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Ariel Lawhon

Ariel Lawhon is a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her novels include The Frozen River, Code Name Hélène, I Was Anastasia, and Flight of Dreams, among others. Her books have been translated into numerous languages. She is also the co-founder of SheReads.org. She grew up in a small town in northern New Mexico in a home with no running water or electricity.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Ariel Lawhon's books, including The Pirate Queen and The Frozen River.
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Books Reviewed

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Cover of The Pirate Queen: A Novel
The Pirate Queen: A Novel

4.5/5

reader rating · 150 ratings

Ariel Lawhon's The Pirate Queen is a sweeping historical adventure inspired by Grace O'Malley, the 16th-century Irish sea captain who became the Pirate Queen of Ireland. Critics praised its research and intrepid heroine while flagging tangled timelines and clichéd love scenes.

Reviewed Sep 18, 2026

Cover of The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel
The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

4.6/5

reader rating · 116,868 ratings

The Frozen River is a New York Times bestseller and GMA Book Club Pick that resurrects the remarkable true story of Martha Ballard — an 18th-century Maine midwife whose real diary becomes the engine of a taut historical mystery set against the frozen landscape of 1789 Hallowell. Ariel Lawhon, the bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène, constructs a narrative in which a body entombed in the Kennebec River, an alleged rape by two prominent townsmen, and a community's determination to silence a woman's testimony all converge in one relentless winter. Starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Shelf Awareness, and BookPage confirm the novel as a standout in both the historical fiction and historical mystery genres.

Reviewed Apr 2, 2026

Authors Like Ariel Lawhon
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Kate Quinn

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Susan Storer Clark

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Delia Owens

Delia Owens

Fiction
Delia Owens's Where the Crawdads Sing shares the atmospheric, nature-driven setting and outsider-versus-institution tension of a murder trial centered on a woman dismissed by the community.
1 book reviewed
Where the Crawdads Sing
William Kent Krueger

William Kent Krueger

Fiction
William Kent Krueger's Ordinary Grace echoes Lawhon's small-community murder mysteries with period atmosphere, moral weight, and truth-seeking woven tightly into the local social and spiritual fabric.
1 book reviewed
Ordinary Grace
Liz Moore

Liz Moore

Fiction
Liz Moore's The God of the Woods delivers period-set feminist suspense, exploring institutional cover-ups and powerful family secrets that protect the privileged at women's expense.
1 book reviewed
The God Of The Woods (Paperback) Book
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Min Jin Lee

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Historical Fiction
1 book reviewed
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