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The Death Doll
Summer, 1692. The infamous Salem witch trials were underway in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, the citizens of Durham, New Hampshire were losing property they’d farmed for years. It was a dangerous time to relocate, but Kate Tremont had no choice. Having lost her father and home, she sailed to Durham to stay with her uncle, William Stoddard. He demands obedience and strongly disapproves of her friend Daniel, but that’s not the worst of it! Kate finds enemies are easy to make after she takes a job with handsome and wealthy Arthur Rockwood. When rumors circulate while a disease ravages the town, Kate finds herself falsely accused of witchcraft - and she could hang for it!
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2018
6 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
K.D. Carter
4 books9 followersK.D. Carter is a former Air Force Sergeant who was stationed in England for two years. During that time she toured extensively, traveling to Sweden and Norway where she learned about Viking culture. She also learned a great deal of English history, where her fascination with Celtic culture first began.
K.D. started reading historical fiction and the fantasy works of Mary Stewart and J.R.R. Tolkien as a teenager. Her first book, Talamk an Eisc, is the first of a four-part Celtic Rings series she describes as historical fantasy, and is based on Viking settlements discovered in modern-day Newfoundland. She published her first historical fiction book in May 2018, and the second Celtic Rings book in December 2018. She is currently working on her fourth book, and is developing another story.
K.D. started reading historical fiction and the fantasy works of Mary Stewart and J.R.R. Tolkien as a teenager. Her first book, Talamk an Eisc, is the first of a four-part Celtic Rings series she describes as historical fantasy, and is based on Viking settlements discovered in modern-day Newfoundland. She published her first historical fiction book in May 2018, and the second Celtic Rings book in December 2018. She is currently working on her fourth book, and is developing another story.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 11, 2019
I was gifted The Death Doll by its author and I wasn't sure what to expect when I began reading the novel. I thought it might be a horror story, but instead I found that I was reading an engrossing, enlightening and thrilling piece of historical fiction. The main character, Kate, a young woman, loses her family fortune and plantation in Jamaica and moves to colonial New Hampshire to join an uncle and his family, whom she has never met. Adjustment is hard and we are treated to what must have been an extensively researched introduction to the life of a colonial farmer: everything made by hand, most of it grown on one’s own farm, everyone pitching in and working dawn to dusk to keep things running.
Kate gradually adapts, but not without some hostility from one of her cousins, who fears her competition for the village’s young men, and from the sister of the most eligible bachelor in town, who doesn't want him marrying. She makes friends with and tutors the man’s daughter, but her heart goes to someone else. Meanwhile, she saves a runaway slave girl and the girl’s protection becomes a central part of the story and also puts Kate in jeopardy as both she and the former slave girl are accused of being witches. This is the time of the Salem witch trials and Kate’s as well as the slave girl, Portia’s, lives are in danger.
Without giving away the ending, I have to say that I was completely enthralled by the historical detail, the depiction of the Puritan characteristics of strictness, discipline, religiosity and human caring, which was a combination that was difficult to maintain for some of the most important characters. The characters, both Kate and several of the others, were endearing, each with his or her own personality. The interplay between the strict and restrictive community standards of a Puritan village and the humanity of the people who live in it was extremely well done, and the reader could feel the constant tension that this dilemma caused those characters.
I just finished reading a nonfiction book on the history of the American colonial period, and this book fleshed out the story of those days and people in human terms. It was both fun and illuminating to read. I plan to give the book to my teenage niece, who enjoys female protagonists and just finished an American History course in high school. This is a novel that both young adults and mature adults will enjoy, and I highly recommend it.
Kate gradually adapts, but not without some hostility from one of her cousins, who fears her competition for the village’s young men, and from the sister of the most eligible bachelor in town, who doesn't want him marrying. She makes friends with and tutors the man’s daughter, but her heart goes to someone else. Meanwhile, she saves a runaway slave girl and the girl’s protection becomes a central part of the story and also puts Kate in jeopardy as both she and the former slave girl are accused of being witches. This is the time of the Salem witch trials and Kate’s as well as the slave girl, Portia’s, lives are in danger.
Without giving away the ending, I have to say that I was completely enthralled by the historical detail, the depiction of the Puritan characteristics of strictness, discipline, religiosity and human caring, which was a combination that was difficult to maintain for some of the most important characters. The characters, both Kate and several of the others, were endearing, each with his or her own personality. The interplay between the strict and restrictive community standards of a Puritan village and the humanity of the people who live in it was extremely well done, and the reader could feel the constant tension that this dilemma caused those characters.
I just finished reading a nonfiction book on the history of the American colonial period, and this book fleshed out the story of those days and people in human terms. It was both fun and illuminating to read. I plan to give the book to my teenage niece, who enjoys female protagonists and just finished an American History course in high school. This is a novel that both young adults and mature adults will enjoy, and I highly recommend it.
March 23, 2019
A well-crafted historical fiction...
Author K.D. Carter weaves a well-crafted historical fiction, with intriguing twists and turns that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The story unfolds in small acts, at first feeling slight to touch, then building in emotional substance. The author’s attention to detail and her ability to capture the emotions of the characters, along with the reality of the circumstances of the times, guarantees the reader that this was a well-researched book.
The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘In the summer of 1692, the infamous Salem witch trials were underway in Massachusetts Colony, North America. Meanwhile, a new Governor was appointed over New Hampshire colony, but his only interest was the land he felt entitled to. Citizens of Durham, New Hampshire, were losing property they’d farmed for years. It was a dangerous time to come to the Colonies, but Kate Tremont had no choice. Having lost her father and her home in Kingston, Jamaica, she sailed to Durham, New Hampshire to stay with her only living relative – William Stoddard, a farmer and devout Puritan. William demands obedience and conformity if Kate wants to stay, but that’s not the worst of it. Kate finds that enemies are easier to make than friends when she gives a doll to a child. When her act of kindness is twisted and used against her, Kate learns that evil happens when good people get angry!’
