Based on actual events, Anna Dotson is a passionate modern woman of the 1900s who finds herself stifled by the lingering outdated rules of Victorian society. When her every attempt to rekindle romance and affection with her husband--a prominent local doctor--fails, she finds herself turning to the friendship of Charlie Cobb, a new man in town. But as their relationship becomes more intimate, smalltown tongues start wagging, and their starcrossed affair leads to a shocking public murder.
Miscarriage of Justice: A Novel
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Nashville Circuit Court judge Gayden's mixed debut tracks a tragic love story that begins at a Tennessee Christian summer camp in 1896. There, pastor's daughter Anna Dennis, 16, and Walter Dotson, a third-year Vanderbilt medical student, fall hard for each other. By winter, he's interning at her local hospital, and their courtship and early married life—including a stint in Vienna, where daughter Mabel is born—have all the trappings of a conventional romance. By 1908, the family numbers four and settles in Gallatin, Tenn., near Anna and Walter's hometowns, but a miscarriage sets the stage for murder and scandal. Gayden's writing in the romance sections is flat and unconvincing, but perks up in the last quarter, when the novel goes full-on procedural, delivering the murder trial and the related media coverage in close detail. The trial, based on real events, is intriguing, the verdict unexpected and period detail adds depth. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"With MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE, Kip Gayden has accomplished what every historic fiction writer dreams he or she will be able to do. He has unlocked a forgotten crime and the lives around it and brings a lost time and place back to life. He holds us captive as his tale unfolds. MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE seems far more like the work of a seasoned writer than a judge with the ability to tell a good story." (Robert Hicks, 'New York Times' bestselling author of 'The Widow of the South' )
"A fascinating novel with a twist at the end." (Nashville Bar Journal Marjorie Kaup Haines )
"Judge Kip Gayden has written a wonderfully woven mixture of fact and fiction... . Judge Kip's well defined characters will engulf you deeper and deeper into its pages...so be forewarned that you will not be able to put this book down until its final page." (Nashville.About.com )
"Sometimes true crime can lead to fascinating fiction. But who would have thought a sordid case in a small Tennessee town in 1913 would spawn an absorbing read?" (Richmond Times Dispatch )
"If you're a fan of historical fiction and/or true crime--or if you're just in the mood for a really great read--I highly recommend this book. I would love to see more from Kip Gayden in the future." (NightsandWeekends.com ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"A fascinating novel with a twist at the end." (Nashville Bar Journal Marjorie Kaup Haines )
"Judge Kip Gayden has written a wonderfully woven mixture of fact and fiction... . Judge Kip's well defined characters will engulf you deeper and deeper into its pages...so be forewarned that you will not be able to put this book down until its final page." (Nashville.About.com )
"Sometimes true crime can lead to fascinating fiction. But who would have thought a sordid case in a small Tennessee town in 1913 would spawn an absorbing read?" (Richmond Times Dispatch )
"If you're a fan of historical fiction and/or true crime--or if you're just in the mood for a really great read--I highly recommend this book. I would love to see more from Kip Gayden in the future." (NightsandWeekends.com ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Historical Fiction and Courtroom Drama,
By
This review is from: Miscarriage of Justice: A Novel (Hardcover)
With tremendous attention to detail, Judge Gayden does an incredible job of transporting the reader back in time to the late 1800s when young Christian camp counselor, Walter Dotson, first meets young Miss Anna Dennis, a pastor's daughter, and the two set upon a course that will later shape history. While the book is basically historical fiction, it is based on actual events, and Judge Gayden artfully weaves a tale based on newspaper clippings (included in the book), and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find that his rendition was exactly how events transpired. He does such an excellent job developing his characters that their actions come as no surprise, and we love and loathe them as he'd planned.
