The Frozen River

　　以美國傳奇助產士－Martha Ballard為創作靈感
　　回到十八世紀，看她如何獨自對抗諾大的司法系統，為自己獲得歷史一席之地
 
　　1789年，緬因州的冬天，結冰的肯尼貝克河中出現一名男子的屍體。死者名為Joshua Burgess，在哈洛韋爾這個小鎮中是名備受敬重的紳士，然而其實他在幾個月前牽涉到一樁強暴案中。Martha Ballard是助產士，她知曉許多小鎮中的秘密，認為這起死亡案件有其可疑之處。然而當地一位醫師卻推翻了Martha的證詞，於是她只能自行暗中調查整起事件。
 
　　Martha握有一本日記，紀錄著整座小鎮的生與死。隨著她深入調查案件的細節，這本日記卻迫使Martha走向整場醜聞的風暴中心，同時也意外揭發她的兒子在死者當天，曾與其有過一場打架的事實。如今她必須重新審視自己的位置，了解究竟自己是為何而戰。(文／博客來外文館)

GMA BOOK CLUB PICK - AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR - From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

＂Fans of Outlander’s Claire Fraser will enjoy Lawhon’s Martha, who is brave and outspoken when it comes to protecting the innocent. . . impressive.＂--The Washington Post

＂Once again, Lawhon works storytelling magic with a real-life heroine.＂ --People Magazine

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen--one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

ARIEL LAWHON is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been LibraryReads, One Book One County, Indie Next, Costco, Amazon Spotlight, and Book of the Month Club selections. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and four sons. Ariel splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.