The Frozen River

A compelling historical mystery based on the journal and life of Martha Ballard, a well-known midwife of the eighteenth century who wrote herself into American history by defying the law.

Maine, 1789: Martha Ballard is called in to examine the body and ascertain the cause of death after the Kennebec River freezes and encases a man in the ice. She is aware of a lot of what occurs in Hallowell behind closed doors because she works as a midwife and healer. Every birth, every death, every crime, every scandal that occurs in the tight-knit society is documented in her diary. Two of the most well-liked guys in the town were accused of raping one another months prior; that gentleman has since been discovered dead in the ice. Martha recorded the specifics of this claimed crime. But when a nearby doctor casts doubt on her findings and says the death was an accident, Martha is left to go into the horrifying murder on her own.

Over the course of a single winter, Martha persistently seeks the truth as the trial draws closer and biases and rumors become stronger. Soon after, her diary becomes embroiled in the controversy, exposing her loved ones and forcing Martha to choose her own allegiances.

Ariel Lawhon's latest work is a clever, multi-layered, and provocative work that presents a forgotten hero who, in an era when women were supposed to be seen, not heard, stood up for justice. The Frozen River tells the gripping, suspenseful, and emotional tale of a brilliant lady who left an unmatched legacy yet is almost completely forgotten today.