my mom's Christian romance fiction books, especially Lori Wick's novels. With the interests and needs of a middle/high school girl, this series would have fit BEAUTIFULLY into my reading lists back then: romance + true crime + historical background = yes, please!

***Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 – 4.5 stars

Another very enjoyable book in the True Colors series, considering the subject matter. This story is based on serial killer Sarah Jane Robinson. Some artistic license is taken with the details for the story to flow, but it works. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys true crime stories, but without excess gore.

The Green Dress by Liz Tolsma is a novel based on a true story of murders that happened in Somerville MA during the 1880’s. The Robinson family appears to be a normal, Christian family. They attend church regularly and are involved in religious activities. The strange thing is that so many of the family are dying of a disease no one can identify. All have similar symptoms but where are they getting the illness and why does no medicine help?
This book is very well written and keeps the reader glued to the pages. I found it difficult to put it down. There are many suspects for perhaps foul play but will there ever be proof? I felt so much sadness as family members, who I felt like I knew, lost their lives to this mysterious illness. I wanted them all to get well as I felt very attached to them due to the excellent writing of this story. The subject matter must have been difficult for the author to write about and I believe she certainly did it justice. I give this book a well deserved 5 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

As the sixth book I’ve read in the enticing True Colors Series, this one too was a page-turner! Set in the late 1880’s, author Liz Tolsma explores the saga of tragic deaths in one particular family. Amid several plot twists, I found it difficult to predict who the bad guy was! I enjoyed the strong character of Harriet and her efforts along with young Dr. Wheaton to solve the mysterious disease that was killing them off one by one. Little Gracie and Tommy will capture your heart-strings! I promise that you’ll not be able to put this book down, and I can’t wait for the next in the series!

I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions are my own

When Harriet Peters receives word that her best friend has fallen ill and her nearing death, she rushes to the side of Lizzie Robinson's side. When Lizzie dies, Harriet feels pity for Lizzie's mother, Sarah, who has endured the deaths of her husband, her sister, her brother-in-law, and now two daughters. All in just a few years. All of the same illness. Harriet brings in a new doctor, who doesn't think everything in the Robinson household is as it seems. As family members continue to die, it is up to Harriet and Dr. Wheaton to find out what is killing the Robinsons.

The Green Dress the story of Sarah Jane Robinson, a serial killer in the Boston area in the late 1800's. This story is chilling and
disturbing. It is also well written and hard to put down.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though it was about another serial killer, it was a much lighter read than the last true crime book, The Blue Cloak (understandably dark). At the same time, it also left me with a slight feeling of unease, wondering what would be next, which I love in a good mystery novel. I felt like we learned a lot about Michael and his struggles and insecurities, but would have liked more character development of Harriet, and more story time focused on the two of them together. All in all another fun read in the True Crime series.

Wow! Another great book in the True Colors series! It is so hard believe that these things happened but as we all know truth can be stranger than fiction!!! Of course this is fiction woven around a documented crime. I felt Liz Tolsma wrote a story that will tug at your heart and will keep you interested until the last word.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.