The main characters are Anna (Dennis) Dotson and her husband, Dr. Walter Dotson, both pillars of their community. They had been madly in love and wildly happy until Anna has a miscarriage, causing Walter's attentions to wane. The book is an excellent study on the human condition and how a family that appears on the surface to have everything can be hiding all sorts of secrets. There were many times during the story, however, that Dr. Dotson had it within his power to change the course of events had he only been a bit less self-centered and actually taken the time to listen to his wife. Judge Gayden does an excellent job of garnering the reader's sympathies for Anna and also making the reader feel as if her husband owes her. He also does a wonderful job of painting Charlie Cobb as a contemptible cad who isn't about to let Anna go once getting his clutches on her. Shades of a Victorian Basic Instinct, if you will. Even more exciting than the human aspects of the story, is the legal wrangling that takes place. The reader gets a front-row seat and even a peek inside the minds of some of those present during the trial. And while there is no indication that Anna Dotson herself played a role in the suffrage movement, her trial and the resulting verdict has EVERYTHING to do with it. I commend Judge Gayden for bringing the subject of legal inequality to light - especially at a time when our society is grappling with such things as same-sex marriage. Right now it is hard to believe that there was ever a time in our country's history when women didn't have the right to vote and that interracial marriage was illegal, but both of these used to be the case. Perhaps it's time for society to move on to correct another injustice. Carol Ann Hopkins 3/5/2008
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Historical Fiction a treat to read,
By Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Miscarriage of Justice: A Novel (Hardcover)
Miscarriage of Justice by Kip Gayden is the story of Anna And Walter Dotson in 1913 Tennessee. Walter is a successful physician, Bible study leader, alderman for the city of Gallatin, Mason, and leader of the city orchestra. Anna is the lovely mother of their two children who keeps her days busy with the social functions required of the wife of a pillar of the community. She also spends time flirting with the cause of woman's suffrage and the new barber in town: Charlie Cobb. Gayden weaves together historical fact with logical conjecture to create a fantastic story of how a crime in a small town in Tennessee helped shape the future of the nation. Anna's flirtation with Charlie leaps into full blown adultery, with both spouses left in the dark. Gayden describes the attraction of forbidden liasons with flair and emotion. He makes Anna's descent into lust as believable as her guilt over the double life she finds herself living. Gayden uses reporter Paul Christian as the reader's objective eye in the story, and as we hear the story filtered through him, it becomes not only believable but enthralling. The crime is shocking; the verdict even more so. Gayden introduced suffrage as a major story element in the opening chapters, but that line drops off until suddenly popping up in the jury room when the ties between the crime and suffrage become clear, and with a masterful stroke Gayden makes his case that this long forgotten crime of passion helped give women the right to vote in America. By fictionalizing the portions of the book, Gayden brings Anna and the rest of the cast to life, and you can't help but ache for her. My one and only complaint is a small one: I would have liked pictures of the principals to be included in the book. I hope that Gayden takes my advice for his next book, which I look forward to reading!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tennessee Murder Drama,
By Maizie Lucille James "Still learning" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Miscarriage of Justice: A Novel (Hardcover)
During the summer months I usually prefer 'lite' fiction, or popular titles that offer a quick and enjoyable read. While waiting for a book I purchased on AMAZON to arrive in the mail, my library had a copy of Kip Gayden's exciting novel, MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE. It was on the sale rack for one dollar! I immediately grabbed it after reading positive reviews.
The story unfolds in Tennessee in the late 19th century when the vivacious daughter of a pastor, Anna Dennis meets a charming and handsome camp counselor named, Walter Dotson who would soon become a prominent doctor. The two are immediately attracted to one another, fall deeply in love, and eventually marry. Anna Dotson is sensual and continues to crave for her husband's affection, yet following Anna's miscarriage the passion wanes, and soon Anna meets the cunning and charismatic, Charlie Cobb. What unfolds is a remarkable triangle love story of passion and desire, lust and deception, pride and self-righteousness, deceit and contempt; betrayal and murder. But that's not all! Kip Gayden takes the reader on an exciting journey about small town America, and invites the reader into the daily lives of fascinating townsfolk during the early 20th century in Tennessee. We learn about their personalities; their traditions and their biases. More than that, Gayden offers the reader a glimpse of what life was like as rapid change was occurring during that first decade, and how citizens were adapting to industrial boom and new social ideas while clinging to long held cultural customs. MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE is an exciting 'lite' historical fiction, full of twists and sub-plots, which is [loosely] based on a real trail that will keep you enthralled and pleasantly entertained. I highly recommend this wonderful book for a quick and easy read. Maizie Lucille James July 11, 2010
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