Woman 99: A Historical Thriller

"Woman 99 is a gorgeous ode to the power of female courage."--Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network

A vivid historical thriller about a young woman whose quest to free her sister from an infamous insane asylum risks her sanity, her safety, and her life.

When Charlotte Smith's wealthy parents commit her beloved sister Phoebe to the infamous Goldengrove Asylum, Charlotte knows there's more to the story than madness. She commits herself to the insane asylum, surrendering her real identity as a privileged young lady of San Francisco society to become a nameless inmate, Woman 99.

The longer she stays, the more she realizes that many of the women of Goldengrove Asylum aren't insane, merely inconvenient--and her search for the truth threatens to dig up secrets that some very powerful people would do anything to keep.

Inspired by the investigative journalism of Nellie Bly, and other true accounts of 19th century insane asylums.

Rich in detail, deception, and revelation, Woman 99 is historical fiction that honors the fierce women of the past, born into a world that denied them power but underestimated their strength.

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Published Feb 4, 2020

368 pages

Average rating: 6.23

13 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Ruthie H
Aug 14, 2023
4/10 stars
I was really disappointed with this book. Having read The Ballroom recently I looked forward to another book set in the same period exploring life inside a 19th century asylum. Sadly Woman 99 felt superficial and lacking in insight. The author seemed to want to create an adventure story which I felt was misplaced and somewhat disrespectful to the horrors of these institutions. Whilst they were often an improvement on the unlicensed madhouses of the 18th and early 19th centuries they continued to be dark and frightening places for the inmates, a truth that the book failed to convey.

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