Sawbones

Written by Melissa Lenhardt

Narrated by Suehyla El-Attar

Wrongfully accused of murder, Dr. Catherine Bennett is destined to hang. . . unless she can disappear.

With the untamed territory of Colorado as her most likely refuge, she packs her physician's kit and heads West. But even with a new life and name, a female doctor with a bounty on her head can hide for only so long.

Sawbones is the first novel in a gripping historical fiction series.

"Packs a big punch with grit and raw passion. . ..A GRAND SLAM OUT OF THE PARK." -RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!) 4.5 stars

"Thoroughly original, smart and satisfying. . .perhaps a new subgenre: THE FEMINIST WESTERN." -Lone Star Literary Life
"DAMN BRILLIANT and I absolutely loved it!" -Bibliosanctum (4.5 stars)

"I COULDN'T TEAR MYSELF AWAY. . . An epic story of love and courage that sweeps from east to west, Sawbones will rip right through you." -Marci Jefferson

"A PAGE-TURNER" -Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times bestselling author

"YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE with Catherine." -Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Apr 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781478920502

Melissa Lenhardt

Melissa Lenhardt writes Women’s fiction, mysteries, and historical fiction. When she’s not writing she’s thinking, “I really should be writing.” She lives in Texas with her family and two Golden Retrievers. The Secret of You and Me is her seventh novel.

Reviews for Sawbones

[lamotamant · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Redhook Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

During the early hours of an 1871 February morning, amidst the slight crunch and give of footsteps in thick snow, Dr. Catherine Bennett walks home from being fleeced by a resurrection man. Disguised as a man in an effort to secure a safe(r) walk home through the streets of New York, Catherine ruminates on death, battlefields, and a past ladened with both. Through a rapid fire succession of events, a walk home turns into a battlefield of its own and Catherine's future shifts abruptly. Home becomes a question rather than a defined destination as Catherine must run from a false murder accusation and into the trenches of a seething country wrought with division and treachery post-Civil War. She will travel territory filled with the angered and the insane, the running-froms and the desperate. While she has fought to be who she is already, taken risks to devote herself to learning the skills and advancements of her profession, her fight is far from over.

I enjoy historical fiction. Through reading everything from Dickens to Conan Doyle, I'm particularly enamored with historical fiction that takes place in the Victorian era. Even more particularly, historical fiction of the era that involves medical advancements from the use of ether to the discoveries made by Pasteur, Koch, et. al. concerning germs, vaccinations, the use of carbolic acid. It was a fascinating period for breakthroughs, a renaissance of the idea of patient care and disease treatment/prevention. I place the blame for this specific geeking out proclivity on often being a sounding board for my nurse mom and a steady consumption of her medical dictionaries.

Women doctors, while not solely a Victorian era area as the struggles of women to break through in education and scientific fields is a constant that has spanned multiple eras and cultures, are an immensely interesting facet of Victorian medical advancement. When you realize that it was largely women that provided physical/practical care in both institutions (both medical and religious) and wartime through the years, it is disheartening to read about their struggles to be taken seriously, to note that as of a 1901 (British) census there were only 335 female practitioners. But when you look at the individual stories of those determined women including those of the Edinburgh Seven, Dr. Jex-Blake, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, etc. and contemplate how skilled and dedicated they had to be and how hard they had to work, there is a wealth of inspiration and respect to be had.

That inspiration and respect makes historical fiction novels such as this immensely interesting to me so I was happy to pick it up based on the synopsis and had high hopes for it.

While the beginning felt overly choppy and abrupt to me, enough that high hopes began to dwindle, things did pick up eventually and I became much more invested in Dr. Catherine Bennett's character as the plot progressed. I will say that the synopsis did not prepare me for the overall tone of the book. Lenhardt's Sawbones is a darkly gory western that is populated enough by visceral experiences of violence that it's almost a character in and of itself.

