The Mad Girls of New York: A Nellie Bly Novel

The first in a new series of books chronicling the fictionalized exploits of intrepid investigative reporter Nellie Bly, The Mad Girls of New York follows Bly as she attempts to extend her journalistic exploits beyond the society pages and into the realms of serious journalism. Doing so proves to be no mean feat in the New York City of 1887, however, and Bly resorts to accepting an assignment that surely no one in their right mind would agree to: she undertakes to pretend to be a patient at Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for Women.

While it never sounded like a cushy job, what with the rumors circulating about the terrible conditions at the asylum and all, Bly is still shocked to the core by the horrors that she witnesses after successfully convincing the authorities of her insanity and being committed to Blackwell’s. Even aside from the almost inhuman medical practices, there’s something very strange going on at the asylum and Bly has just ten days to get to the bottom of it and break the story that might just make her career.

The Mad Girls of New York is a great example of a historical mystery novel, combining plenty of period details and facts with a compelling mystery that proves to be a tough nut to crack. It’s a lot of fun to read and promises to be the start of an engaging adventure series starring the redoubtable Nellie Bly.