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City of Liars and Thieves Eve Karlin

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City of Liars and Thieves

Eve Karlin

City of Liars and Thieves Eve Karlin A crime that rocked a city. A case that stunned a nation. Based on the United States’ first recorded murder trial, Eve Karlin’s spellbinding debut novel re-creates early nineteenth-century , where a love affair ends in a brutal murder and a conspiracy involving Alexander and erupts in shattering violence.

It is high time to tell the truth. Time for justice. . . . How she was murdered and why she haunts me. It is not only Elma’s story, it’s mine.

On the bustling docks of the Hudson River, Catherine Ring waits with her husband and children for the ship carrying her cousin, Elma Sands. Their Greenwich Street boardinghouse becomes a haven for Elma, who has at last escaped the stifling confines of her small hometown and the shameful circumstances of her birth. But in the summer of 1799, Manhattan remains a teeming cesspool of stagnant swamps and polluted rivers. The city is desperate for clean water as fires wreak devastation and the death toll from yellow fever surges.

Political tensions are rising, too. It’s an election year, and is hungry for power. So is his rival, Aaron Burr, who has announced the formation of the Manhattan Water Company. But their private struggle becomes very public when the body of Elma Sands is found at the bottom of a city well built by Burr’s company.

Resolved to see justice done, Catherine becomes both witness and avenger. She soon finds, however, that the shocking truth behind this trial has nothing to do with guilt or innocence.

City of Liars and Thieves Details

Date : Published January 13th 2015 by Alibi ISBN : 9781101883051 Author : Eve Karlin Format : ebook 266 pages Genre : Historical, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

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From Reader Review City of Liars and Thieves for online ebook

Maia Chance says

Absolutely fascinating. A novelized account of a historical murder in New York City in the nineteenth century. Karlin brings it all alive with sensuous details and creepy dread, plus a wonderfully-drawn subplot about motherhood and marriage.

Toni says

City of Liars and Thieves, by Eve Karlin, is an amazing work of historical fiction that recounts the first recorder murder trial in our country. Karlin breathes life into Elma, Caty and Levi, the real-life characters that were otherwise passed over in history books because of corrupt politics. Karlin gives justice to Elma, may she finally rest in peace, whose tragic fate was exploited and used as nothing more than a political upgrade for Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, the courtroom players. Her attention to detail brings turn of the 19th century New York City to life in such a clear, distinct way, with all of your senses alive as to what living there must have been like. City of Liars and Thieves is a page-turner and hard to put down!

CLM says

Here is a link to my review: http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...

Diane S ? says

What a fascinating read this turned out to be, so much history that I knew of so little. Caty Ringer and her husband Elias are running a boarding house in Manhattan in the late 1790's. Needing help, her cousin Elma comes to stay, a young woman with an unmarried mother, father unknown. A fact City's husband frowns on. In this society at this time period and as Quakers, many already consider Elma a woman of loose morals.

Clean water is a precious commodity and hard to come by. Aaron Burr promised to dig wells and being clean water to Manhattan. One well is dug but it soon becomes clear that Burr has different plans. The first recorded murder trial in America, finds Burr and Hamilton working together to defend the supposed murderer of Elma.

Such a highly charged political time, Burr, Hamilton, Jefferson and the hotly contested election of 1800. Secret plots, back door dealings and a young woman who gets caught in the middle and pays with her life. So incredibly interesting.

The book ends with an afterward from the author stating not only what is true or not, but also following these characters and letting us know what happens to them in the future, politically and personally. Apparently the well that Elam is found in still actually exists in the basement of a building still standing. Amazing really how some history remains, lingers in stories and places.

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The author did a wonderful job in bringing this period of history to life, letting us feel the time period and the real people that were part of this terrible tragedy. A very good read for history and true crime readers.

ARC from NetGalley.

Zeb Kantrowitz says

This is the novelization of the first recorded murder trial in the United States. A young woman disappears and is found at the bottom of a well. Who killed her and put her in there? Wrapped around the investigation of the murder is the story of the well itself and the lack of potable water in Manhattan as New York continues to expand north into what had previously been farm country.

Catherine Ring had made her way to New York with her husband and children. He ran a general store and she ran a boardinghouse. Catherine is overwhelmed by all that she has to do and deal with. She convinces her cousin, Elma Sands, to come to New York to help her. Elma couldn’t wait to get out of the town that she and Catherine grew up in, in Upstate New York. Emma carried the stigma of being the child of an unwed mother.

Elma takes to New York like a bird released from a cage. She begins ‘stepping-out’ with one of the boarders who happens to be the brother of a well-connected merchant. When Elma fails to come home one night, Catherine fears the worst. Her body is finally found at the bottom of a well, that was supposed to be part of a new fresh water system. Aaron Burr was one of the major backers (along with Alexander Hamilton, and the merchant brother) of this new private water system.

