"The Tide Waits for No Woman does for the Underground Railroad what Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning Killer Angels did for Chamberlain's bayonet charge that turned the tide at Gettysburg. Through the eyes of his intrepid protagonist, Abby Anderson, Richard Perkins skillfully draw readers in and puts them directly in the corss currents leading up to the American Civil War—a time when Abby and her family must put their lives on hold and risk everything to fight for what they believe is right. This is a must read for Civil War buffs who want to experience what it must have been like for an idealistic abolitionist and feminist to shepherd former slaves north to safety and freedom in Quebec."

—Brad Huestis, author of The Big Bad and Ahab

“The Tide Waits for No Woman, by Richard Perkins, is an outstanding

historical novel which deals with the time just before the American Civil War and during its first stages. 
The novel follows Abby Anderson as she navigates the uncertainties of the fate of her husband who was in a

shipwreck while she also guides an African American family on the

underground railroad. Caught in an early and severe winter storm she ends up living in one of the way stations of the railroad where she meets a mixed-race Acadian farmer and trapper, Bill Boudreaux, and his two Abenaki stepchildren. The novel is beautifully researched and provides fascinating details about life rural Maine during the winter, without losing sight of the bigger issues involved, including race relations and the emerging role of women as the nation barrels towards a catastrophic war.

I have read lots of novels about this period of time but never with the

depth of information and the realistic emotional struggles the characters

faced. If you read only one novel from this time, make sure it is The Tide

Waits For No Woman.”

—Rick Spees, author of
Capitol Gains and the soon to be released Capitol Losses

“This fascinating tale [The Tide Waits for No Woman] of the Underground Railroad takes readers on a journey filled with bravery, intrigue, and heartfelt moments that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very last page!”

—Susan Diamond Riley, author of The Sea Devil’s Demise

The Tide Waits for No Woman by Richard Perkins is a must-read, stirring Civil War–era tale of survival, forbidden bonds, and one woman’s fight to chart her own course in a world ruled by tides—both literal and social. 

   As the shadow of war looms in the summer of 1860, the sea claims her new husband, returning to Maine from Charleston, in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Newlywed Abby Anderson refuses to retreat into grief and rejects the title of widow. Instead, she joins the perilous work of the Underground Railroad. But a sudden October blizzard traps her with a fugitive slave family, an Acadian trapper, and two Abenaki teens in the remote wilderness. Through the long winter, survival forges unlikely bonds—and forces Abby to confront a choice that will change her life forever.

—T. M. Brown, author of The Last Laird of Sapelo and Sanctuary: A Legacy of Memories