Release Date: May 8, 2018

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Milton is sent from England to live with family friend Douglas Elling in Charleston. Abby’s family is struggling financially and they hope that she will benefit from living in an upper-class home. Douglas is a widower who runs a shipping company and his role as an abolitionist has made him a loner in the pre-civil war South. He introduces Abby to a different society full of wealth & debutante balls.

Douglas does little to help Abby acclimate to her new surroundings. He delegates her education to a governess who resides at his mansion and avoids her company. Abby finds him unlikable but is appreciative of his home and financial assistance. Her opinion of Douglas quickly changes when she overhears a private conversation. She learns that he is secretly working to help slaves escape to the North.  Abby makes a bigger attempt to involve herself in Douglas’ life after discovering that they share similar beliefs and morals.

This is a debut novel by Jacqueline Friedland. Trouble The Water is a wonderful historical fiction read with an interesting assortment of characters. I applaud the amount of research invested in this novel which helps brings readers back in time.