Synopsis "Out of the Silence: A Charlotte Cunningham Mystery"
In Out of the Silence the murder of humans in bondage takes place among the beauty, grace, and wealth of the antebellum town of Madison, Georgia, in 1848. Charlotte Kate Cunningham, the daughter of the local doctor, and a young doctor who recently joiner her father's practice, Dr. Deron Fairbanks, become embroiled in the well-kept secrets of the small town. Isabella Dickson, the wife of a plantation owner, has been disappearing for long periods of time and not remembering the episodes. The sudden death of Isabella's husband, Fletcher, and the hanging of three slaves in a meadow bring further distress to the town. Dr. Fairbanks assists Sheriff J.D. Ponder search for the killers as Charlotte tries to help Isabella remember what happens when she disappears. Finally, Dr. Virey, a mesmerist from Atlanta, explores Isabella's memories and uncovers multiple personalities. Isabella's personalities unravel the mysteries of the killings and suddenly the quiet town of Madison becomes a place of extreme danger. Out of the Silence is a story juxtaposed between poverty and slavery, wealth and grace in the culture of plantation owners of the 1840s. The characters discover the complexities of the mind, the human capacity to shut out pain, and the mind's ability to disconnect from the atrocities committed by humankind.
