Long Lost Midwife by Skye Smith: A captivating mystery thriller

In Long Lost Midwife, Skye Smith drops a simmering domestic standoff into segregated 1930s St. Louis—and lets it burn. What starts as one woman’s insistence on choosing who helps bring her child into the world quickly becomes a pressure test of marriage, class performance, and the violent boundaries a community is determined to enforce.

Spoiler-free summary

St. Louis, 1934: Pamela Dorset is newly married, newly pregnant, and quietly unraveling under the expectations of “good society.” Her fear of childbirth (and her growing distrust of the people who claim to know what’s best for her) pushes her toward a decision her husband Franklin and both families refuse to tolerate—she wants Miss Minnie, the Black midwife connected to Pamela’s own birth, to attend her delivery.

As Pamela’s determination hardens, Franklin responds with surveillance, pressure, and control—tightening the social net around her until every errand feels like a potential escape attempt. With few allies, Pamela turns to the Black women working inside her household and orbiting her life, asking them to take risks that won’t fall on her shoulders alone.

What follows is a slow-burn collision of secrecy and proximity: a private obsession becomes a public provocation, and the closer Pamela gets to Miss Minnie, the more her carefully curated world threatens to split—marriage, reputation, and safety all fraying in a city that punishes women who step out of line, and punishes Black women even harder.

My take on Long Lost Midwife

Writing a mystery thriller is quite challenging. You have to set up the mystery, create enough evidence so the outcome makes sense, and maintain enough suspense for the reader to keep on reading. Moreover, you don’t want to drag out the mystery too much or you may lose the reader along the way.

Now, imagine doing all of this while the story takes place in a historical setting.

That is exactly what Skye Smith was going for with Long Lost Midwife and, quite frankly, I have to say that he has succeeded. Without wanting to give spoilers away since I think you should read the book, there is a strong focus on the main character, Pamela, and her psyche, which helps us as the reader to get a better understanding of what drives her.

A good example of this is how Smith spends about a third of the book’s length to set up the motivations for Pamela to look for Miss Minnie. Much like Stephen King in the book version of The Shining, before getting into the main plot. There is a decent amount of page time establishing the cast, the setting, and the elements that are going to push this mystery thriller forward.

I think this is a good move because a lot of stories tend to move too fast, afraid of losing the audience along the way. Smith gives the reader enough trust to set up the story and then focus on what matters, which are the characters. And when it comes to Pamela, she proves to be a very resourceful protagonist, constantly pushing the plot and trying to work her way around to reach her goals, which is usually quite exciting to watch.

Because the story is set in 1932, Smith gives real weight to the social realities of the era. Race sits at the heart of the narrative, shaping tensions and choices at every turn. At the same time, Pamela repeatedly pushes against the limits placed on women, refusing to fit the role expected of her neatly. For readers who know the historical backdrop—or enjoy fiction grounded in it—those themes add an extra layer of interest.

The emphasis on women of color is also prevalent throughout the story, with characters such as Minerva, ‘Miz’ Lucille, Faith, and many others taking center stage from time to time. It adds character to the topics that Smith is addressing and does so in a way that feels natural and organic, especially when it comes to the dialogues. The conversations between the characters flow extremely well, and they are a joy to read, which makes the setting a lot more believable and enjoyable for everyone.

If there is one thing that I truly appreciate from this book is the sense of flow. The pacing is excellent, and everything goes smoothly from one point to another, making the experience of reading it all the more enjoyable. Some people might find this book slow, but I personally think that the slow burn is something that has been quite welcoming from this story.

All in all, it is a wonderful read for those who are looking for a mystery thriller with strong social commentary.

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