Naomi Roth and her husband Daniel came to Goddard, New Hampshire, in the mid-seventies as VISTA volunteers. Naomi successfully organized a women's craft cooperative, Flourish, that she manages. After nearly ten years she still doesn't feel part of the community, partly because of her politics and partly because she's Jewish. Daniel's economic organizational efforts were less successful, and they have recently divorced.

Now in 1985 (the date is important because of the lack of DNA testing at the time) Naomi is running on a trail along the Sabbathday River where she spies what she first believes to be a child's doll in the water. It turns out to be the body of a baby girl. She carries the body to the police office, and an investigation ensues.

After initially suspecting Naomi, suspicions are quickly redirected towards Heather Pratt (think Hester Prynne). Heather had an affair with the married Ashley Deacon (Arthur Dimmesdale) that resulted in a child, Polly (Pearl), who is now a toddler. Heather is one of the artisans who works out of her home supplying crafts for Flourish. The affair and Heather's public lack of shame has scandalized the tightly knit (and tightly wrapped) community.

Also new to Goddard are Judith Friedman and her husband Joel. Naomi recognizes her immediately as "my kind," that is, both an outsider and Jewish. Naomi and Judith become friends, but Judith has her own secrets which include mysterious visits out of town.

Heather is interrogated by the police and the district attorney Robert Charter (Roger Chillingworth) under conditions that are probably unconstitutional. They induce her to confess.

Naomi is Heather's sole supporter, and Heather asks her to take care of Polly. Heather confides that she had a stillborn daughter. Following her directions, Naomi discovers the body of a second dead baby. Rather than dropping the charges against Heather for the murder of the first baby, Charter now insists that the two were twins, and Heather is accused of committing two murders. Judith is a lawyer and reluctantly agrees to represent Heather.

The state's case rests on questionable theories, but the zealous Charter proceeds with determination. As the case heads for trial, Heather becomes more a symbol for the mistreatment of women than an individual. The book's finest aspects are its depth of characterization and the vitality of the courtroom scenes.

The female characters are the foundation of this story. With the exception of the narcissistic Ashley (who is terrifically contemptible), the male characters are less well-defined than the female. Furthermore, almost all of the male characters range from weak to downright despicable. There is a certain unbridgeable distance between the reader and the characters. None of the characters could be described as cozy; even Naomi, who seems to possess more innate goodness than the majority of the characters, has her flaws.

The courtroom scenes are vivid and have an energy sometimes lacking earlier in the book. Because of a tendency to veer off onto philosophical tangents, the book occasionally tends to get bogged down. Once all the characters have their day in court, however, the action moves along briskly.

If I hadn't been reading this book in order to review it, it is possible I would have laid it aside halfway through. Frankly, much of this book is depressing – a happy ending is an absolute impossibility. This Four Star rating is not a blanket recommendation for all mystery fans, but some readers will find this book both unusual and memorable.

--Lesley Dunlap