I received a copy of A Deadly Affection through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity.

"Higher education enlarged the brain and stunted the bodies of female students."

This certainly was the general thinking of the masses in January of 1907. Breaking through these walls of faulty thinking, especially dominated by males, was a daunting task by the females of the day. It took a strong intellect, a will of iron, and a feisty disposition to prove otherwise.

Enter: Genevieve Summerford, a newly educated and certified doctor in the field of psychotherapy which was a groundbreaking new field in the use of mental therapy. Genevieve, "Genna", visits St. Christopher House in New York City where she makes every effort to treat women's disorders linked to emotional shocks of the past. Her sessions are met with uncertainty even by the women themselves. Psychic pain has its difficulties in treatment even in today's world.

Genna is especially touched by Eliza, who was forced to give up her baby girl years ago. Eliza questions the tactics of the doctor who delivered her child. Genna encourages her to seek out this doctor and to find answers. When Dr. Hauptfuhrer ends up dead on the floor of his office, Eliza is arrested and charged with the crime.

Genna ratchets it up to the next gear and begins her own inquest into what really happened on the day of the murder. Her findings reflect an analytical mind and a deep sense of justice for women who have been wronged by the system. I enjoyed how Genna kicked in the door of male-dominated professions in the medical and the police systems of the time period. It proves that high heels carry as much weight as clunky boots. It's all in the turn of the heel and the momentum behind it.

I really enjoyed A Deadly Affection and hope that it will be the beginning of a series with the lead female character of Dr. Summerford. The historical time period and setting were ripe for the entrance of such a determined character. Overholt does a fine job of setting the stage and has done remarkable research. We have a riveting plot with high-interest subplots here with emphasis on the investigative police work and the new breakthroughs in the medical field.

I'm certainly looking forward to the next offering by Cuyler Overholt and encourage Overholt to not make us wait too long. Soon, Overholt, soon.

I enjoyed this turn-of-the-century mystery novel featuring a spunky female Doctor as our heroine. At this point in history, this was rare and females weren't afforded the same respect and privileges as male doctors.

Dr Genevieve Summerford specializes in "psychotherapy" or what will later be the mental health field. She herself lived through a traumatic family event as a child, and feels she might help other women who have endured tragedy and emotional loss in their own families. She begins rudimentary group therapy, or counseling, which is a new train of thought at this time. Through this she meets a troubled young woman, Eliza, who later finds herself in deep trouble. Genna wants to help her, and puts herself in harms way and a lot more to try to get to the truth. She champions Eliza, and believes in her innocence in spite of the circumstantial evidence that begins mounting.

Go along for the ride and see if Dr Summerford has misplaced her confidence as the mystery unravels!! I have to admit that the last part of the novel took me by complete surprise. I didn't see it coming, and I loved that!! I'm hopeful that this will be the start of a series...

**Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review!**

I fell in love with this book and I could not put it down. A woman in a high position and is brilliant in a time where woman were looked down on by men? Heck yeah!! The twists and turns and THAT ENDING!! The daarkness of this story made me kind of happy. lol

How would I describe A Deadly Affection
by Cuyler Overholt? A Lifetime Movie set in turn of the century NYC, but with a bit more meat on its bones.

Almost immediately I was drawn to the main character, Genevieve Summerford, a recent graduate of medical school looking to make waves in the world of psychiatry via group therapy. Genevieve goes against the modern conventions of her time. She’s an educated woman who balks at the boxes society wishes to place her in which happens to get her into a bit a trouble as she gets more and more involved in the life of one of patients. I identified with Genevieve’s desire to make her mark in the world while trying to remain true to her family. Her discovery that her life in the upper crust of society has protected her from the grittier side of life opens her up and adds dimension and of course, conflict, in her life that she wasn’t expecting. It is at this intersection that A Deadly Affection shines.

Overholt wastes no time throwing the mystery out there in the first chapter—babies of poor women given up for adoption unwillingly. And from there the story is off and running. There are more twists and turns in this novel than I expected. The minute I THOUGHT I had the mystery solved, another twist was thrown into the mix which left me (and Genevieve) a bit flummoxed. For me, as a reader, I enjoyed the multiple mysteries (murder and medical) and ethical dilemmas presented throughout the story as there was never a dull moment.

Cuyler Overholt knowns how weave a multi-dimensional mysteries with fully realized relatable characters. Readers who enjoy stories involving strong women and fans of mysteries should definitely check out A Deadly Affection.

In A Deadly Affection author Cuyler Overholt begins a new series that is a must read murder mystery. Dr Genevieve Summerford is a young, newly educated doctor practicing in the emerging field of psychotherapy. She comes from a well to do family and has enjoyed the benefits of such an upbringing but now feels the call to help women suffering from physical maladies by treating their past emotional pains. Her treatment plans are met with much uncertainty by others, especially by her father who would like her to practice more acceptable types of medicine. Genna is a strong willed woman; use to fighting her way along but also desperately seeks the acceptance of her father. On the first meeting of her study group, she meets Elizabeth Miner who is suffering from the loss of her son. However, Genna finds out she is also suffering from the earlier loss of an infant daughter who was taken from her by Dr. Hauptfuhrer and given up for adoption. She encourages Eliza to confront the doctor and ask for more information on Joy, the daughter. The next day Genna is surprised to find the doctor dead and Eliza arrested for the murder in what appears to be an open and shut case. What follows is a roller coaster ride as Genna, convinced that Eliza is innocent and afraid of her possible role in the murder, races to find the real killer.

The author sets the stage in 1907 New York with characters from amongst the wealthy Astor and Vanderbilt type families and contrasts them with the tenement living immigrants. With statements like “ Higher education enlarges the brain and stunted the bodies of female students” the general differences between men and women held at that time are well developed. Breaking through these false barriers took strong women with stronger wills to break out of their acceptable roles and Genna is portrayed as one of these women. The setting and locations are also described in detail making it easy to identify with the time period. With plots and subplots, twists and turns along the way, secrets kept and secrets revealed, this was one of the best mysteries I’ve read lately. It kept me guessing until the end when all the loose ends are tied up nicely. I look forward to more mysteries involving Dr.Genevieve Summerford by Cuyler Overholt and hope that I don’t have to wait too long.

Extremely well written mystery novel. I really liked the medical angle of this novel. The characters were well developed and interesting. I would recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a solid historical mystery novel!

This is the first book by Cuyler Overholt that I have read and I can't wait for more in this series. I love Dr. Genevieve Summerford. This takes place in the early 1900's and she is a psychiatrist. She wants to treat women who have problems. During her first tries in a group setting she meets a woman who is soon accused of murder. Did Genevieve cause her to commit murder or is she innocent. Genevieve feels she must help Eliza. During this story there are many twists and turns and Genevieve learns some great life lessons. I received this book from Sourcebooks publicity department for a fair and honest opinion.