THE GIRL FROM GREENWICH STREET is the latest historical fiction from one of my favorite authors, Lauren Willig. This is a standalone based in the early American period. Set in Manhattan, it features one of America’s Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton, and his political rival Aaron Burr. These two men awkwardly come together to defend a man accused of a heinous murder, whilst they are maneuvering against each other at the same time.
It’s fascinating to read the author’s notes at the end of the book, to learn what was true historical fact and what she wove in as fiction. The trial of accused murderer Levi Weeks really happened, and there are plenty of historical documents to flesh out significant portions of the trial. The slain young woman, Elma Sands, snuck out of her Quaker cousin’s boarding house and was found dead at the bottom of a well at the edge of the city. In those days lawyers were responsible for doing their own investigations for the prosecution and defense, so we get to follow along as the villain is sought.
I adore Willig’s writing, and normally I happily gobble up anything that she has penned. THE GIRL FROM GREENWICH STREET struck many sour notes with me, however, and even the amazing prose of one of my favorite authors could not redeem it for me. I think Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr are no better than petulant toddlers. Reading about their egoism, chicanery, and gross mismanagement is appalling. It dismays me that these immature jerks were part of leading our early country! I have to say there was not a single character whom I liked in this book, and I find it slow going when I despise everyone I’m reading about.
I’m also not a fan of reading stories with cant, local lingo, or dialect. Typically used as a way of setting a story more firmly in a locale, it has the effect of actually pulling me OUT of a story instead of immersing me IN it. With many Quakers in the story, the constant ‘thee’s and ‘thou’s were grating to me. I know I’m probably in the minority here, so your mileage may vary.
I suspect that fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “Alexander” will be delighted to get their hands on this tale. Fans of early American history are also likely to enjoy this historical offering. I did enjoy the way Willig wraps up the ending in a manner I would not have expected. Based on the true story of a famous trial, THE GIRL FROM GREENWICH STREET is described in the blurb as “Law and Order: 1800” and I think that’s a great summation of this story of dastardy and machinations.
Based on the true story of a famous trial, this novel is Law and Order: 1800, as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr investigate the shocking murder of a young woman who everyone—and no one—seemed to know.
At the start of a new century, a shocking murder transfixes Manhattan, forcing bitter rivals Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr to work together to save a man from the gallows.
Just before Christmas 1799, Elma Sands slips out of her Quaker cousin’s boarding house—and doesn’t come home. Has she eloped? Run away? No one knows—until her body appears in the Manhattan Well.
Her family insists they know who killed her. Handbills circulate around the city accusing a carpenter named Levi Weeks of seducing and murdering Elma.
But privately, quietly, Levi’s wealthy brother calls in a special favor….
Aaron Burr’s legal practice can’t finance both his expensive tastes and his ambition to win the 1800 New York elections. To defend Levi Weeks is a double win: a hefty fee plus a chance to grab headlines.
Alexander Hamilton has his own political aspirations; he isn’t going to let Burr monopolize the public’s attention. If Burr is defending Levi Weeks, then Hamilton will too. As the trial and the election draw near, Burr and Hamilton race against time to save a man’s life—and destroy each other.
Part murder mystery, part thriller, part true crime, The Girl From Greenwich Street revisits a dark corner of history—with a surprising twist ending that reveals the true story of the woman at the center of the tale.
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