While I'm not a fan of gore and victimization as shock-the-reader plot manipulation, I don't need to be surrounded by rainbows and unicorns to enjoy a plot. As I appreciate a historical fiction author that pays attention to the facts, so do I appreciate an author that can write about violence while being in tune with the emotional experience such violence precipitates in both character and reader. In a book such as this, whether the violence, abuse, etc. feels accurate to the plot, time, and place of the story matters most to me. I believe this accuracy is accomplished by Lenhardt for the most part. A large portion of this book could be triggering for many reasons, for those that might be concerned about if and when to read it or who to recommend it to. It contains scenes of brutality, rape, torture, and suicidal ideation.

My rating of 2.5/3 stars primarily hinges on several scenes having too abrupt a development or being too drawn out. The concept of the book is interesting and there were several character interactions that truly shined for me but the flow of the book did feel awkward at times. All the same, knowing this book will be continued as either a series or trilogy (I'm not very sure which, I've seen reviewers that mention both but my version did include an excerpt from Blood Oath as a continuation), I am interested enough in both concept and character(s) to pick up the next book. I did make note of a couple anachronisms along the way, most notably in conversations/words that wouldn't have been used, but none that were glaring. A historical figure does make an appearance and was enough of a presence that my interest was piqued concerning his later life. Related to anachronisms, I enjoyed the title of the book but wish it would have made more of an appearance in the story. I believe it's mentioned once but not with any context that speaks to the origin of the term. The first time I encountered the slang was in Dicken's Pickwick Papers when Mr. Weller informs us that a Sawbones is a surgeon. (“‘What, don’t you know what a Sawbones is, Sir’, enquired Mr. Weller; ‘I thought every body know’d as a Sawbones was a Surgeon,'” Charles Dickens, Pickwick Papers, 1837)

Lenhardt mentions in her Author's Note that her father's love of watching westerns as well as her reading Larry McMurty and watching his favorite show Lonesome Dove after he passed away lead to her writing a western. I can identify with that pull; my father also loved westerns, especially those that starred John Wayne. I think he was more a fan of the adventure of the thing as he also loved Star Wars and Indiana Jones with equal fervency. I'm lucky to have shared Saturday movie nights with him with a bowl of cereal and The Duke, Indy, or Solo plunging into action and adventure on screen and can relate to the closeness felt in being able to experience similar movies all these years later. I think Lenhardt does credit to her father's love of westerns in this work and does a decent job of including historical events and frontier attitudes/actions. I haven't read many westerns and wasn't initially aware that this book was billed as a western so I don't have much to compare it to. The Outlander comparison of the synopsis also eludes me as I haven't delved into that series yet though it's on the TBR mountain. From the reviews I've read after finishing the book I've gathered that some have had a problem with this comparison. I'll stick with what I know and say that, as a historical fiction novel, Sawbones is grounded in enough history to grant it some atmosphere and interest to those that enjoy the genre. It will be interesting to see how further books progress.

[empressreece · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just found another book and author to add to my favorites list. I'd give it 10 stars if I could- it was that good! I was expecting a light read but this 1871 western frontier story is so much more then that. Be prepared for one hell of a roller coaster ride with some very dark, intense moments. If you like the wild west or have an interest in medicine, then you need to move this book to the top of your TBR!

[veeshee-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

At first, I did not enjoy the way this novel was moving. I did not really like the character of Catherine; she was much too simple of a character and she just had this laissez-faire attitude that irritated me. I also found the beginning to be very repetitive with constant mentions of the past (this doesn't change throughout the novel). However, my impression of this novel quickly improved as the story moved forward and dealt with violence and war and grief; these components made it all more 3-D and believable. By the end of the novel, I was wrapped up in the plot; it really pulled through for me and ended up being quite a good story. Those who compare this to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon would be right in doing so: Catherine truly resembles Claire Randall both in her mannerisms and in her attitude. If you liked Outlander, you will most definitely enjoy Sawbones!

[tamidale · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sawbones is a gritty, wild and intense western that tells the story of a female doctor (which was almost unheard of in 1871) who is falsely accused of murder by a prominent family in New York. The doctor, Catherine Bennett, is forced to flee to Texas and change her name, taking with her just a few possessions and her lifelong maid.

Upon arrival in Texas, there is a glitch in her plans and she decides instead to get on a wagon train bound for Colorado. Now posing as Dr. Laura Elliston, she and her maid set out with the wagon train which is later attacked by Indians. Luckily for Laura, she survives and is taken to Fort Richardson, where she saves the life of Captain Kindle and eventually falls in love with him.

