Sharon Virts is the author of the new novel The Grays of Truth. Her other books include Veil of Doubt. She is also an entrepreneur.
Q: What inspired you to write The Grays of Truth?
A: I first learned about this story while researching 19th-century forensic science for my second book, Veil of Doubt. As I delved into the work of chemist Professor William Tonry, I stumbled upon the trial of Baltimore socialite Ellen Wharton.
When I read the court transcripts of her trial, I realized the case had many of the elements I look for in a writing project: wealth, power and politics coupled with multiple unexplained deaths, a thwarted/botched investigation, national media coverage (providing access to details, attitudes, and backstory), early forensic science, and unsavory/unstable real-life characters, each with motive for murder.
What more could one want in a great story?
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: The titles of all three of my published books are derived from a particularly poignant bit of dialogue that captured the essence of the story. In The Grays of Truth, there is a conversation between the two main characters that really reflected the underpinnings of the book.
“With the mist will come a miasma of confusion, obscuring what is right in front of you. You must hold steady, my love, and allow your mind to see what your eyes cannot.”
“What am I looking for?”
“Truth, Jane.” He smiled at her. “It isn’t always black or white. The truth hides in the grays.”
I still get goosebumps when I read that line!
Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: For The Grays of Truth, the Ellen Wharton trial had been well documented by the Baltimore Gazette and I relied heavily on those articles not only to uncover the facts in the case, but also to gain insight into the personalities of, and conflict between, the people involved.
I also relied on old newspapers to provide unique insight into the tone of the period and the culture, conditions and politics of Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia. From advertisements to weather reports, I found content in those old journals invaluable for creating the ambiance of the book’s settings and scenes.
In addition to library and online research, I visited old historic homes, neighborhoods and cemeteries where the story took place to see, hear, smell and feel what my characters might have experienced in those same places.
I even watched a couple of miniseries, The Pale Blue Eye (Ketchum and Hank Wharton attended West Point when Edgar Allan Poe was there), The Alienist (mental illness in the late 19th century), and Manhunt (Jane Wharton lived next door to Edwin Stanton and Ketchum worked for him directly), to get a sense of the scene, setting and the science at the time.
In addition to Google and online subscription services, including Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com, I relied on information from nonfiction sources.
The autobiography and memoir by Jacob Frey, Reminiscences of Baltimore, gave me a better understanding of policing and the political climate of Baltimore following the Civil War. It also provided insights into the investigation of the Wharton murders.
To understand the progress of forensic science, medicine, and psychology in the 1870s, I relied on sources including Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons by Lois J. Casarett and John Doull. I also relied heavily on my notes and forensic science research from my second book, Veil of Doubt.
As for surprises, I think I am becoming immune to the shenanigans of the 19th century!
The primitive state of forensic science, the lack of understanding surrounding mental health disorders, the corruption and unfair influence of the wealthy and powerful on the justice system, and our legal system today vs. the legal system of 1870s are all things I have encountered in researching other stories set in this time period.
There were no discovery rules in the court system, no requirement for the prosecution or the defense to share its investigative findings or chemical analyses with the other side. Witnesses were allowed to sit in the courtroom, listening to other testimony before testifying themselves. Pretty shocking, but not unexpected.
But there were a couple of discoveries I made that really had me shaking my head. For example, the examination of character witnesses and the testimony of the forensic scientists at the trial truly read like a circus act. When the judge allowed (with no objection from the prosecution) the defense to conduct chemistry experiments and demonstrations in open court, I was floored.
Another shock was why one of the murder victims who knew the rumors regarding Ellen Wharton poisoning her dinner guests decided to stay overnight at her home. And why, when he first became ill, didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stayed another four days!
They say fact is stranger than fiction and I cannot disagree.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: My next book is set in 1902 and is about the lynching of a Black man accused of murder. The protagonist is the Virginia prosecutor who goes after the lynch mob, including some of the town’s most revered citizens, men to whom the protagonist feels indebted.
It’s a story of two young men, born in the same town but in two different worlds, fighting their father’s oppression and a town’s prejudice.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: There are so many real-life stories that I want to write. If only I had the time to tell them all…
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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