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NCB Book Discussion: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon In-Person
A gripping historical mystery based on the real-life diary entries of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife who found herself at the center of a murder trial. In 1789 Maine, 54-year-old midwife Martha Ballard is asked to help determine the cause of death for Joshua Burgess, an accused rapist whose body was found frozen in the river . Martha is convinced that Burgess was beaten and hanged before he was thrown into the water. Several months earlier, she treated Rebecca Foster for injuries sustained from rape, and Rebecca told her the assailants were Burgess and Joseph North, a judge. After a court determines there’s not enough evidence against North for a rape charge, despite Martha’s testimony about Rebecca’s injuries, a trial is arranged on different charges, but North disappears. Martha attempts to prove Burgess was murdered, hoping to bring scrutiny to North as a suspect in the killing, motivated to keep Burgess from testifying against him about the rape. This accomplished historical powerfully speaks to centuries-old inequities that remain in the present day.
- Date:
- Tuesday, November 11, 2025 Show more dates
- Time:
- 7:00pm - 9:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- North County Branch Library Main Meeting Room
- Location:
- North County Branch Library
- Audience:
- Adults
- Categories:
- Book Club
Registrations open at 7:00pm Tuesday, October 14, 2025