I was honored to receive a copy of this ebook from the publisher for my honest review. The introduction I read did nothing to give you a clue what this book was about. I thought it was a work of fiction, but in the end of the book I found out this story is based on an actual story! Harriet, the main character, is called from her millinery shop when she finds out her best friend is dying. Her friend requests that she help with her younger siblings when she passes. Of course Harriet agrees and agrees to stay at the house to care for the children. No one understands why the family members are slowly dying. Mrs Robinson is the head of the family and seems to put to much stock in money, but no one questions what is happening until Michael, a new dr, feels like something strange is happening, So much happens in this book! The green dress is a good name for the book!

I love this series and this book was a great addition. How can do many deaths burden one family? This story was very captivating and kept me interested from the start.
Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Green Dress by Liz Tolsma is a historical fiction and is part of The True Colors book series. Harriet Peters' only friend is Lizzie Robinson. When she gets a note to come to her home, she immediately responds. Upon arrival she finds that her friend is on her death bed. Before Lizzie's death, Harriet says that she will care for her two children, Tommy and Gracie. Her death follows several other Robinson family members who have passed away in the same household due to mysterious circumstances. When Tommy becomes ill with similar symptoms, a young doctor, Michael Wheaton comes to the home. Soon, she becomes suspicious of all the deaths.

I appreciated the author's notes at the end documenting the history behind the story. It's always interesting to me when historical facts are tied in with fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and forwarded to me through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

What a page turner!! I could not put this book down once I got started. The suspense kept building and building as I thought first one person and then another was the guilty party. I have been hooked on The True Crimes series since I read The White City…and not one of these books has disappointed. In The Green Dress, we meet the Robinson family and their young friend, Harriet Peters, and Dr. Michael Wheaton. The book is set in 1886 Boston and we find ourselves in the midst of a mystery as one by one members of the Robinson family die horrible, painful deaths. What is this strange malady and why does it only seem to affect their family? Mrs. Robinson puts her complete trust in Dr. Beers, a retired doctor of somewhat questionable character. So far there have been four deaths and then Harriet’s friend, Lizzie Robinson, falls ill…quickly followed by 8 year old Tommy. When Lizzie became ill, Harriet called in young Dr. Wheaton because she didn’t trust Dr. Beers. Dr. Wheaton is just as puzzled as everyone else as to what is causing these deaths...the symptoms don’t fit any known disease. It’s a race against time as Dr. Wheaton and Harriet try to solve the mystery of these deaths before any other family members die…or maybe even Harriet! I highly recommend this book!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

The Green Dress is a fictional story of the real life case of Sarah Jane Robinson, a widow who has lead a heart breaking life. Many of her family members have died from a similar but mysterious illness. Years ago, she took in young Harriet Peters, a runaway, and helped her get her start, so when Mrs Robinson's eldest daughter Lizzie grows ill, Harriet drops everything to assist Mrs Robinson in the care of the younger children. She feels sorry for Mrs Robinson, and also beholden to her because she'd done so much for her. When Tommy also begins to fall ill. Harriet invites her friend, Dr Wheaton to help her find out exactly what is going on in the Robinson house.

It's predictable, but it was a good read. I think the oddest thing about it to me is that it's considered Christian romantic suspense. There were moments between Harriet and Dr Wheaton, but in all I wouldn't consider this romantic. There's also very little mention of religion. I haven't read a lot of Christian Fiction, but I don't think this is what I expected from it. I would probably read more books in this series.

3.5/5
i received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review.

"The Green Dress"
By
Liq Tolsma

My first thought about this book after reading the description was can this really be a True Crime. This a great addition to the "True Colors" series. This book is a book with suspense, wonder and love. It's a page turner a very hard to put down.

The Green Dress is set in Boston in the 1880. The story is about a sinister plot to kill off family members. The author wrote a well written book. I spend a lot of time wondering what's next, who is doing it and especially when the green dress would come into the story. There were several night's that I would get up to read the book!

Favorite quote: "None of us know what life is going to bring from day to day. We just live and walk in God's Grace through it all.

I give this book a give it a 5 🌟

I will highly recommend this book to family and friends on Facebook,Bookbud, Amazon, Barnes and noble, and Goodreads.

I received this complimentary copy from Barbour and I was under no obligation to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

The Green Dress by Liz Tolsma.
Publication Date: June 1, 2020

Description from NetGalley...
“Fiction Based on Strange, But True, History.”

“When Harriet Peters came to Boston in 1882, the Robinson family took her in like one of their own, and Harriet became closer to Lizzie Robinson than her own siblings. Now, four years later, Lizzie is deathly sick, failing quickly just like several others in her family have done over the past few years. How can so many in one family die from the same mysterious illness? Harriet doesn’t have answers, but she is determined to help the family, bringing in a new-to-the-neighborhood doctor, Michael Wheaton. As Harriet and Michael close in on the answer, putting their own lives at risk, can the cause be found before anyone else dies?”