The adventure is just getting wound up at this point. There are bounty hunters searching for Laura (aka Catherine Bennett) and there is a strange man who seems to be trailing her. In addition to that, Captain Kindle has some secrets of his own.

Sawbones is a novel that is just as rough and untamed as Texas was during the late 1800’s. There are descriptions of the Indian attacks and raping of women, as well as descriptions of the medical conditions Elliston is treating. Definitely not a book for the squeamish.

I thought the ending was thrilling and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
On a side note, I met the author in my local Barnes & Noble as were were browsing the shelves of new fiction releases. Melissa Lenhardt, I am so glad I met you and after we talked, I bought Stillwater and The Fisher King. I’m looking forward to reading them this fall.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Redhook books for the opportunity to read a copy of this book for an honest review.

[nhalliwell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sawbones was an enjoyable mix of historical fiction, western and romance. Personally I am not a big fan of romance but the romance storyline was in sync with the rest of the story and it worked well. The author states in her afterward that Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove was an inspiration. Her writing has that same feel. Descriptive and lyrical, the story follows a woman physician, Catherine Bennett, in 1871. To say it was rare for a woman to be in that role at that time in history would be an understatement.

Catherine must flee New York City when accused of a crime she did not commit. She and her lifelong servant end up in Texas. Texas in the 1870’s is a very dangerous place. While the majority of the men were off fighting the civil war, the Native Americans reclaimed some of their lost territory. Sherman and Sheridan are dispatched to Texas to solve the “Indian Problem”.

Catherine finds herself right in the middle of Comanche territory, struggling to maintain her alias but unable to resist using her skills as a doctor. The story is very fast past containing fictional characters like Catherine and real people like Sherman and Sheridan.

Sawbones is a quick and enjoyable read. If you would like to read more about this period of history I strongly suggest S. C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon. It looks like there is a sequel to Sawbones coming. I am looking forward to reading it also. I received an advanced copy of Sawbones from NetGalley in return for a fair review.

[texasbooklover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

HISTORICAL FICTION/THRILLER
Melissa Lenhardt
Sawbones (A Laura Elliston Novel)
Redhook
Ebook, B0124TQ3Z0, 358 pgs., $3.99
March 29, 2016


Catherine Bennett is the rare female surgeon in New York City, or anywhere, in 1871. Accused of a murder she did not commit and unable to offer an alibi that would not destroy her career and reputation, she is forced to flee. Landing in Galveston with a bounty on her head, Catherine Bennett becomes Dr. Laura Elliston and sets out to get lost. Elliston embarks on the Western Trail across Comancheria in a wagon train with a small party, recruited by one of the ubiquitous land men, to found a new town in Colorado.

Sawbones is Melissa Lenhardt’s second novel—and the first in a new series—of Western historical fiction, with elements of the mysterious thriller, and she’s hit the bull’s-eye with her first shot in this genre. Lenhardt grabs her audience in the opening scene, when Bennett practices new surgical techniques on a corpse she has paid a “resurrection man” to procure, and doesn’t let up until the final scene when Elliston rides off into the dark night with her new knight, on the run again.

Bennett/Elliston is a fiercely determined woman who disdains the traditional women’s roles—don’t, you can’t, you mustn’t, what’s wrong with you?—and makes significant sacrifices to practice medicine. She’s “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” but more acerbic and conflicted, less romantic, and believably—forgivably—flawed. Lenhardt’s characters are well developed and provided with diverse backstories that inform their actions and motivations. Lenhardt is particularly skilled at physical descriptions of her characters, invoking them fully formed, like Athena from Zeus’s head.

There is the occasional instance of overwrought description, such as Elliston’s equating of a dramatic Texas sunset (“the bloodied sky”) with “God’s anger at man’s idiocy and hubris, at the wanton waste of life,” reminding her that “beauty and destruction are inexorably linked in nature and in the heart of man.” But this is balanced by Lenhardt’s humor. Her Western is funny, too. After an injury to her shoulder, Elliston must get it popped back into place.

