Miscarriage of Justice


Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
336 Pages
Reviewed on 03/15/2009
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Miscarriage of Justice is a fictional tale based on a true story. It is the early days of the women’s suffrage movement. Walter Dotson was a counselor at a Christian Camp when he met Anna Dennis, his future wife. He was attracted to her from the moment he saw her. After two children and a miscarriage, Anna noticed that Walter no longer seemed to desire her. There was a new man in town, and he was willing to show her the attention she craved. Charlie Cobb slowly, relentlessly seduced Anna. Soon the town gossips were speculating over the relationship of Charlie and Anna. Things quickly escalated…

Miscarriage of Justice is one of those book you just cannot lay down. The plot is a stunning success. Long after I finished reading this book, I contemplated the dynamics of the characters and their relationships. Anna was strong willed; Walter knew that going into the marriage. He deemed it an asset at that time. Later, that same attribute seemed to hinder his love for her. I liked Anna; she was a multidimensional personality. Walter was pompous and over proud of his role in society. He placed everything above his wife. It amazed me how he turned to her after the murder. Charlie…what can you say about Charlie? The man was a cad. He was slimy. I can think of several other adjectives, but they just get worse. He had a wife and child, and yet he set out to seduce Anna. I suppose she was another notch in his belt.

Miscarriage of Justice by Kip Gayden is a brilliant novel. It transports the reader back to a time when women were property of their husbands with no rights. Gayden successfully recreates history by painting a picture of words. Fans of history, suspense, and romance will not want to miss Miscarriage of Justice. Run! Do not walk to the closest bookstore and buy Miscarriage of Justice.

IEatBooks4Breakfast

I was quite surprised by the quality of this book. As it's written by a judge and first-time author, I wasn't necessary expecting the most exciting literary accomplishment. But this was a great story! It definitely kept me reading.

It's usually hard for me not to side with one character or another, but in this case, Gayden presents both Walter and Anna's sides so equally that I could see where they both were coming from as they became more embroiled in this nasty situation.

Also, I was pretty sure I could see the ending coming from a mile away--but I was wrong! I was shocked by the conclusion, and even now the justice--which I do believe was justice, not miscarried--stays with me.

The women's suffrage movement was such an exciting time in history, and this is the perfect book to go along with it. The story chronicles a definitive moment in the fight for women's rights.

L. R. Willard

This is a wonderful, interesting story of love, longing and even womens rights. A bittersweet story of a lady reaching out to an unreachable husbnad.

TNPatti

I bought this book because it is set in my home county and for a first novel, I wasn't expecting much. However, I was hooked from the opening page. This is a great read. I'm looking forward to more books by Judge Gayden. Now I'm off to see if I can find pictures of the characters in the Sumner County Archives and read the newspaper accounts for myself.

B. J. Morehead

This book was great-fast read! I am in Nashville and it was fun to know the places where the book was taken place.

I had hoped that the Women Suffrage had played a larger part of the story.

Lewis F. Saettel

Kip Gayden has written a wonderful novel based on actual events that took place in Gallatin and Nashville Tennessee in the early 1900's. The reader is exposed to a different time in history that has been all but forgotten. The subject matter which is as much about womens suffrage as it is about murder; but it is also about passion and forbidden love.
Anna Dennis meets her future husband (Walter Dodson) in summer camp. Walter Dodson takes note of Anna the minute she arrives at camp with her father. Anna soon takes note of Walter and signs up in all of his camp counselor activities. When Summer ends and they depart, both Anna and Walter find themselves wondering if they would ever meet again.
Years later the two do meet again at a hospital where Anna takes a job and where Walter just happens to be a physician. Once they meet eye to eye again, there is no stopping this powerful romance; well almost. Anna's miscarriage of their second child and Walter's ambition and thoughtlessness, sets in motion a wanton, lustful, extramarital, love affair that had no chance of ending well. The actual newspaper articles are included in the novel which makes the novel a historical fiction.
It is an easy, wonderful, read and I recommend it highly. Miscarriage of Justice: A Novel

Gale Lewis

I LOVED this book! I'm not always content with historical fiction, sometimes there is too much history and not enough story. This book is a perfect mix of both. It centers around the Women's Suffrage movement, a 1913s love triangle, and the longing of a lonely woman. The author has done a great job blending together the facts and the fiction to create characters that come to life and characters that I was able to care about. Hope to see more good works from Mr. Gayden!

J. Kirkman

Could not put down. It combined facts with fiction to make a book you could not put down. I live in the area that the characters and setting were from which made it even more appealing but it was a wonderful book.

Mimi

This IS the best novel I have read so far in 2008! I had to remind myself to eat while reading this. I could not put it down!
I found myself torn between the opinion that Anna got away with premeditated murder to that Charlie got what he deserved!

I finally came to the conclusion that YES, Anna got away with it. However, the WAY in which she got away with the crime left me astonished!!!

I highly recommend this book!

Chris

For anyone interested in historical fiction or non-fiction, court room drama, or true crime books, this is the perfect choice. Gayden provides a fascinating snapshot of a time long past, exploring social and cutural traditions that have disappeared with the years. But central themes of his book, love, lust, betrayal, and 'justice' are topical and timely for the modern American culture. I enjoyed this book partially because it is told on such a personal level and the author does a great job of simply telling a human story without the pretensions of literary 'greatness' that often get between a storyteller and his audience. Everyone can relate to the characters in the work and each reader might discover something about himself or herself by finding out which character seems most sympathetic. This would be a perfect choice for a book club or reading circle or just friends to read together and then discuss. Of course, if someone is just looking for an entertaining way to spend a rainy afternoon, that would work as well. For anyone who loves reading, I highly recommend "Miscarriage of Justice" !