Thank you to @NetGalley #barbourpublishing #barbourbooks for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This is a Christian, True Crime, Historical Fiction book. This is my first book by this author and from the True Colors Crime series. This 1880s true crime story is fascinating in itself. The author provides some details of it at the end of the book. The story started to fall flat around the middle of the book. The characters were not as well-developed as I would have liked and there were circuitous conversations and thoughts that were used to make the plot more dramatic. It was easy to figure “whodunit,” but maybe that was the author’s intention. Overall, it’s a quick read and a chilling true crime story about how far people would go when powered by greed.

This fiction based upon true crimes series has brought to light little known tragedies from the past. In The Green Dress, readers are taken to 1886 Boston and the home of the Robinson family. Mysteriously, multiple family members are dying months apart of unknown causes.

Family friend Harriet, a young woman that ran away from her own family, provides the point of view for the story. It was fascinating. Horrible, but fascinating.

This was a very sad story, as humans are relentlessly cruel and stil,there are those that wojld protect the evil doers. Based on a true story, a few people's greed is great than any shred of compassion they hold which allows bad things to happen.
Tp this day I don't understand those that can not only cause,but sit back and watch suffering. Attempts to protect are countered fiercely, also mystifying ( but living through his administration,I guess it happens more than I imagine).
Although not without tragedy, the right things happen in the end.
A bit heavy handed with the God stuff.

Boston, 1886--members of the Robinson family keep falling ill and dying in the same way, with no known cure. When Harriet Peters, who is a close friend of Lizzie Robinson, watches her best friend die, she moves in with the family to care for the youngest members. As the illness claims another life, Harriet enlists the help of a new doctor in town, and he begins to suspect foul play. But how many more have to die before a possible murderer can be caught?

This is my favorite book so far in the True Colors series. It was well-written, the characters were real (and a little scary), and the crime was more interesting and woven into the story better than some of the others in the series (which stand-alones written by mostly different authors), while also being less gruesome than that of one of the others. I was also a lot more engaged by the romance than I was with most of the others.

From almost the very beginning of the story, I suspected who the mastermind was and turned out to be correct. In fact, it took me a while into the story before I realized the author was attempting to throw us off the trail, make us suspect others. At least, I think that's what she was trying to do. However, because the book is based on a real story, I think it might have been a bit better to make the criminal plain, at least a little, and add some excitement there. Though this being a Christian story, that might have made it too dark.

My biggest gripe isn't even all that big. The title of the book was a bit of a stretch, in my opinion. I think the green dress should have been involved a little more for it to make the title seem less like it was forced, just so this book could be in the series. I did like the payoff (and suspected that to be the case as well), but still think it could have been more woven into the story.

The book is not terribly pushy in the Christianity department. Unsurprisingly, given the subject matter, there is discussion about death and what is really required of us humans to be able to go to Heaven. There is also a theme in the later parts of the book regarding God's will, and how we can pray for healing, but sometimes God's will is for someone not to be healed in this life. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend this book for fans of Christian romance, especially the historical variety.

Captivating:
I found this haunting and scary in that it is based on a true story. The mystery and intrigue drew me in from the very beginning and I was unsure who the true perpetrator was until the very end.
Harriet was a courageous and generous soul and her dedication to those around her was admirable. Poor Michael has feelings for Harriet and when he suspects something nefarious is going on in her household he does his best to intervene. I thought the tender love story was a good counterbalance to all of the darkness and murder.
This book does offer hope in that it repeatedly shared the message that Christ has paid the price in full and those who believe in Him have assurity that they will go to heaven; that there is more to life than just what we experience here on earth.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

A chilling look at how greed darkens the heart and steals away humanity. I deeply appreciate that this series is based on true crimes and adds such an encouraging faith-based infusion of hope. While I have to admit this was not my favorite book in the series, it still offers an insightful and enlightening read. The characters felt underdeveloped and conversations felt repetitive, but the mystery behind the deaths is portrayed well. It made me thankful for people who are willing to stand up against all for the sake of justice. If you have enjoyed the series, I recommend reading this one as well. It can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone as there is no connection to previous books.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

The Green Dress really takes one by surprise. Liz has captured the absolute horror of history within the pages of this book that retells the possible story of the Robinson Family of Boston, late 1800s. Harriet had been taken in by the Robinson family when she was desperate and hadn't anywhere to go. Later she agrees to stay on as a promise to her friend, the Robinson's daughter, who had just died. Her hat business suffers as she cares for the youngest Robinson daughter. Mrs Robinson discourages them from venturing outside the walls of the Robinson home due to supposed likelihood of contamination that has been causing the deaths in the family. There is a race against time. How many more will die before the Doctors can prove that someone is guilty of multiple murders. A fascinating yet unbelievable read.

