The Trial of Lizzie Borden

“A fascinating and definitive account of the notorious trial of Lizzie Borden, the woman accused of the brutal murder of her father and her stepmother. Beautifully written and rich in detail, The Trial of Lizzie Borden sheds new light not only on the trial itself, but also on the setting, the period, and, in a sense, on the American soul at the end of the nineteenth century. –Lawrence M. Friedman, Marion Rice Kirkwood Professor of Law, Stanford University

“A fascinating social history.” –Mary Higgins Clark, bestselling author of I’ve Got My Eyes on You
“A fast-paced, page-turning read.” –Booklist, starred review
“Enthralling…[Robertson] reopens the case and presents the evidence afresh, all those alluring details out of an Agatha Christie novel (the mystery of Lizzie’s burned dress, the curious disappearance of a hatchet handle). The reader is to serve as judge and jury.” –Parul Sehgal, The New York Times
“Remarkable.” –Bustle
“Robertson presents the story with the thoroughness one expects from an attorney…Fans of crime novels will love it.” –Kirkus Review
“The definitive account to date of one of America’s most notorious and enduring murder mysteries…a superior, page-turning true crime narrative.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The Trial of Lizzie Borden is a taut, understated masterpiece: the rare history book that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Cara Robertson scours the Trial of the (Nineteenth) Century with the perseverance of a scholar, the gimlet eye of a detective, and the elegance of a novelist. As she depicts the Borden murders and the young lady accused of committing them, Robertson reveals the seething class, ethnic, and gendered tensions that roiled the glittering surface of the Gilded Age.” –Jane Kamensky, author of A Revolution in Color and the Jonathan Trumball Professor of American History at Harvard University
“With deft storytelling and convincing scholarship, Cara Robertson does the seemingly impossible by bringing new life to perhaps our oldest true-crime saga: the Gilded Age case of Lizzie Borden. By giving us Fall River, Massachusetts, in full and in context, as well as the panoply of characters who made the trial so sensational, Robertson has written that rarest of things: a page-turner with a point.” –Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America
“You won’t be disappointed.” –Hello Giggles