Dr. Sevier

Set in the years just before the American Civil War, "Dr. Sevier" is an interesting work on prison reform. It is the story of a widowed doctor from New Orleans who is interested in a struggling couple with a secret past. They call themselves John and Mary Richlin and claim to come from Milwaukee, but Dr Sevier doesn't quite trust them. The Civil War finally intrudes into the novel's final stages, but only as a backdrop.