Being unique could give a woman the kind of trouble she never wanted.

The Gray Chamber is the second book I have read by Grace Hitchcock in this True Colors series and I was just as riveted this time as I was for The White City. Her talent at crafting such a menacing and heart-stopping story is punctuated by her ability to craft well rounded characters.

Edyths’ uncle gave her only two choices. One would leave her near destitution and the other would put her in an institution. That sure doesn’t leaver her with many options. And just when her life was about to change for the better. My heart sank as he stood over her, insisting that she decide which hell she would choose.

As I read this story, I was reminded of how far we have come as women. We forget that they would institutional size a woman for being depressed, eccentric, bold, out spoken, and every other “unflattering” personality but for being crazy. If we think for one second we have it bad now, be thankful we don’t live in the late 1800’s

If you are looking for a chair gripping, page turning, time consuming suspense that will break your heart while bringing you joy, The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock is the book for you.

***I was given a copy of this book by the publisher though CelebrateLit. The views expressed are my own and a positive review was not required. (But definitely given.)

This seemed to be a great story, interesting premise. It was a bit slow but I slogged through it. Not my favorite.

A fantastic and horrifying story! What I love best about historical fiction is a story wrapped around true events. And The Gray Chamber delivers.
“Nellie Bly took an undercover assignment for which she agreed to feign insanity to investigate reports of brutality and neglect at the Women’s Lunatic asylum on Blackwell’s Island.” [taken from Wikipedia]
Ms. Hitchcock’s Edyth was subjected to false accusations of insanity and subjected to confinement at Blackwell’s Island. The betrayal of a loved one was unthinkable—and yet it happened to countless women.
Much of the dialogue felt stilted and awkward, and I questioned some of Edyth’s actions and choices. Then again, she was clearly more headstrong than I.
The duel of the heart between Edyth and Bane was well-parried, a true to life romance. The characters were authentic, the circumstances sadly realistic.
I loved Edyth’s quirky nature, and her socially unacceptable (for the era) skill at fencing.

ROBIN’S FEATHERS
FOUR FEATHERS

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, The Gray Chamber, Grace Hitchcock

This is a series I have been sticking it out with. Each book is written by a different author and the books are based on a true crime that happened in America. The first few books I wasn’t a fan of but the blurb always sounded so interesting I kept giving them a shot.
I am really glad I did.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book before this one and LOVED this book. By far that is my favorite that I have read in this series.
Grace is a new to me author but I found her writing engaging and her storytelling spot on. She developed characters I couldn’t wait to get back to and I didn’t want to leave.
If you enjoy historical romance with some intrigue this is a must read!

A copy of this book was given to me through the Celebrate Lit Team. All opinions are my own.

Etiquette, propriety, courting, and men who don’t think much of women.

It’s like a Jane Austen novel, but with an asylum!

The Gray Chamber is set in the later part of the 1800’s in high society, following a young woman named Edyth Foster as she nears her twenty-fifth birthday. Though Edyth has grown up privileged and accustomed to playing the role of a lady, she is a quirky woman who lives her life by her own set of rules. She wears relaxed dress-wear without the bother of a corset, and prefers beating men at fencing to sitting on a cushion looking primped and puffed for eligible suitors. And with the fortune her parents left her becoming available to her on her birthday, she is able to forgo the stress and pressures of securing a husband.

That is until her uncle throws her in an insane asylum.

I LOVE a historical fiction tale just like the next Jane Austen lover. There’s just nothing more romantic than a woman being courted using proper English and gentlemanly manners. Mix in beautiful gowns, arrogant men, tittering females and a mental institution…and you’ve just opened up the gates of heaven to me. I found this story to be thoroughly addicting and positively riveting. The language was perfectly on point, the time-period was well-portrayed and it showcased how easy it was during that time for men to dispose of “problem women”. Anyone who didn’t fall in line with society or do as a man said was at risk of being thrust aside.

Corset forbid any of these ladies have some individuality!

When we meet Edyth she is enjoying her life in leisure and comfort. She goes to the fencing club where her crush Bane is the instructor, sketches and paints in her free-time, is carefree with a sunny disposition, and even houses her Uncle and his new bride. Though the relationship with her uncle SEEMS fine to begin with, we obviously know it’s not. Unbeknownst to Edyth, her uncle brings doctors from Blackwell Island, the infamous Women’s Insane Asylum nearby, to have her evaluated for her eccentricities and “odd behavior” in order to have her committed so he can steal her fortune. But once she is shipped off, things got a little sour for me.

After Edyth arrives at Blackwell Island, she began to turn me off a bit. Gone was this strong and independent woman with a humble head on her shoulders, and in her place was a character who whined like a teenager and stomped her foot. Granted, the poor dear HAS just been committed and fears she will spend the rest of her days there…but come on. She acted like a spoiled child who had spent her entire life with a silver spoon in her mouth, and didn’t understand why she wasn’t getting her hair done. Seriously. She asked if a chambermaid would be coming in to do her hair. In an insane asylum.

