QUALITY OF CARE Clara Raymond is the kind of obstetrician any woman would want—caring skilled, dedicated. But she is caught off guard when a pregnant woman is wheeled onto the labor and delivery floor with what seem to be minor complaints. The patient turns out to be Lydia Benson, a childhood friend who saved Clara's life after a terrible horseback-riding accident. And at Lydia's side is her husband, Gordon Robinson, a man whom Clara once loved passionately and then left, although she has never forgotten him. That night, in the labor and delivery rooms, the brief reunion goes tragically wrong. For Clara, the consequences will include a journey to California and to her own past—and a rediscovery of hope in a place she never expected...An involving nuanced story about the search for healing and the fragility of both our boies and our souls, Quality of Care is an unforgettable debut by a talented and thought-provoking literary voice. Read an excerpt. BUY THE BOOK online from your local independent bookstore via BookSense, Amazon or Barnes & Noble. QUALITY OF CARE New American Library Accent March 2005 ISBN 0-4512-1410-2 PRAISE FOR QUALITY OF CARE "Nurse-midwife Letts' debut, about a woman forced by tragedy to search for her past, is a winner....Deeply moving and emotional, Letts' novel shows the foibles of humanity and answers the mystery of Clara's past. The characters are alive, enigmatic and realistic—the backbone of superior women's fiction."    —Sheri Melnick, Romantic Times Top Pick—4.5 stars! (read the full review) "This novel is intense, fast-paced, and almost claustrophobic...Clara's closeness to unfolding events captures the emotion in this drama-rich story."    —Washington Post "Letts takes an irresistible premise—what happens when you are unable to save the life of the person who saved yours?—and delivers a riveting, fast paced story with telling characters and polished, highly charged writing."    —Terez Rose, peacecorpswriters.org "Quality of Care is a remarkable first novel, at once the page-turning story of one woman's past and present lives colliding with eerie inevitability in a life-changing crisis, and a spiraling meditative journey through the mysteries of human fate itself. Elizabeth Letts tells her complex story simply and beautifully, probing the overlapping nerve-lines of history and the present with the precision and delicacy of a master surgeon, layer by exquisitely-revealed layer, moving through tragedy and bafflement to lucidity and finally to healing acceptance. This is a novel to be grateful for."    —Tim Farrington, author of The Monk Downstairs With sure and steady hands, Elizabeth Letts guides us through an absorbing story of birth and rebirth, at once horrifying and thrilling, and delivers a wholly satisfying end. A great good read."    —Sarah Blake, Author of Grange House "Letts has crafted a haunting tale of loss and redemption in which a terrible medical mishap forces a surgeon to confront the ghosts of her tragic past. Letts's prose is lucid and elegant, and she weaves the past and present storylines seamlessly. Horse lovers will enjoy the dressage facility setting and magnificent horse."    —USA Today bestselling author Sara Gruen, author of Riding Lessons "Letts knows about birthing babies. But she's not interested in showing us just the mechanics and biology involved in ushering in new life. Here she tells a story of how a skilled and well-meaning obstetrician can do all the right things—yet still face a tragic result. And how that doctor—how all doctors—must live with that."    —Andrew Postman, author of Now I Know Everything