The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

"When a war is over, you stop discussing the cost. The reality. The blood-soaked soil or the grave markers or the collateral damage. The ways we kill our enemies in order to claim victory. History is written by the men who live. Not the ones who die."

   -from the novel

This is the July Page Turner selection, an historical fiction which, as you may know, is a favorite genre of mine. I also enjoy a good murder mystery, and this novel is both. The story was inspired by a real-life midwife of the 18th century, Martha Ballard. The geographical setting is Hallowell, Maine

In her line of work, Martha is privy to many secrets of the townspeople and brave enough to take risks in standing up for justice for those she cares about. At this time period, a woman's word meant very little, so she was ahead of her time. 

At the story's beginning the body of a man is found frozen in the Kennebec River. When asked to examine the body for cause of death, Martha determines homicide, by hanging specifically. It turns out the dead man is Joshua Burgess, one of two men accused of a brutal rape. His accused accomplice is Colonel North, a judge and very influential man of the area. Martha is especially close to their victim, Rebecca Foster, and takes it on herself to find justice for her and perhaps discover the murderer, as well.

I was between a 3 and 4 rating and decided the latter. The writing is excellent; I wouldn't rule out reading another by this author. I enjoyed the historical references, especially the mention of Martha's husband's friendship with Paul Revere. I liked learning about an unsung heroine who, according to the Author's Note, left a legacy of women pioneers in the medical field. I felt the novel was longer than it needed to be, a little tedious for the last 75 pages or so and I was disappointed that I couldn't find any outstanding quotes. 

Wonder what the Page Turners will think....