NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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: 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 and death, crime, and scandal that occurs in the tight-knit society is documented in her diary. Martha had chronicled, months before, the alleged rape of two of the town’s most esteemed gentlemen, one of whom was later discovered dead in the ice. However, Martha is compelled to look into the horrifying murder on her own after a local doctor challenges her judgment and declares the death to be an accident.