**A HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES AND THE SUNDAY TIMES**___________________________''A moving story'' SUNDAY TIMES, Best historical fiction books of 2022''A must read!'' GILL PAUL''Intriguing ... A fascinating read'' HAZEL GAYNOR''Remarkable'' ESSIE FOX''An astonishing tour de force'' REBECCA MASCULLIn 1887 young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take.But life in the city is tougher than she imagined. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous plan: to fake insanity and have herself committed to the asylum that looms on Blackwell''s Island. There, she will work undercover to document - and expose - the wretched conditions faced by the patients.But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a harshness and cruelty she could
