Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

Sibyl Danforth is a midwife in rural Vermont, delivering babies in the homes of their mothers. She loves her work and her life. Then she attends the labour of a mother who aparently dies before the delivery, so Sibyl decides to save the unborn child by performing a caesarian on the body of the mother. Anne, the assistant midwife present, later reports her doubts that the mother was indeed dead and alleges that she saw blood spurt from the site of the incision. This results in a criminal investigation and trial for murder. The story is told through the eyes of Connie, Sibyl's daughter.
This is a book that will stay with you. The accounts of the labour are very well written, perhaps surprisingly so as it is written by a man. I found the courtroom scenes rivetting, all the more so because they are seen from the point of view of a fourteen year old who is afraid for the fate of her mother and her entire family life. Right to the end of the court case I was unable to guess the outcome.
I have not read anything else by this author, but would be interested in doing so.