A compelling story, based on fact, which follows the quest by a doctor, Alec Gordon, to discover the cause of an extended outbreak of puerperal fever which is killing newly delivered mothers. It follows the fortunes of his own marriage as well as his battle against the preconceived notions and vested medical interests of his time. Aberdeen of the 1790s is vividly recreated in language which lightly carries the Scottish idiom. A detailed review can be found here.