title: The Midwife of Venice
author:  Roberta Rich 
description: A lively tale involving love, blackmail, family, murder, plague, intercultural compassion, dramatic last-minute rescues and some very creative disguises.... Rich capably depicts the strength of women and the precariousness of their lives, regardless of status or religion. <br /><i>The Globe and Mail <br /></i><br />A lavishly detailed historical novel. <br /><i>Elle Magazine <br /></i><br />Enticing.... An adventure filled with love, intrigue, murder and unbreakable loyalty in a renaissance city where exotic perfumes and foul odours almost seem to waft off the page. <br />Toronto Star<br /><br />A compelling and engaging novel, a well-researched high-stakes drama written with elegance and compassion: fascinating! <br /> Sandra Gulland, author of <b>TheJosephine B. Trilogy</b> and <b>Mistress of the Sun<br /><br /></b>A meticulously researchedpage-turner that evokesrenaissance Venice with remarkable clarity, radiance, and vigour.  William Deverell, author of <b>Mind Games<br /><br /></b>Not only did Roberta Rich transport me to sixteenth-century Venice, with itsseductive tapestry of smells, sights, textures and beliefs, she involved me ina poignant story of seasoned love. I dont know which I admired more  the wonderfully realized settingor thesuspenseful story of Hannah and Isaac.<br />Katherine Ashenburg, author of <b>The Dirt on Clean<br /></b><br />A suspenseful tale.... The book is obviously well researched, and its descriptions of Venice and Malta are both fascinating and realistic. <br /> <i>Vancouver Sun<br /><br /></i>Roberta Rich plunges into the stench, intrigue and skulduggery of 16th-century plague-ridden Venice.... Rich revels in the details of light, smell, sound, and larger-than-life characters. <br /> More Magazine<br /><br />Rich successfully captures the seedy side of 16th-century Venicethe Jewish ghetto, the plague, the confluence of religious and legal authority. <br /><i>Publishers Weekly</i><br /><br />Entertainingly suspenseful.... [A] moving melodrama of steadfast love against all odds. In a series of cliff-hanging chapters, Hannah transforms from a timid little ghetto mouse into a resourceful young woman as she seeks to save her husband and an innocent child.... Richs fascinating historical details and her warm empathy for her protagonists will capture historical fiction fans and readers who enjoyed Anita Diamants <i><b>The Red Tent</b>. <br />Library Journal</i><br /><br />Rich skillfully incorporates a wealth of historical detail into her riveting tale of a heroine who won't give up on her marriage.<br />Chicago Tribune
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  ALSO BY ROBERTA RICH
  
  
  The Midwife of Venice
  
  
  The Harem Midwife
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  COPYRIGHT © 2017 ROBERTA RICH
  
  
  All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced,
  transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
  recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior
  written consent of the publisher—or in the case of photocopying or other
  reprographic copying, license from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency—is
  an infringement of the copyright law.
  
  
  Doubleday Canada and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House of
  Canada Limited LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
  
  
  Rich, Roberta, author
  
  
  A trial in Venice / Roberta Rich.
  
  
  Issued in print and electronic formats.
  
  
  ISBN 9780385676694 (paperback).–ISBN 9780385676700 (epub) I. Title.
  
  
  PS8635.I249T75 2017 C813′.6 C2016-903000-8
  
  
  > > > > > > C2016-903001-6
  
  
  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and in