The Cemetery Keeper’s Wife
by Maryann McFadden
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Pub Date May 08 2018 | Archive Date Oct 30 2018
Three Women Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
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Description
Three-time ABA Indie Next List author Maryann McFadden brings to life a young woman’s voice that was silenced 130 years ago in The Cemetery Keeper’s Wife, a historical novel she believes she was destined to write.
The 1886 rape and murder of kitchen maid Tillie Smith, 19, on the grounds of a New Jersey seminary where she worked captivated and outraged Victorian America.
The Pinkerton Detective Agency declared the crime would not be solved. A few weeks later, though, janitor James Titus was arrested and eventually sentenced to hang. But he didn’t.
McFadden shares her lifelong obsession with Tillie Smith through her modern day character, Rachel Miller, who has just married the 7th generation cemetery keeper. Upon discovering the monument to Tillie Smith, who “Died in Defence of Her Honor,” Rachel is overcome by a powerful memory, and soon on a quest to find out what really happened to Tillie. But Rachel’s journey soon forces her to face a tragedy in her own past. And the man who nearly destroyed her.
The Cemetery Keeper’s Wife poignantly blends fact and fiction as two women scarred by shame, and separated by more than a century, reach across time to rewrite history.
A Note From the Publisher
E-book available for $6.99 (ISBN: 978-0-692-99899-1)
Advance Praise
"Based on a true story, McFadden's research is meticulous as she weaves the murder of Tillie Smith with the blistering fictional story of Rachel, a newlywed who is determined to solve the crime which echoes the denial and secrets that surround her marriage to the cemetery keeper. This is an original novel, one readers will savor."
- ADRIANA TRIGIANI, New York Times bestselling author of Big Stone Gap
"A heartbreaking story of shame, secrets and the quest for love and redemption. McFadden relays a forgotten tragedy, which once held Victorian America in thrall, through the eyes of Rachel Miller, the cemetery keeper’s wife. With passion and a keen sense of detail, McFadden, whose real life coincidences mirror Rachel’s, is the perfect person to tell this story." - MARY ALICE MONROE, New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House
“Book clubs will savor the rich details of life in the 1800’s and the ripped from the headlines current story of Rachel.” - J. FRANK BURLESON, Park Road Books
“A riveting emotional ride of 2 women a century apart, coming together finding peace, one in death, one in life. This is historical fiction at its best.” - STEPHANIE SUPINSKI, Palmer Library, Easton PA
Marketing Plan
National Media Outreach, U.S. Book Tour, Internet and Blog Campaign, Reading Group Guide, Book Club Advertising
Schedule of events at: maryannmcfadden.com
National Media Outreach, U.S. Book Tour, Internet and Blog Campaign, Reading Group Guide, Book Club Advertising
Schedule of events at: maryannmcfadden.com
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780692974773 |
| PRICE | $15.99 (USD) |
Average rating from 33 members
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