Synopsis "The Glassmaker'S Wife"
In August of 1844, aman named Leonard Reed takes violently ill at his home near Heathsville, Illinois, and four days later he is dead. The cause? Arsenic poisoning. The suspect? Hiswife, Betsey. The chief witnessesagainst her? A hired girl, Eveline Deal, and the local apothecary, James Logan.The evidence? Eveline claims she saw Betsey put a pinch of white powder inLeonard's coffee. Betsey Reed, a womanwho dabbles in herbal healing, is known about town as a witch. As the gossipand the circumstantial evidence mount, Betsey finds herself under the shadow ofa trial--and a noose. A historical crime inspired by the true story of Betsey Reed, for fans of The Trial of Lizzie Borden and The Good Sister, LeeMartin's latest weaves a tale of a pinch of white powder, a scorched paper, a communityhungry for a villain, and a young girl's first taste of revenge--but above all, of the contradictions and imperfections of the human heart.
