31 Bond Street

De: Ellen Horan

Narrado por: Adam Grupper

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 posh 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.

©2010 HarperCollins Publishers (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Kept My Interest

I have many books in my library that I started and simply could not get through. This was not one of them. Good story, interesting characters with depth and decent narration. I would recommend it if you are interested in a fast moving mystery with a bit of history.

31 Bond Street

A great period piece. Historically accurate with believable fiction interjected. Easily flows with a superb ending!

lifeless

Great story with wonderful period detail, but somehow manages to take real characters and suck the life out of them. Ornate prose style badly served by melodramatic narration, with some jarring errors in pronunciation and emphasis. Not worthwhile.