### A Breathtaking Historical Murder Mystery and Tale of Unshakable Courage

**The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon** is one of the most celebrated and critically acclaimed historical mystery novels of recent years. An instant *New York Times* bestseller, an NPR Book of the Year, and a *Good Morning America Book Club* selection, this gripping novel brings 18th-century early America vividly to life through the eyes of an unsung real-life heroine who refused to stay silent in the face of injustice.

Inspired by the historic diary of Martha Ballard—a renowned midwife and herbal healer in post-Revolutionary Maine—Ariel Lawhon crafts a tense, layered courtroom drama and murder mystery wrapped inside an atmospheric winter frontier setting.

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### Synopsis: A Body Entombed in Ice and a Diary of Secrets

Maine, winter of 1789: As the brutal cold settles over the town of Hallowell, the Kennebec River freezes solid, trapping the body of a prominent local man entombed beneath the ice.

Martha Ballard, the town’s trusted 54-year-old midwife and healer who has delivered nearly a thousand babies without losing a mother, is summoned to examine the corpse. She immediately recognizes the deceased as Joshua Burgess—a man accused months earlier, along with a corrupt town judge, of a violent sexual assault against a pastor’s wife.

* **The Conflicting Verdicts:** While the town’s inexperienced male physician dismisses the drowning as an accidental fall, Martha’s thorough examination reveals unmistakable signs of violent foul play.
* **The Diary at the Center:** Martha maintains a meticulous daily diary recording every birth, illness, crime, and domestic disturbance in the settlement. When whispers and prejudices mount, her written records become the central battleground for truth.
* **A Fight for Justice:** Facing a legal system where women cannot testify without their husbands, Martha risks her own reputation and family safety to defy powerful, corrupt men and ensure justice for the vulnerable.

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### Why Readers and Book Clubs Love The Frozen River

* **A Stalwart, Unforgettable Heroine:** Martha Ballard is brilliant, fiercely compassionate, and professionally commanding—a refreshing protagonist who challenges patriarchal power with medical expertise.
* **Atmospheric, Immersive World-Building:** You can feel the bone-chilling cold of the Kennebec River and the claustrophobia of frontier winter life on every page.
* **Rich Fusion of Genres:** Combines a procedural murder investigation, a high-stakes courtroom drama, and a tender, deeply supportive thirty-year marriage.
* **Perfect For Fans Of:** *Outlander* by Diana Gabaldon, *The Alienist* by Caleb Carr, and *Burial Rites* by Hannah Kent.

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### Book Details & Specifications

* **Title:** The Frozen River
* **Author:** Ariel Lawhon
* **Genre:** Historical Mystery / Legal Thriller / Biographical Fiction / Book Club
* **Language:** English
* **Format:** High-Resolution DRM-free EPUB & PDF
* **Delivery:** Instant Digital Download