Tonya Mitchell

Winner of the 2021 Phoenix Award in Historical Fiction from the Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards Winner of the 2021 Silver Reader View Reviewer's Choice Award in Historical Fiction The insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island is a human rat trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out. —Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochrane has a secret. She isn’t the madwoman with amnesia the doctors and inmates at Blackwell’s Asylum think she is. In truth, she’s working undercover for the New York World. When the managing editor refuses to hire her because she’s a woman, Elizabeth strikes a deal: in exchange for a job, she’ll impersonate a lunatic to expose a local asylum’s abuses. When she arrives at the asylum, Elizabeth realizes she must make a decision—is she there merely to bear witness, or to intervene on behalf of the abused inmates? Can she interfere without blowing her cover? As the superintendent of the asylum grows increasingly suspicious, Elizabeth knows her scheme—and her dream of becoming a journalist in New York—is in jeopardy. A Feigned Madness is a meticulously researched, fictionalized account of the woman who would come to be known as daredevil reporter Nellie Bly. At a time of cutthroat journalism, when newspapers battled for readers at any cost, Bly emerged as one of the first to break through the gender barrier—a woman who would, through her daring exploits, forge a trail for women fighting for their place in the world.

A Feigned Madness

A woman is accused of killing her husband, but is she actually guilty? Inspired by a true historical case, this novel will delight and engross readers. Liverpool, England, 1889: In the shadowy streets, the air is thick with secrets and the line between guilt and innocence blurs. Twenty-six-year-old Constance Sullivan is brought to trial charged with poisoning her husband, William. But William was no ordinary victim… As Constance's barrister fights to prove her innocence, a sinister web of deception unravels, exposing the dark underbelly of their seemingly idyllic marriage. One by one, witnesses emerge with incriminating testimony and facts about the dark side of Constance and William’s marriage are revealed. For many, the widow’s guilt seems clear. But is someone holding the key to the whole truth? Inspired by a true case, The Arsenic Eater’s Wife will hold the reader spellbound until the final, heart-stopping revelation. Praise for Tonya Mitchell’s A Feigned Madness “A compelling read for anyone with an interest in Victorian history.” —Pam Lecky, author of the Lucy Lawrence mysteries “Vivid, enthralling . . . a knockout.” —Kim Taylor Blakemore, author of After Alice Fell

A brand new dark historical mystery that will keep you guessing

The Arsenic Eater's Wife

John Robbins

Dan Sullivan

George Thomas

Brian James

Ronna L. Edelstein

Frederick H. Decker

Denise C. Hengeli

Michelle Wotowiec

Kathleen Ratcliffe

Jean Tschohl Quinn

Diana Thurbon

Andrew Lu

Terry Dickinson

Award-winning short stories taken from the 2009 Scribes Valley Publishing Short Story Writing Contest.

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Tonya Mitchell

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