For seven centuries, the German convent of Obberoth has been hiding the nuns' secrets—forbidden passions, scandalous manuscripts locked away, a ruined medical career, perhaps even a murder. In 1931, Margarethe von Stahle, an aristocratic physician, arrives at the convent to interview Sister Augustine, a candidate for head nurse. The nun’s past is shrouded in mystery. She abandoned a medical career, and her final vows were delayed for an unspeakable reason. Determined to lift the veil of secrecy, Margarethe finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery, a complicated romance, and a ...

In the waning years of Queen Victoria’s reign, a brilliant daughter is born to an aristocratic, military family in Prussia. A quirk of inheritance law allows Margarethe von Stahle to inherit her family’s titles. Her elders collaborate to educate her to take on her future duties, which include administering her family estates and supporting an order of nuns.Margarethe’s curiosity and precocity delight and perplex her teachers as they try to mold her. Her father trains her with his military cadets. A retired opera singer teaches her how to sing. Her grandaunt, headmistress of the ...

In 1938, Margarethe von Stahle is desperately trying to practice ethical medicine despite the Nazi policy of "racial hygiene" that is forcing doctors to collaborate in the extermination of the handicapped and mentally ill. She has always avoided politics, but now she must decide whether to remain on the sidelines or to act on her convictions. At the same time, she is struggling to hold her family together, despite intrigue, secrecy, and an unforgivable indiscretion. The people she holds most dear are conspiring against her for their own ends. Neither of Margarethe's children are playing to ...

In this seventh volume of the Hobbs series, Lucy Bartlett, the rector of the Episcopal Church, and town doctor, Liz Stolz, have finally announced their engagement. They get pushback from surprising places, even from friends they’ve counted on for support. Unresolved issues from Liz’s first marriage cloud the prospect even more, especially when her ex-wife returns, desperately needing help. A new doctor has joined Hobbs Family Practice, sparking rumors that Liz will retire. Across town, Police chief, Brenda Harrison, and her wife are settling into a new relationship, but Cherie hears her...

In this fifth volume of the series, the residents of Hobbs, Maine, are relieved to have gotten through the summer relatively unscathed by the pandemic. Town doctor, Liz Stolz, is warning about a fall surge, but everyone is ready to get back to normal. Liz has agreed to help her friend, architect, Sam McKinnon, build a sound-proof practice room over Erika Bultmann’s garage. As the days grow shorter, Erika is worried about her wife, former opera singer and Episcopal rector, Lucy Bartlett, who walks alone on the beach before dawn. Fortunately, the early Christmas gift is ready before tragedy...

Hobbs, Maine, is gradually reopening after the lockdown. Town doctor Liz Stolz has begun a new tradition, Thirsty Thursdays, a weekly cocktail party on her deck, so her friends can socialize safely. Architect Samantha McKinnon has recently moved to Maine to start a renovation business. Liz recommends Sam to do a bathroom remodel for the most hated woman in town, Olivia Enright—a super-rich, retired hedge fund manager whose outspoken, right-wing views have alienated everyone, especially police chief, Brenda Harrison. Meanwhile, Brenda’s budding relationship with her biracial girlfriend, ...

This sixth volume of the Hobbs series shows how a caring, inter-generational community can help everyone make the right connections. After a dark winter of loss and isolation, the summer people are returning, including forty-something Melissa Morgenstern, a trust lawyer from Boston. Melissa has been working remotely since the pandemic began. She has temporarily moved to Maine to comfort her widowed mother. Up to now, Melissa’s devotion to her tight-knit Jewish family and her legal career have made relationships difficult. Town doctor, Liz Stolz introduces her to the new assistant ...

Rev. Lucy Bartlett’s life couldn’t be more perfect. She’s turned around her crumbling church. She’s finishing her doctorate and publishing her first book. Best of all, she is engaged to marry her soulmate, Dr. Liz Stolz. Once a world-famous opera singer, Lucy has been coaching the church’s transgender music director, who hopes to relaunch her career as a natural alto. When Denise lands an audition with a major orchestra, she knows that the conductor is only using her to lure Lucy into performing again. To show her support, Lucy agrees to do the concert, but after the triumphant ...

Rev. Susan Gedney returns to Hobbs after facing the wreckage of her past in the Midwest, but she soon learns her own recovery is incomplete until she earns back everyone’s trust. Susan remembers what she learned in Rehab: ‘You’re only as sick as your secrets’. She may have to reveal a few before winning back the support of the people who want to believe in her again. Meanwhile, at the Hobbs Family Practice, Bobbie Lantry, the new Nurse Practitioner, has a big secret of her own. She seems always to be rushing away to take care of a mysterious older woman. Why? And who is the mystery ...

It’s midwinter in Maine, and the biggest problem is a snowstorm. Only Liz Stolz, the senior doctor of Hobbs Family practice, is paying attention to the strange virus in China that’s roiling the financial markets. Police chief Brenda Harrison is interested in Liz’s new physician’s assistant, but after witnessing police violence, Cherie Bois despises cops. As the pandemic closes in, the friends are pushed together during the lockdown. Friendships and relationships are strained. Can the women of Hobbs forge deeper bonds by helping one another and the town survive?