31 Bond Street - Softcover

Horan, Ellen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007304056 ISBN 13: 9780007304059

Publisher: The Borough Press, 2011

Synopsis

Based on a true story, mystery and intrigue in pre-Civil War New York. The sensational murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell in his lower Manhattan home made front-page news across the United States in 1857. "Who killed Dr. Burdell?" was a question that gripped the nation. 31 Bond Street, a debut novel by Ellen Horan, interweaves fiction with actual events in a clever historical narrative that blends romance, politics, greed and sexual intrigue in a suspenseful drama. The story opens when an errand boy discovers Burdell's body in the bedroom of his lavish Bond Street home. The novel's central characters are Dr. Harvey Burdell, a dentist and unscrupulous businessman; his lover, the ambitious, Brooklyn-born Emma Cunningham; the District Attorney, Abraham Oakey Hall (later to become mayor of New York); and Henry Clinton, a prominent defense lawyer. The enigmatic relationship between Emma and Dr. Burdell makes her the prime suspect, and her trial is nothing less than sensational. Will she hang? Were her teenaged daughters involved? What did the servants know? Who was the last person to see Burdell alive? During the trial, the two lawyers fight for truth, justice and their careers. This novel is set against the background of bustling, corrupt New York City, just four years before the Civil War. The author intertwines two main narratives: the trial through the perspective of the defense attorney Henry Clinton, and the story of the lovely young widow Emma Cunningham whose search for a husband brings her into the arms and home of Dr. Burdell.

About this title

Review:

"A blend of historical evidence and fictional imagining, an engrossing read"
WASHINGTON POST

“This is a deft and highly readable book, much recommended for those who enjoyed The Suspicions of Mr Whicher.” DAILY MAIL

“A gripping recreation of this true life crime.” THE INDEPENDENT

“Mystery and romance galore.” THE SUN

“An enthralling page-turner to the very end.” SUNDAY HERALD

“Deftly blending known fact with fiction, she [Horan] concocts a Gothic tale of passion and intrigue, shot through with courtroom fireworks.” WBQ

"A historical crime story in the hands of a skilled writer." SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW

“Horan brings to life a sensational 19th-century New York City murder trial in which a woman is accused of viciously killing her husband. . . An engaging mix of fact and fiction, with a juicy trial, sensationalistic reporters and lots of local urban color.” KIRKUS REVIEWS

“Horan’s characters, like Edith Wharton’s, are motivated by social class and survival in a world ruled by wealth and national uncertainty. This unique look at history and the private lives of those affected by it makes for captivating reading.” BOOKLIST

"A gripping legal thriller that proceeds at the leisurely pace of a 19th-Century novel." MYSTERY SCENE MAGAZINE

From the Back Cover:

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 andfortune, 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.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Borough Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0007304056
• ISBN 13: 9780007304059
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320