Full feeling would take time but at least I would be able to use my arm. I sat up. The steward’s eyes were wide. “What? Did I scream?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Sorry.” Four men were standing back from the table, holding oil lanterns, eyes as wide as the steward’s. “What is the matter? Surely you’ve heard a woman scream before.”
“Yes, ma’am,” one man said. “Ain’t ever heard one cuss.”

Even though the plot is intricate with many moving parts, it races along and the details fall into place like so many puzzle pieces. The plot twists, of which there are so many as to become exhausting, are precisely timed and sprung to maximum effect. Lenhardt has discovered a facility for integrating historical events—the Salt Creek Massacre, General Sherman’s tour of Texas forts, changing Indian policies—and people—Buffalo soldiers, Quanah Parker, Gen. Ranald Mackenzie—into a satisfying, coherent narrative with her fictional characters. I am reminded of Jeff Guinn’s recent novel, Buffalo Trail.

Sawbones is a thoroughly original, smart and satisfying hybrid, perhaps a new sub-genre: the feminist Western.

​Published in Lone Star Literary Life.

[stewartry · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If you look over there to the book description, you will probably see "Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest". Now, a few years back I did a whole bunch of research into what a whole bunch of people said about writing and promoting and getting an agent and so on. And I remember reading with dismay the advice that you really should come up with what they call an elevator pitch, and that part of it should be something like "Jane Austen meets Howard Stern" or "Star Trek meets Star Trek the Next Generation" or something ever-so-clever to get the feel of your book across. I've since seen plenty of people in Goodreads groups saying that, basically, when they see something like that they can't walk away fast enough. Anyway. I think the point this needs to come to is that if you say your book is Charles Dickens meets George R.R. Martin (ooh, I'd actually like to see that), you need to deliver something approximating Dickens melded with Martin. So, was this "Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest"?

No.

There's p-CWunrest coming out of everyone's ears. Heck, there's even an appearance by a Civil War general, which made me realize I know little of what happened to him after the War. There's still resentment by Southerners, and of course Western expansion being fought tooth and nail by Indians, and a bushel of flashbacks to the War – because of course Catherine disguised herself as a man to serve as a surgeon. The language at times falls short of feelling like it actually belongs in 1871, however; it often felt very contemporary – I protest the use of "kids" to refer to children in 1871, and you know I was annoyed when someone asked if someone was okay. And, quite simply, there was a poetry to the language in that era that was entirely lacking here. Obviously not every word that dropped from anyone's lips in the nineteenth century was flowery and beautiful – but from the quotes I've seen and of course the letters and novels people did put a great deal of thought into what they said and made it as beautiful as possible. And I don't think so many intelligent people would use "lay" where they should use "lie". But yes, overall, there's lots of late nineteenth century unrest.

But I take serious issue with the met-by-Outlander thing.

It all begins with a murder. The murder doesn't matter very much, though, except as the push the whole thing needs to get going: first-person narrator Catherine, a rare woman doctor trying to make a career in New York, is told by an old friend that 1) the husband of one of her patients has been bludgeoned to death, 2) the patient is accusing her, and has enough money and influence to see to it that Catherine takes the rap, and 3) therefore Catherine needs to leave, immediately, and go on the run to the West. So she does. She scoops up her maid, who has basically raised her for years, Catherine changes her name, and off they go with a group of settlers headed for Colorado.

I don't think it's spoilerish to say that terrible things happen (seriously, remarkably terrible), and soon Catherine – now calling herself Laura – is alone; the remaining three quarters of the book follow her to an army post where the doctor has fortuitously left, and where she is grudgingly given the chance to treat soldiers and camp followers. And then she falls in love, though she doesn't mean to. And then more terrible things happen (remarkably, seriously terrible). And then the book ends.

The writing gets the job done. The book is a smidgen over three hundred pages, and it was a quick read – I was grateful for that, after some of the slogs I've had to get through lately. But all of the ups and downs of the story just didn't hang together; it felt like three or four separate books.

So… who killed the guy in New York?

Maybe that will be in the sequel.