*sigh*

But her time locked up wasn’t all sunshine and daisies. The orderlies were brutal to all of the patients, and there seemed to only be one nurse that actually had a soul. The women were all washed in the same disgusting bath water, were given food that was barely considered food, dressed in thin pieces of fabric that did nothing to keep them warm, and were sleeping in horrid conditions. It sounded dreadful, and Edyth attempting to escape the institution gave me SUCH anxiety as she was running through the halls trying to flee!

I liked where the author took the story and how she threw in a few twists and blindsides. I found Bane to be a dreamy and perfect romantic interest for Edyth, but I do wish the poor guy would have realized she was a gem BEFORE deciding so after seeing her in a fancy gown and with makeup on. *facepalm* But even so, their relationship was very sweet and gave me little flutters. Bane’s determination to find Edyth was so pure, and it really showed how strong of a friendship they had that he knew something was up as soon as she missed their date. How things tied up with them was perfect, innocent and very romantic.

All in all, I really liked this American Crime/Historical fiction tale. It kept my attention, the setting and dialogue felt authentic to the era, and it showcased the atrocities that some women were subjected to. I do think the last 15% of the story was a bit unnecessary and was dragged out a little more than was needed, but it didn’t bother me enough to make me stop reading until the very last word. This was my first read from this True Colors series, so I definitely want to read the other stories and see how the other authors constructed their tales.

even thought I have other books in the series something about this one really called to me! now i know what it was it was the mystery/romance and suspense of the story. at first i was skeptical because i didnt really see where the story was going but then by the middle i was hooked and needed to know the fate of the MC. would she ever get out of the asylum would she reunite with the man she loves, would he ever find her..

the story flowed really well and the author told a wonderful story, i love learning about things in history and this has made me want to learn more about the history asylum that this book is based on.

thank you to the Publisher for allowing me to receive a copy with no obligation to write this review.

The True Colors series has quickly become a favorite of mine. Writing about true American crime stories from a Christian perspective provides sufficient factual information without sensationalizing violence and devolving into lurid details, offering hope in the midst of dreadful circumstances. The accounts may be historical, but they are still issues that plague society, and using fiction to bring attention to them serves to inform readers while hopefully cultivating the seeds of positive change. A similar approach proved to be a motivating factor for contemporary society, as evidenced by one of the secondary but true-to-life figures in this book.

With a sweet, romantic beginning, Grace Hitchcock’s “The Gray Chamber” quickly escalates into a suspenseful, page-turning journey. Although under the guardianship of her uncle until her upcoming twenty-fifth birthday, heiress Edyth Foster already has wealth and security and needs neither, so she defies social convention by participating in the sport of fencing and wearing outfits unbefitting a woman of her rank. As amusing as her eccentricities are, however, they put her in danger of losing her fortune to her uncle, who commits her to the female insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island. There she meets the intrepid journalist Nellie Bly, and both women embark upon a terrifying path to escape the asylum with their sanity intact. Aside from the barbaric treatments and living conditions, the core of the horror of “The Gray Chamber” and other such stories is the broad definition of madness, which results in many women being wrongly committed, and the subsequent inability to discern who is truly insane. As Nellie chillingly remarks, “It is a hard thing to be sane in this pit that seems to be designed to make us mad.” Today this takes the form of gaslighting, the awareness of which is spreading, but in 1887 “All it took was a dishonorable man’s word against an unwanted female to get her committed and a bribe to silence the staff of her fate.” As such, one of Edyth’s observations particularly struck me, when she laments that she had not memorized more Scripture because she took reading it for granted. This is still true of us as Americans who have enjoyed religious freedom, and a reminder to hide God’s Word in our hearts rather than assuming that will always have easy access to it.

“The Gray Chamber” is a book that successfully takes on the challenge of portraying life in a late-nineteenth-century women’s mental asylum realistically but hopefully, so that readers come away with a more compassionate heart and a stronger faith in God, who promises to never leave or forsake us.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Wow. The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock is another great addition to the True Colors series, which is written by a variety of authors. The author immediately sweeps the reader up into the story with intense family dynamics and the independent spirit of the heroine, Edyth. I loved the suspense as the unthinkable happens and Edyth is, as the book blurb tells, committed to an insane asylum. I knew it was coming, and yet it was heartbreaking and horrifying to see how the author plays it out. Interest was kept high with the intensity of Edyth's experience and wondering how in the world will she get out of these awful circumstances, or even will she get out alive. I had a hard time putting the book down. I enjoyed the fencing angle of the story and thinking about how it would be for a woman in the late 1800s to be involved in that sport. The author does a masterful job of depicting the social injustice of mental healthcare during that time in history. I am looking forward to the next book in this series of historical stories of American Crime and readers who like romance mixed with intrigue and danger will not want to miss this one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via CelebrateLit. A favorable review was not required, and opinions are my own. This review is part of a CelebrateLit blog tour.

