Madam’s Creek
by Betsy Reeder
Imprint: Resource Publications
When a creative, introspective eighteen-year-old, newly engaged to his childhood sweetheart, is forced to serve in war, will he remain intact? Who will he be after three years of struggle, not only against an enemy force that includes his older brother, but against his very nature? Set in the mountains of western Virginia during the Civil War era, Madam's Creek tells the story of Marcus Lilly and Maylene Farley, doing their best to cope with the madness of war in a region that is first part of the Confederacy, then part of fledgling West Virginia, a Union state. Pulled apart by the conflict, they must find ways to keep their love and hope alive amidst the avalanche of anxiety and loss the war brings. Finally united, they face an unexpected threat to their bond, and it can be resolved only through the revelation of a long-held secret. A secret held by someone neither Maylene nor Marcus ever considered.
Betsy Reeder is a retired biologist and college educator, as well as a doting grandma. She is the author of a historical fiction trilogy of which Madam’s Creek represents the first book. Broomstraw Ridge and Salt in Boiling Water follow. She is also the author of the novel Tupper’s Coins and the biography Broadus Unbound.
“In the tradition of New York Times bestseller Cold Mountain, Betsy Reeder delivers a richly satisfying tale set in the hills of what would soon become West Virginia. Madam’s Creek explores the power of love and the sting of betrayal in a land shattered by war. The magnificent landscape of the New River serves as a backdrop for the tender love story of Marcus and Maylene, fully human characters sure to win your hearts.”
—Donna Meredith, author of The Glass Madonna
“Betsy Reeder’s Madam’s Creek is real and organic, as if she lived through that period of time. The characters feel authentic. The natural world is as it must have been. As one who has also chased authenticity attempting to infuse life into local history, I am in awe.”
—Jon Averill, writer/producer of Averell’s Raiders & the 35th Star