I enjoyed this book very much, even though I pretty much knew how and who quite early on. Harriet was a lovely character, who you could tell loved the family very much. Michael was the perfect person for her and quite the person to stand up and show the “bullies” he was nothing like his mother. I felt so much for Tommy and Grace and how not even the innocent was spared. Mrs. Robinson was evil as they came, premeditated and non-remorseful.

I am enjoying this series very much and this was a great addition to it. Will highly recommend to friends. Thank you for the advanced copy.

This book was so good, scary and disturbing at times, but it kept you captivated from the beginning to the end! I think the most disturbing part was that this was based on true events, how could anybody do this to another is beyond my imagination.
Harriett was such a kind and generous lady. Maybe at times to generous, but she loved those she took care of. She was a gifted hat maker. She took such good care of Gracie and Tommy. I loved how she was brave no matter what happened!
I really liked Dr. Michael Wheaton. He was so kind and had so much to overcome. I like how brave he was and how caring he was to all no matter where or what their condition was.
The way the author wove God into the story was so delightful! We all at times have questions for God or feel that we aren't good enough. God loves us and sent His Son to die for us and gave us the free gift of Salvation, all we have to do is accept it. We can never earn it! It was so beautiful how the author laid this out in the book.
I think the only thing I didn't like and that is because of personal preference nothing else, is that the characters were introduced as a cast at the beginning of the book. Again my personal preference is that they are introduced into the story so I don't have to keep flipping back to make sure I know the connection. But other than that I can find no fault in this book. It was beautifully written.
I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have been reading through the True Colors series and truly each one is better than the last.
I really love trying to figure out " who done it and why".
I figured out who did it fairly quickly in on this one but the why had me stumped and I ended up staying up late reading til the end because I just could not sleep without knowing the "why".
Each story is based on a true crime case from historical past and it's fascinating to read about each case. The author also fills us in on the true facts of the case in the back of the book and I appreciate that.
I recommend this whole series.

Expected publication: June 1st 2020 by Barbour Books
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

The Green Dress
by Liz Tolsma
Fiction Based on Strange, But True, History
True, riveting stories of American criminal activity are explored through a unique story of historical romantic suspense. Collect them all and be inspired by the hope that always finds its way even in the darkest of times.
When Harriet Peters came to Boston in 1882, the Robinson family took her in like one of their own, and Harriet became closer to Lizzie Robinson than her own siblings. Now, four years later, Lizzie is deathly sick, failing quickly just like several others in her family have done over the past few years. How can so many in one family die from the same mysterious illness? Harriet doesn’t have answers, but she is determined to help the family, bringing in a new-to-the-neighborhood doctor, Michael Wheaton.
As Harriet and Michael close in on the answer, putting their own lives at risk, can the cause be found before anyone else dies?
Impressions: I feel like this could have been more gripping.
Liked: It is crazy to me that this was based on real events.
Didn’t like: Harriet’s character didn’t seem as developed. She lacked depth throughout the book. It would have been nice to have more back story on her to understand her choices.
Learned: Appearances can be deceiving.
Quotes: “You are a goose, but that is why I love you so.” – I call my son goose and this just made me smile.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

Liz Tolsma's The Green Dress is historical fiction. Harriet's best friend, Lizzie is dying and she has one request. She wants Harriet to look after the two young children in her home. Harriet's life had just started looking up and her millinery business was beginning to do well but she has no choice but to move into the Lizzie's home after she dies. When Lizzie's cousin, Willie dies Harriet becomes suspicious and worried but how can she doubt Sarah Jane, Lizzie's mother? The woman who took her in and treated her like her own family. But Harriet needs to find out why the family is dying before another death. I would recommend The Green Dress to readers that like historical fiction, mystery, and true crime.

****Review****


This series just gets better and better.

I started this at 9 last night and didn’t put it down until I finished it. This blew my mind it engrossed me from begin to end. This is a fantastic story based on true story from the 1886 it made me realize how lucky we are with today’s medical care and doctors. Things that killed back then are now easily fixed.the doctors from back then where true hero’s.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good historical crime book or simple enjoy a good book. I can’t wait to see what else comes from this series and hope to be one of the next to read it.
Thank you to Netgalley/Liz Tolsma/ Bourbon books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This historical murder mystery (based on a true story) was absolutely terrific. It grabbed me from the start and never let go. While I did guess at the ending, the book was still engaging until the end.