This was an enjoyable read. On one side, it was a sweet romance between Edyth and Bane. On the other side, it was a nefarious scheme to get Edyth committed to an insane asylum with all of its dark secrets.

I didn’t find it as suspenseful as some of the reads I’ve had recently. It had dark threads, due to the hidden secrets and total freedom of those in authority of a 19th century asylum. I personally found this fascinating and definitely believe its truth—it is heartbreaking that it’s true.

The Christian thread grew stronger as the story progressed. I really appreciated the depth and use of Psalms and trusting in God no matter how dark things got.

The romantic thread was sweet. It came and went in depth, more prevalent in the beginning and the end. There were some kisses, but not much more.

*I received this book from Celebrate Lit and happily provided my honest review*

When I saw this series about stories based on real life historic crimes, it definitely peaked my interest. The past 2 books was however just okay for me, but this book definitely exceeded my experience again.

Edyth was such a vibrant lively character who was misunderstood because she did not fit the box society wanted to fit her into. Bane came across as a bit of a self-focused and shallow man who only focused on a women's external beauty, but he did win me over in his never ending search for Edyth.

I loved the interactions between Edyth, Bane and Lavinia. The author gives an interesting voice t the characters. Then she took a difficult subject of life in an asylum and brought it to life. The way the author wrote the story made me feel Edyth's fear, betrayal and lost of hope. It is horrific to see how women were treated ad wrongly placed in asylums just because. The suspense was nail-biting and I found myself flipping through the pages to see how everything will end.

This was a great addition to the series and one of my favourite installments. The other also being by this author.

Looking forward to continue with this series.

I’m really enjoying this true colors series by various authors. Each one is based on an actual true historical story of American crime but is fictionalized in a novel. The Gray Chamber deals with the institutionalizing of women to lunatic asylums and their horrific treatment in the late 1800s. Some were put away by greedy relatives, like Edyth in this story, who was not mentally ill. In 1887, Nellie Bly an undercover journalist, went into the asylum at Blackwell’s Island to seek out information on the welfare of the patients. I read of her accounts by Googling her name.
Everything Edyth and her cousin Lavinia and friend Bane try to do to help Edyth, is thwarted by her greedy Uncle Boris. He will inherit her massive estate if she dies or is committed to an asylum. Edyth is filled with despair and hopelessness. Follow her story and the true eye-opening treatment of those women in The Gray Chamber. Five stars!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise.

The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock is another book in her True Color series which features historical stories of American Crime. These stories are strange but true events. In this story, Edyth Foster is a young woman who is a few months from her 25th birthday and receiving her total inheritance. She has been in the guardianship of her Uncle Boris since her parents were killed in a tragic accident many years prior. Edyth is seen as odd as she likes to ride her velocipede (an early form of a bicycle) and participate in the local fencing club with her oldest friend Raoul “Bane” Banebridge. She isn’t interested in the latest fashions or even following the rules of high society of 1887 New York. Just as Bane and Edyth’s relationship begins to blossom into more than just friendship. Edyth finds herself being examined for mental health issues. Thinking her uncle would never have her committed, she finds herself locked away in New York’s infamous Blackwell’s Island in the Woman’s Lunatic Asylum where no one believes that she has been wrongly committed or even what her real name is. There she meets another patient, Nellie Brown, who seems as sound mind as Edyth does. Will Edyth ever escape this nightmare? Will Bane find a way to set her free and help Edyth expose the truth?
The Gray Chamber is another awesome book in this series. I read The White City (2019) last year and loved Ms. Hitchcock blend of fiction with the historical events. From the opening page, the reader is introduced to a time when mental illness wasn’t understood and women were routinely falsely diagnosed as mental ill in order to get rid of them for various reasons. Some women were wives that husbands found a way to divorce them without scandal or even immigrants who couldn’t speak the language. The drama is intense and exciting. The treatment of the patients is horrifying and heartbreaking. The asylum was officially closed in 1894 after an expose was published and led to a grand jury investigation. There are characters, you know, are up to no good right off the bat and there are characters that surprise you as their motives are revealed. I look forward to reading other titles in the True Color series and I highly recommend The Gray Chamber!

The Gray Chamber
is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Gray Chamber
True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime

by Grace Hitchcock

Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Barbour Books
Christian , True Crime
Read an Excerpt
Pub Date 01 Jan 2020



I am reviewing a copy of The Gray Chamber through Barbour Publishing House and Netgalley:


Blackwell’s Island New York a hospital was built, built so that it’s patients never left.


