Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion: A Bone-Chilling Mystery-Suspense-Thriller Set in the Edwardian Era

The Beauty Doctor: A novel
By Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard
Audiobook narrator: Lisa Bozek

Publication Date: 4th January 2024

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Page Length: 327 Pages

Genre: Historical Mystery Suspense

A Bone-Chilling Mystery-Suspense-Thriller Set in the Edwardian Era

Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Award

"Beauty is power," Dr. Rome told her. "And with enough power, one can achieve anything."

Straightening noses, trimming eyelids, lifting jowls . . . In the year 1907, his revolutionary beauty surgery is considered daring, perhaps dangerous. Still, women want what Dr. Rome promises. Neither is his young assistant Abigail Platford immune to Dr. Rome's persuasive charm.

Abigail once dreamed of becoming a doctor, though of a much different sort. That dream ended with her father's tragic death from a medical error for which she holds herself responsible. Dr. Rome, who proudly displays his medical degree from Johns Hopkins, seems to believe in her. If he were willing to act as her mentor, might there still be a chance to realize her dream of someday becoming a doctor serving New York City's poor?

But something feels terribly wrong, as though an insidious evil is closing in. Broken promises, lies, and intrigues abound. The powerful are threatening to destroy the weak, and a doctor's sacred duty hangs in the balance. Abigail no longer knows who to believe; but with Dr. Rome now her mentor and her lover, she desperately wants to trust him.

Even when she discovers that one of their patients has mysteriously disappeared.

From bestselling author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, a suspenseful work of historical fiction grounded in the social and moral issues of the Edwardian era in America. Second Edition with Author's Preface.

Excerpt

Stretched out before them was an open field of tall, reedy grass. At the far end, partially hidden by a tangle of trees and overgrown shrubbery, an immense structure was silhouetted against the cloudless blue sky. The three-story Gothic-style building was constructed of blood-red brick, with tall, arched windows and a circular tower capped by a domed peak.

“There’s something spooky about it, don’t you think?” Ronnie said, having caught up with them. She raised an arm, using her shirtsleeve to wipe her sweaty forehead.

“Ronnie knows the story. The reason the workers won’t come out here. When Dr. Schwann passed away suddenly, there was a rumor that he’d hung himself from the tower. Completely false, but you know how those kinds of tall tales get passed along. Maybe that’s one reason Joe could buy the property for a bargain price.” Lillian gave Ronnie a questioning look. “Would you mind if we take Abigail for a closer look?”

“Fine with me.” Ronnie started off, tramping through the high grass with her heavy boots, like the leader of a jungle safari. Lillian fell in behind her, and Abigail brought up the rear, taking advantage of the flattened path forged by the others. The closer they drew to the asylum, the more foreboding it appeared. Abigail had once read the journalist Nellie Bly’s 1887 exposé on the Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum. The horrors had made a lasting impression. She recalled how dozens of women inmates were forced to bathe in the same filthy tub of water, one towel to share among them. They were fed rotten food, forced to endure the freezing cold, condemned to torturous punishments. If they were sane—and some clearly were—it didn’t matter. The authorities decided their mental status. These women, abandoned by family and society, were utterly powerless. She shivered to think of their fate and the suffering of so many others like them. Thankfully, in the last twenty years, people had become a great deal more enlightened about mental illnesses.

As for the legacy of the imposing structure before her, apparently there wasn’t one. Lillian said that Dr. Schwann died just after the construction of his hospital was completed. This asylum had never housed a single patient. There was no history of abuse here. It was and always had been only an empty shell.

Hot and weary, they finally reached a driveway that wound in a circle in front of the building. Weeds had overtaken it, and everything else as well. A rusty wheelbarrow, rake, and hoe were tossed off to the side as if someone had thought to make a start at cleaning the place up. But nothing had been done here for a very long time. Lillian said the workers were afraid. Staring up at the massive edifice, Abigail could understand why they felt intimidated by its looming presence. It seemed like a relic from another age, a monstrosity. All the windows were boarded up. The massive double doors at the entrance were secured with a heavy chain. And the tower … her eyes were drawn to the peaked dome, the black spiral. Yes, one might easily conjure up the image of Dr. Schwann’s lifeless body swinging back and forth in the breeze.

Abigail was just about to make a comment about the power of imagination when she heard an automobile. A black Stoddard Dayton touring car came lurching around the curve of a dirt road off to the right, barreling toward them at top speed. Joe was at the wheel. Franklin was with him. Her pulse quickened. She’d been waiting all morning for the reunion that now was just a few moments away. How would it feel when their eyes met? What secret message would she read in his smile? Reassurance? The promise of pleasures to come? Perhaps something more?

Joe pulled up in a flurry of dust and shut down the engine. As he and Franklin disembarked, they exchanged a few words, and Joe let out a hearty laugh. Abigail’s attention was all on Franklin, handsome in his stylish suit, the jacket left open to reveal a smart burgundy-and-gray striped waistcoat. She waited, breathless, for his approach. What would he say to her? Would they touch—a brush of the hand that no one else would notice?

“Ladies, if I may have everyone’s attention,” Joe shouted, hurrying toward the three women as if they’d been expecting him and he was late. The exertion made his face even redder than usual. When he reached them, he paused only long enough to plant a swift kiss on Lillian’s cheek before clapping his hands like an excited child. “Listen up, everybody! I have big news! Are you ready for this?”

“Go on, Joe,” Lillian prodded.

“Don’t keep us in suspense.”

“All right, all right! I’m delighted to announce that Dr. Franklin Rome and I have just consummated the deal of the century.” He turned to Franklin, who was just a few steps behind him. “I trust I’m not overstating it, am I, Frank?”

“Not in the least.” Coming up beside Joe, smiling broadly, Franklin acknowledged Abigail with an indifferent nod. His gaze was fixed on the building rising to the sky behind her, casting its giant shadow over them all.

Joe raised his eyes to the peak of the circular tower, placing a hand over his heart with a look of reverence. “Dr. Schwann, I know things didn’t turn out as you planned, but all is not lost. Meet Dr. Franklin Rome, my new partner and the proprietor of your little hospital, henceforth to be called the Rome Institute of Transformative Surgery!

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The Beauty Doctor

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Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard

Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is the author of bestselling historical novels. Her 2023 release, Sisters of Castle Leod, is an Amazon Kindle #1 Bestseller (Historical Biographical Fiction, Historical Literary Fiction), winner of the 2023 Maxy Award for Historical and Adventure Fiction, and an Editors’ Choice of the Historical Novel Society. Her biographical novel Temptation Rag (2018) was hailed by Publishers Weekly as a “resonant novel . . . about the birth and demise of ragtime . . . in which romance and creative passions abound.” Elizabeth’s 2017 historical mystery-suspense-thriller, The Beauty Doctor, was a finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Book Award. The book’s re-release (Jan. 4, 2024) features a stunning new cover and an Author Preface with insights into social and moral issues of the Edwardian era that frame this shocking fictional story set in the early days of cosmetic surgery. Before becoming a full-time author, Elizabeth was executive editor of an international aesthetic surgery journal, and senior consultant to the National Cosmetic Network in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University’s plastic surgery educational program. Learn more about Elizabeth and her books at www.EHBernard.com.

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