"The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon is a historical fiction novel set in 1789 Maine, where a midwife named Martha Ballard is summoned to investigate a murder after a body is found frozen in the Kennebec River. Martha, who also keeps a diary, becomes embroiled in a local scandal involving an alleged rape and the man's subsequent death, forcing her to pursue justice for those who need it, even if it means defying societal expectations and risking personal consequences.