About the Book

Book: The Green Dress
Author: Liz Tolsma
Genre: Christian Historical Suspense
Release Date: June 2020

Death Seems to Follow Harriet’s New Friend

Book 6 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

When Harriet Peters came to Boston in 1882, the Robinson family took her in like one of their own, and Harriet became closer to Lizzie Robinson than her own siblings. Now, four years later, Lizzie is deathly sick, failing quickly just like several others in her family have done over the past few years. How can so many in one family die from the same mysterious illness? Harriet doesn’t have answers, but she is determined to help the family, bringing in a new-to-the-neighborhood doctor, Michael Wheaton.

As Harriet and Michael close in on the answer, putting their own lives at risk, can the cause be found before anyone else dies?

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MY THOUGHTS.....

"Dear Lord, grant me wisdom. Give me strength. Show me who is committing such heinous acts. And stop any more from happening. Help me. Help me. Help me." (p. 178)

Author Liz Tolsma has written a chilling tale of a serial killer of the worst kind: a wife and mother who killed her husband, several children, and other family members, apparently to benefit from their life insurance policies. The Green Dress would seem to be the product of an author's active imagination but it is actually based on the true criminal case of Sarah Jane Robinson, a woman who killed eight people over a course of five years before she was finally stopped. Tolsma weaves the historical aspects of the Robinson case into a fascinating story that has two fictional characters trying to discover just what is happening in this household. Harriet Peters and Dr. Michael Wheaton are the people who begin to suspect that these illnesses, and eventual deaths, might be more than just coincidence or a family curse.

Tolsma offers a tantalizing glimpse of the sick mind behind such unthinkable acts and even though the details of the illnesses and deaths are disturbing, this story has so much more. Readers are also given a message of faith, hope, and the sweet promise of a happy future for Michael and Harriet. The Green Dress is an intriguing combination of fact and fiction and a wonderful addition to the True Colors True Crime series. I recommend it to all who enjoy historical Christian romance and I especially enjoyed how Tolsma used the green dress in the title to create another shocking revelation to this story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Celebrate Lit. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

About the Author

Liz Tolsma is a popular speaker and an editor and the owner of the Write Direction Editing. An almost-native Wisconsinite, she resides in a quiet corner of the state with her husband and is the mother of three. Her son proudly serves as a U.S. Marine. They adopted all of their children internationally, and one has special needs. When she gets a few spare minutes, she enjoys reading, relaxing on the front porch, walking, working in her large perennial garden, and camping with her family.

More from Liz

We’ve all been there—started a letter or an email or even a list, didn’t like what we had, crossed it out or hit the delete button, and tried again. Now imagine that happening when you’re writing a novel.

That’s what occurred with The Green Dress. Finding the perfect place to start a novel can be tricky, but when you’re trying to balance fact with fiction, it’s even harder. I needed the fictional heroine, Harriet Peters, to have a good reason to come into contact with and become close to the factual Robinson family. And I needed for the hero, Michael Wheaton, to meet Harriet early on. So I dove into the story. Five chapters later, the hero and heroine hadn’t yet met. The book wasn’t working.

I scrapped those chapters and started at a different point. At first, it seemed to be going better. I was happy. Until I got to the fifth chapter, when I realized again that the book wasn’t working. Frankly, it was boring. So those ended up in the virtual trash bin. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking on my deadline. I was desperate to find the right starting point, at a place with high tension. Finally, I had an “aha” moment, and the story flowed from there. That’s how the first five chapters (and the rest of The Green Dress) came to be.

—Liz Tolsma