THE GRAY CHAMBER book review

The Gray Chamber
by Grace Hitchcock

Step into True Colors -- a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime

Will Edyth prove her sanity before it is too late?

On Blackwell Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving.

With her late father’s fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Foster does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. Do any of Edyth’s friends care that she disappeared?

At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self? 

MY BOOK REVIEW:
5 stars:  5/5 star rating
      What a powerful and moving novel!  While fictional, the story is based upon true facts. Women truly were mistreated and wrongfully imprisoned in mental asylums in the 1880's.  I find it fascinating and equally horrifying, and knew of the terrible plight of the mentally ill in our history's past from my studies in psychology at university.  I am very thankful that mental institutions now treat patients with dignity and kindness, as well as proving helpful to those who truly need it.  
       Add in the bonus chivalrous hero who goes to any and all lengths to find and rescue the heroine, and you have a delightful read!
       I received a digital ARC of this book from netgalley and Barbour Books in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author:

Grace Hitchcock is the author of The White City and The Gray Chamber from Barbour Publishing. She has written multiple novellas in The Second Chance Brides, The Southern Belle Brides, and the Thimbles and Threads collections with Barbour Publishing. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in southern Louisiana with her husband, Dakota, and son. Visit Grace online at GraceHitchcock.com.