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A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden - Dr. Rosalind Werner worked hard and sacrificed to become a biochemist, and has dedicated her life to find a way to stop the spread of waterborne diseases. She and a colleague have been testing the use of chlorine to purify water, but they have a hard battle to convince the public - and a judge in a landmark court case - that their technology is effective
and safe.
Nicholas Drake is the newly appointed Commissioner of Water for New York, and is very skeptical of the safety of chlorination. He wants the technology thoroughly tested before he'll agree to it being used in New York. He is boldly opposed to the plan in the court case, but when he meets with Dr Werner so she can present some of their lab results and findings, he is undeniably attracted to her. And Rosalind can't help admiring Nick either.
Although both desperately want the public water supply to be safe, they are on opposing sides of the debate over using chlorine. Nick makes clear that he wants to pursue a relationship with Rosalind, and as long as they leave the question of the public water supply out of it, their friendship grows. But Rosalind finds herself with an impossible choice when her colleague comes up with an unconventional way to demonstrate the safety of their technique - she knows their technique works, but will Nick ever forgive her if she participates in this stealthy plan? To make matters worse, she seems to be the target of a malicious plan to ruin her reputation and frame her for a crime she didn't commit. Nick must make some difficult choices as well, deciding who to trust and how to make amends when he realizes his mistakes.
This novel is a sequel to A Dangerous Legacy, in which Nick's sister is the main character. Although it's not necessary to read that novel first, it will certainly help give background to the family drama that affects Nick and his decisions. How could a historical novel with a central theme about the development of safer, cleaner public water supplies be so dramatic and intriguing? And yet it is. The characters are interesting and complex, and as in the other Camden novels I've read, the heroine is unconventional and very intelligent; and has to square off against society's expectations and a formidable opponent with power and influence.
From the publisher:
As a biochemist in early 1900s New York, Doctor Rosalind Werner has dedicated her life to the crusade against waterborne diseases. She is at the forefront of a groundbreaking technology that will change the way water is delivered to every household in the city -- but only if she can get people to believe in her work.
Newly appointed Commissioner of Water for New York Nicholas Drake is highly skeptical of Rosalind and her team's techniques. When a brewing court case throws him into direct confrontation with her, he is surprised by his reaction to the lovely scientist.
While Rosalind and Nick wage a private war against their own attraction, they stand firmly on opposite sides of a battle that will impact far more than just their own lives. As the controversy grows more public and inflammatory and Rosalind becomes the target of an unknown enemy, these two rivals will face higher stakes than they ever could have known.
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