n nThe insane asylum on Blackwells Island is a human rat trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out. -Nellie Blyn nElizabeth Cochrane has a secret. n nShe isnt the madwoman with amnesia the doctors and inmates at Blackwells Asylum think she is.n nIn truth, shes working undercover for the New York World. When the managing editor refuses to hire her because shes a woman, Elizabeth strikes a deal: in exchange for a job, shell impersonate a lunatic to expose a local asylums abuses.n nWhen she arrives at the asylum, Elizabeth realizes she must make a decision-is she there merely to bear witness, or to intervene on behalf of the abused inmates? Can she interfere without blowing her cover? As the superintendent of the asylum grows increasingly suspicious, Elizabeth knows her scheme-and her dream of becoming a journalist in New York-is in jeopardy.n nA Feigned Madness is a meticulously researched, fictionalized account of the woman who would come to be known as daredevil reporter Nellie Bly. At a time of cutthroat journalism, when newspapers battled for readers at any cost, Bly emerged as one of the first to break through the gender barrier-a woman who would, through her daring exploits, forge a trail for women fighting for their place in the world.n