Acceptable Risk

The title of the book by Robin Cook, copyright  1994 and freebie from PQ library. The story started with the Salem, Massachusetts witchcraft trials. In real history, the Salem witch trials were a series of  hearings and executions of people accused with witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. The timeline started in 1692 when 9 year old Betty Parris and her cousin Abigail Williams began to have grand mal seizures. People, mostly women were arrested and executed by hanging.

In Robin Cook's story, the main character based on the Salem witch trial history is Elizabeth Stewart, a farmer's daughter who became a merchant's wife. The setting is 17th century when women were primarily left at home to raise a family. As a farmer's daughter, Elizabeth was keen to using local farm products to help farmers. Rye was among the local products which Elizabeth wanted to promote. Aside from using local products such as rye, Elizabeth was also a prominent women leader in the community managing her household, acting in behalf of her husband in business transactions such as buying and acquiring properties and feeding orphans. A visit by the nosy doctor's wife one day while Elizabeth multi tasked with baking rye bread, feeding orphans and sending them the freshly baked rye bread and telling the doctor's wife of her beliefs and revealing some practice of black magic such as a pin cushion human figure resembling the local doctor with a needle in his heart. Suddenly, the doctor's wife witnessed seizures that in the olden times were considered as being possessed by the devil. Elizabeth along with other women were put to trial for witchcraft. Despite of his husband's money and influence, Elizabeth was executed in the gallows.
Kimberly Stewart is a present day generation of Elizabeth Stewart.