Now, if that’s not enough to get your curiosity juices flowing, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed.
The Death Doll had me immersed from the beginning. It’s an emotional historical fiction interwoven with true-life history. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a truly convincing and mesmerizing journey.
It’s one of those books that comes along occasionally that will make you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. For those looking for an interesting, three-dimensional and stimulating read, this would be a great find. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.
If this book is anything to go by, I’ll certainly be looking forward to reading more from K.D. Carter in the future. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in historical fiction. It would also make a great selection for book clubs. A well-deserved five stars from me.
Author K.D. Carter weaves a well-crafted historical fiction, with intriguing twists and turns that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The story unfolds in small acts, at first feeling slight to touch, then building in emotional substance. The author’s attention to detail and her ability to capture the emotions of the characters, along with the reality of the circumstances of the times, guarantees the reader that this was a well-researched book.
The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘In the summer of 1692, the infamous Salem witch trials were underway in Massachusetts Colony, North America. Meanwhile, a new Governor was appointed over New Hampshire colony, but his only interest was the land he felt entitled to. Citizens of Durham, New Hampshire, were losing property they’d farmed for years. It was a dangerous time to come to the Colonies, but Kate Tremont had no choice. Having lost her father and her home in Kingston, Jamaica, she sailed to Durham, New Hampshire to stay with her only living relative – William Stoddard, a farmer and devout Puritan. William demands obedience and conformity if Kate wants to stay, but that’s not the worst of it. Kate finds that enemies are easier to make than friends when she gives a doll to a child. When her act of kindness is twisted and used against her, Kate learns that evil happens when good people get angry!’
Now, if that’s not enough to get your curiosity juices flowing, I don’t know what will. But if you want to find out what happens, you’ll just have to turn the pages for yourself! However, I will say it was well worth the read. It’s my first time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed.
The Death Doll had me immersed from the beginning. It’s an emotional historical fiction interwoven with true-life history. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There are plenty of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a truly convincing and mesmerizing journey.
It’s one of those books that comes along occasionally that will make you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. For those looking for an interesting, three-dimensional and stimulating read, this would be a great find. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.
If this book is anything to go by, I’ll certainly be looking forward to reading more from K.D. Carter in the future. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in historical fiction. It would also make a great selection for book clubs. A well-deserved five stars from me.
October 17, 2019
Kate Tremont's life changes radically after her father's death. Her fathers business associate tells Kate she must decide between her Jamaican plantation in the or the unknown. Kate decides that she would rather stay with her only family, an Aunt and Uncle in Durham, New Hampshire. After a long voyage, Kate shows up unannounced at her Puritan relatives doorstep. They take Kate in, but the adjustment is hard on Kate, her Aunt and Uncle and cousins, Edith and Mary. The Puritan lifestyle is very different than anything Kate knows. As Kate adjusts to life in New Hampshire, she gets to know her cousins better as well as a the Rockford family and is employed as Viola Rockford's tutor. When Viola and Kate find a young escaped slave in the woods, trouble begins as Kate's kindness becomes twisted into rumors and sickness falls on the town.
The Death Doll is a historical fiction novel set in 1692 in the colony of Durham in New Hampshire. This is the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials, and life in a Puritan village is difficult. Kate's character is very interesting to follow as she was quite independent in Jamaica, but clueless as to how the world works. When Kate arrived in New Hampshire, the pacing of the book picked up. The Puritan world seemed to be depicted quite accurately in terms of dress, home life and religious customs as well as how one accusation could place multiple lives in danger. I was surprised at how different Kate's experience was from the women accused during the Salem Witch Trails and the reasons why the hysteria didn't reach someplace so close. After everything that Kate and her family went through, there was a very surprising ending and I wonder if this outcome actually happened to anyone in the past.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
The Death Doll is a historical fiction novel set in 1692 in the colony of Durham in New Hampshire. This is the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials, and life in a Puritan village is difficult. Kate's character is very interesting to follow as she was quite independent in Jamaica, but clueless as to how the world works. When Kate arrived in New Hampshire, the pacing of the book picked up. The Puritan world seemed to be depicted quite accurately in terms of dress, home life and religious customs as well as how one accusation could place multiple lives in danger. I was surprised at how different Kate's experience was from the women accused during the Salem Witch Trails and the reasons why the hysteria didn't reach someplace so close. After everything that Kate and her family went through, there was a very surprising ending and I wonder if this outcome actually happened to anyone in the past.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
January 11, 2024
love it!!
Historical books are not my thing but after reading this I might have a new genre to read!! The author did such an amazing job catching my attention and keeping it throughout the whole book!
Historical books are not my thing but after reading this I might have a new genre to read!! The author did such an amazing job catching my attention and keeping it throughout the whole book!
January 1, 2020
I really liked this historical fiction novel. It was fast-paced, so I read the entire thing in a couple of sessions. Set in the late 1600s, a young woman goes to the North American colonies to live with her uncle after the death of her father. While there, she shakes up the rules at the Puritan household. Friendly and charismatic, Kate makes friends with a local widower and his daughter, as well as a runaway slave all while falling in love with a sailor. Just when she feels her life is working out beautifully, Kate is put on trial for witchcraft and everything is back in flux for her. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I was happy with the resolution.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews