Dr. Genevieve Summerford Mystery Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| A Deadly Affection | 2012 | Buy |
| A Promise of Ruin | 2017 | Buy |
Cuyler Overholt is an American mystery author whose Dr. Genevieve Summerford series is set in turn-of-the-century New York City. The two books in the series — A Deadly Affection (2012) and A Promise of Ruin (2017) — feature a female psychiatrist navigating murder investigations in a period when both women in medicine and the practice of psychiatry itself were subjects of considerable social debate. The historical context is woven carefully into the plots and character dynamics.
Overholt’s writing reflects substantial research into the Progressive Era setting, covering the conditions of immigrant communities, the social constraints on women of the period, and early psychiatric practice. Dr. Genevieve Summerford is a well-drawn protagonist who operates at the intersection of several social tensions of her time, making the books as much historical novels as mysteries. The two-book series is compact, and both volumes are best read in order.