Liberty Street by Heather Marshall Publishes 6/16/26

 I'm a little in awe of this novel.  I had read a book previously about a woman who had gone undercover at a lunatic asylum but this book took it to a whole new level.  The fact that this book was based on many real life events added to the impact of this novel.



The story is told in two different time periods.  The first is Emily's story in 1961.  Emily is a journalist who really does not want to get married and leave her working life behind.  She decides to take a huge risk and go undercover at the local woman's prison to find out if the conditions there are really as bad as an anonymous letter claims.  Emily is easily admitted but soon realizes that things are much worse than she ever imagined.  


The second story follows Rachel in 1996.  Rachel is a cop who finds a body in an unmarked grave.  Rachel is determined to find out who that body is but while she is investigating the reader gets flashbacks to Rachel's earlier life.  Rachel grew up with her grandmother because her mother was very mentally ill.  Rachel's story turns out to be shocking in its own way.  


This was powerful historical fiction that highlights what women have had to endure in our patriarchy society.  I wasn't sure how these two stories were going to come together but the author did a great job weaving it all together at the end.  I did enjoy Emily's story a little more than Rachel's but both were engaging stories.   I look forward to reading more by this author.  The author's note was extremely informative and made me appreciate this story even more.  If you are a fan of historical fiction especially women's stories, I recommend this book!

4 stars 

Thank you to  Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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