Edyth’s Uncle has her committed to the Asylum so he can have control over her fortune, but will she be able to show them that she isn’t insane, that her Uncle only wants her fortune and will stop at nothing to get his hands on her inheritance.

so he uses her indulgence in egocentric hobbies like Cycling and Fencing to have her committed.

Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. And Edyth fears she will never be found.

At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?


Will Edyth find her freedom, before her Uncle succeeds in having the doctors erase her memories?


Find out in The Gray Chamber,


Five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

The Gray Chamber (True Colors)
by Grace Hitchcock

The Gray Chamber has a chill factor in the level of a Alfred Hitchcock story with the trickery surrounding history of Blackwell's Island. An addictive plot and characters in an action-packed story, with distressing and conniving family members, a woman’s strength of character to survive that will keep the readers turning pages at quickly; keeping the reader up at night. This is a brilliant, historical romance with daring rescues, with a strong promise of love and the delicious hero; for the reader to enjoy.

Author Ms. Grace Hitchcock shows her readers through her descriptive writing how women have been viewed and treated. Her thoughts of the stigma attached mental health, and the lack of human dignity of care facilities, are certainly frightening and induces of anger-filled compassion for those with conditions of the mind. Ms. Grace Hitchcock does a great job of discovering trauma and post-traumatic effects. Well Done.

I enjoyed adventure of the main characters learning to keep busy to dull the pain, and how to use God to teach us to be still and dependent on Him. This story was addictive, informative, heartbreaking and AMAZING!! American crime with romance intertwined and a few Christian verses made me believe in the power of love again. I could not have loved this story more and highly recommend it to all readers of history, medical and Victorian romance lovers. I had the great pleasure of receiving an ARC from NetGalley and I want to leave my honest review and give a 4.5-star rating.

The Gray Chamber is my first book by Grace Hitchcock. I was kind of worried as to whether I would like this story or not because of the prominent part the Blackwell Lunatic Asylum plays in the story. While this part is very chilling, suspenseful, and eye opening, it really makes you feel for those that were wrongly committed and the conditions they all lived under. It also makes you thankful for those like Nellie Bly who helped expose these horrific conditions.

I really liked Edyth and her “unconventional” ways and always positive personality. I was so happy that she kept her positivity and never gave up after she was committed. Otherwise, this could’ve been too dark. I also loved that Bane never gave up on Edyth! There is also a great secondary character, Lavinia. I would love to see her get her own story!

I really like Ms. Hitchcock’s writing style and look forward to reading more of her stories. And, this cover is the perfect cover for the feel of this story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Well written suspense. The story and plot build on each harrowing event culminating in a tale of love, healing, and relief. Quirky humor shines in some of the dialogue.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. The opinions expressed in the review are my own.

A spooky and horrific picture is drawn of the Blackwell Lunatic Asylum in NYC in the late 1800’s. Edyth, a young eccentric woman, who has been commited solely for the fact that her uncle wants to take her inheritance for himself.

A dark, harrowing tale of what women, much like Edyth, were forced to endure. Faith does play a subtle role in this suspenseful tale. It does a great job at bringing a dark side of history to life.

My heart certainly went out to Edyth Foster who will inherit her parents' fortune on her twenty-fifth birthday! Edyth has never been the usual society lady in 1887 New York since she enjoys fencing and riding her velocipede! I could not imagine her guardian uncle having her placed in a "women's lunatic asylum" so he could obtain her fortune! Edyth's fencing instructor, "Bane" Banebridge was an amazing hero once he realized he loved Edyth. You will learn much about the horrors of early lunatic asylums in this fiction based on a true story! I found The Gray Chamber to be a very interesting story. I have enjoyed reading most of the True Colors series.I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.

This story is one that is so awful in all its honesty. Based on a true story, one of which the reality is so horrific you’d wish it to be fiction.
Edyths only problem is that she is an orphaned heiress. When her guardian, who is her devious uncle, learns of a clause in her deceased fathers will stating that all of her fortune passes to him if Edith is deemed insane and committed to an asylum, he has it done.
Blackwell Island, the insane asylum, is truly your worst nightmare. The unimaginable horrors faced there by those inmates....sigh. It made my stomach churn.
Well written, intense, heart breaking, and yet hopeful. This story is worth reading and gives us a peek into a time and place in history that has been mostly forgotten.
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Edyth Foster is a talented, eccentric heiress, who doesn't give a whit what society thinks! She fences, rides her velocipede, and doesn't wear a corset or often even a hat. Her fencing instructor Bane knows she is a world class opponent, but hasn't thought of her in any other way for years since he started teaching her as a young girl. So far, it has escaped him that she is now a woman of five and twenty and drop dead gorgeous as well! When he does realize that fact, What follows is not what you might expect...including treachery, revealed past secrets, a Pinkerton agent and Nellie Bly! I won't spoil the story, but it is a wonderful read!