Who killed Dr. Harvey Burdell?
Though there are no witnesses and no clues, fingers point to Emma Cunningham, the refined, pale-skinned widow who managed Burdell’s house and his servants. Rumored to be a black-hearted gold digger with designs on the doctor’s name and fortune, Emma is immediately put under house arrest during a murder investigation. A swift conviction is sure to catapult flamboyant district attorney Abraham Oakey Hall into the mayor’s seat. But one formidable obstacle stands in his way: the defense attorney Henry Clinton. Committed to justice and the law, Clinton will aid the vulnerable widow in her desperate fight to save herself from the gallows.
Set in 1857 New York, this gripping mystery is also a richly detailed excavation of a lost age. Horan vividly re-creates a tumultuous era characterized by a sensationalist press, aggressive new wealth, a booming real-estate market, corruption, racial conflict, economic inequality between men and women, and the erosion of the old codes of behavior. A tale of murder, sex, greed, and politics, this spellbinding narrative transports readers to a time that eerily echoes our own.
My thoughts
31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan is based on a real event that happened in lower Manhattan in 1857. Dentist, Dr. Harvey Burdell is found murdered in his own home and the only suspect is Emma Cunningham, his house manager and possibly his wife. Horan has taken this little know event and created an intriguing tale of murder and life in NYC during that time. It was an admirable first novel, although I felt the characters need to be developed more.
Note: This book was borrowed from my local library.
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