I'm afraid this is one of those books where I talk myself into a lower rating than I started out with. I have to say one reason, albeit a small one, is… well, over the course of the book, the main character is called Catherine, and Laura, and Nurse, and Miss, and I believe a couple of names under people's breath. Know what she is never, to the best of my recollection, called?

Sawbones.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sawbones by Melissa Lenhardt is the first book in the Laura Elliston series. Dr. Catherine Bennett is on her way home when her friend, James catches up to her in his carriage. Catherine is being accused of murder. Beatrice Langton told the police that Catherine killed her husband, George with a fireplace poker. Beatrice is very rich and has paid off the right people to make sure that Catherine goes to jail for the crime. Friends help Catherine and Maureen, her maid but more like a mother, flee New York via ship. A $500 reward is out for Catherine on a poster with her likeness on it. Bounty hunters and Pinkerton agents will soon be on her trail. They end up in Texas. Catherine changes her name to Laura Elliston. Maureen encourages her to say she is a midwife to avoid suspicion (women doctors are few). They join a wagon train heading for Timberline, Colorado. A few days out they are attacked by Indians. Catherine/Laura is the sole survivor. She is rescued by soldiers from the nearby fort. One of the soldiers is Captain William Kindle. Catherine/Laura recognizes him immediately because of the scar on his face. She had sewed up his wound at Antietam during the war. Will Captain Kindle remember her? Captain Kindle was injured by the Indians and Catherine/Laura jumps in to fix him up (so much for protecting her identity). Without her aid, though, the chances of Kindle surviving where low. Catherine/Laura is escorted to the fort where more adventure awaits. Dr. Laura Elliston’s new life is just beginning.

Sawbones is a long-winded novel. I, personally, feel it goes on too long and could have done with a little editing. The book is easy to read, but I did not find it engaging. It was a satisfactory story, but my attention was not completely captured. One thing I really did not like was the novel ends with a cliffhanger instead of an ending. Catherine is a strong character (stubborn, independent, ornery) who dominates every scene. Sawbones does contain extreme violence and some sexual situations (as well as rape). I give Sawbones 3 out of 5 stars (which mean it was okay).

I received a complimentary copy of Sawbones from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[sarah_gruwell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sawbones definitely went some places unexpected for me. It’s got a visceral, immediate story with some stunning settings, vivid characters, and harsh lessons. I was expecting maybe a somewhat grittier version of Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. What I actually got was so much more….

First off, I have to talk about some of the harsh topics the author wasn’t afraid to explore. Prejudice, murder, massacres, attacks…. You name it and it probably happened. The author doesn’t hold back in her descriptions and some truly horrific happenings to her characters. To some, this might turn people off. Yet, I admired her guts for going there and giving us a more realistic vision of the West than most fiction does.

Our main character was both a blessing and a curse. Catherine is one of those characters that you can’t help but love and root for. Her strength of character and will get her through some trying circumstances that would crush another personality. She faces everything with a grace and perseverance that I admired. She grows throughout the book in very visible ways, changing with the circumstances and events that come her way.

Yet, in the beginning and even somewhat throughout the whole book, Catherine also seems to have a blindspot when it comes to situations that call from common sense. For a gal on the run, she doesn’t seem to be trying very hard to hide her origins and from the law. Her hubris when it comes to her training and doctoring also was a negative. Thankfully, her common sense seemed to develop as the story got going so wasn’t as bit a problem as in the beginning. But boy, it took a while to get that far…

I also have to commend on the author’s scene setting skills. Having personally been to part of the area this takes place in, I felt like I was right where the action was happening. The wind, red soil, and wide open spaces all sounded familiar; I could picture everything perfectly. The author does a great job in balancing her scene description with the dialogue and action sequences perfectly to create a vivid world.

Great world-building, a sympathetic main character, and gut-wrenching, emotional story all make this a great way to pass the time. Though at times the actions of Catherine drove me up a wall, I empathized with her enough for my heart to go out to her when the poop hit the fan on her. Thank goodness that the author mentioned a sequel in the questions in the back. Otherwise, I would have been ticked at the where the story leaves off; I got so caught up in the story. Here’s looking forward to the next book in the series! I eagerly await it.

Note: Book received for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.