Horan manages to combine all of the elements of a good mystery with excellent historical detail. In January,1857 Dr. Harvey Burdell is found dead in his room, his throat slashed from side to side and his torso riddled with stab wounds. His housekeeper / fiancé, Emma Cunningham, is the prime suspect and, despite lack of any solid evidence, she is arrested for the crime. Attorney Henry Clinton, at the cost of his successful law practice, agrees to take the case and defend Emma, whom he believes to be innocent of the crime.
What sets Horan's novel apart from your typical mystery is the texture. She skillfully weaves together several storylines, all related to the murder, in such a way that the reader, although privy to knowledge and motives that Clinton and Cunningham are not, is still in the dark about how the crime was committed until the very end. The historical details are wonderful. The legal system in pre-Civil War New York is frightening, but Henry Clinton, based on a real person, rivals the best fictional attorneys with his dedication and willingness to possibly ruin his career in his quest for justice. Everything in this novel is fascinating because, despite the passing of 150 years, the role of the media, human nature, and the greed that drives humans to abuse and kill are all the same now as they were back then. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good historical or an intriguing mystery, or both!
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