In 1917, Julia Stimson was used to being one of the only powerful women in the "old boys' club" field of medicine. A gifted nurse, talented administrator, and friend and confidante to many, she rose up the ranks at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis to become the superintendent of nurses at Washington University. Julia is shocked when she and most of her fellow staff are summoned to work for the Red Cross in Europe to treat soldiers fighting in the Great War. Julia is given six weeks to find and train 64 more nurses for wartime duty. When she and her fleet of nurses arrive in Liverpool, Julia realizes just how monumental their task will be. They confront unimaginable bloodshed, hardships, and the horrors of war, testing their inner strength beyond belief. Based on a true story, Wood's (The Engineer's Wife, 2020) latest highlights Julia's quick thinking, organizational skills, and endlessly caring heart, bringing life to a brutal era. Fans of Patricia Harman will love Wood's treatment of medical expertise in a historical setting.

Wood (The Engineer's Wife) draws on the life of Julia Stimson, a real-life college-educated nurse from a prominent family who served in France during WWI, for a tepid sophomore effort. In April 1917, Fred Murphy, chief of surgery at Washington University, informs Julia, head of nursing training, that the school been activated by the U.S. military for emergency duty. Their unit ends up in Rouen, where Julia demonstrates her fine administrative skills by refining the methods used for patient triage, streamlining supply purchasing, and establishing shift schedules and ongoing training for her nurses. When a new, virulent strain of the flu pushes her nurses to their limits, they acquit themselves well. Julia also frets over her developing romance with Fred, wondering if she ever wants to get married and worrying that gossip about their relationship might get her sent home. There's no shortage of events, though the string of happenings fails to coalesce into an actual plot. Stimson's historical experiences are rife with dramatic possibilities, but Wood too often misses those in favor of dispensing information about nurse training and practices. It's a disappointing book about a fascinating woman. Agent: Lucy Cleland, Kneerim & Williams. (July)