Catherine’s husband had gotten involved in the water company. Normally a teetotaler had begun to drink under the strain of the delay in the water system. The stock company behind the water system turns out to be a ploy to help Burr and Hamilton to set-up a bank. The system (except for some trial wells) was never going to be built. Knowing Elma’s background, her young man was never going to be allowed to marry her.

So who killed Elma and why? The trial (using parts of the original transcripts) opens one’s eyes to the ‘type’ of justice that was available at the end of the eighteenth century. Your can see how the wealthy and well- connected were treated were able to bend the law to serve their own purposes.

Eve Karlin does a fine job in bringing out the situations that woman and the poor lived under at the beginning of the Republic.

Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com

Peggy says

Fascinating historical details and an intriguing scandal that feels as relevant today as it was 200 years ago. Our founding fathers were not necessarily moral and young women were not always virtuous. Recommended for all, especially those who love New York City.

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Liz Rosenbaum says

Karlin brings a fresh and compelling perspective to a murder trial that riveted the nascent city of Manhattan. The story she tells deftly reveals the secrets of an iconic American legal dream team, Hamilton and Burr, four years before their infamous duel. A gripping, little-known chapter of history, exquisitely told.

Susan Foulkes says

A wonderfully written murder mystery....it wasn't until I'd finished the book that I discovered the novel was based on true events.

Eve Karlin excels at descriptive writing. I could clearly picture the nascent Manhattan with its filth and mosquitoes...shudder... and the much calmer (and cleaner) Cornwall, 60 miles up the Hudson River.

Her characters are just as well written. They all have depth and are flawed and troubled just as we all are in real life.

We follow the story through the eyes of Caty as it is her cousin, Elma, who is the victim.

The book is so much more than a murder mystery, it also touches on faith (Caty and her family are Quakers) and how difficult it can be to hold on to that faith when bad things happen. Politicians are not spared, nor are corrupt business men, their machinations and lobbying are still present in society today...plus ca change!

One thing that has, thankfully, changed is the stigma of being born illegitimate. It was the oppressive and judgemental small town life of Cornwall that led to Elma arriving in New York.

The trial of Levi Weeks, Elma's "fiance", and thus the main suspect, gives a real flavour of trial by jury in its infancy. Having sat on a jury myself I'm not surprised that the jurors were flagging in the early hours. No breaks for food or drink and a stifling atmosphere in a crowded courtroom.

I did not see the twist at the end coming (although I did have my suspicions) and I must admit to being left wondering if justice had been done. On balance, probably not.

As a Brit these events were new to me and thus fascinating...I can recommend this book to lovers of murder mysteries and History.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Beth Bedee says

This is a great option for those Hamilton fanatics wanting a different spin. It was very interesting to read about the first recorded murder trial in American history. The afterward was especially great and offered many wonderful facts.

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Diane Coto says

What happened to Elma Sands? She was a real person with multiple secrets who was murdered just before the turn of the nineteenth century. But, why? And, who was responsible? Her story is also known as the “Manhattan Well Tragedy.” This novel opens when Catherine Ring was awaiting Elma’s arrival. Catherine and her husband, Elias, owned a bed and breakfast. It was more than Catherine could keep up with on her own to take care of her husband, two small children, and an increasing number of boarders. She requested her Cousin Elma’s help in a letter. Levi Weeks, Ezra Weeks brother, was one of the boarders. He and Elma were lovers. Catherine assumed Elma was with Levi on the night she died. Elma had dressed in a pale green muslin gown that she and Catherine had sewn; she was going to wed Levi. It was Sunday, December 22, 1799.

This story is told in a first person account by Catherine Ring July 12 1804. I loved that the author wrote the story through Catherine’s eyes. This is a fascinating story not only because of the mystery surrounding Elma’s death but also because it includes historical detail and struggles of an era of a very youthful America. The Author’s note expresses Eve Karlin’s meticulous research and that which she fictionalized for the use of this novel. Much of the actual history is intact. Much of the truth of that time surprised me. I rated City of Liars and Thieves at 4.5 out of 5.

Jennifer says

I am totally in love with this book! It’s scheduled to be released in January and you MUST get a copy. Eve Karlin has carefully researched the events surrounding the murder of Elma Sands in 1799 New York City and brilliantly crafted a fictionalized version of events. This story involved Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, two rivals for president of the United States.

Elma Sands arrives, as a young woman, in New York City to assist her cousin Caty with running a boardinghouse and caring for her children. She soon develops a relationship with one of the boarders, Levi Weeks. Meanwhile, Caty’s marriage is getting shakier by the day as her husband becomes more and more focused on money. Levi works for his brother Ezra who is a builder who wants to hold political office. Ezra and Aaron Burr are hatching political schemes to gain control of New York City politics and further their own ambitions. Levi know of these schemes and reveals them to Elma. When word gets back to Ezra that his secret has been revealed Elma’s life is in danger. One night Elma goes out with Levi, telling Cary they are to be married that night, but she never returns. When her body is discovered in one of Ezra Weeks wells a few days later all suspicion is on Levi and a trial quickly ensues. But all is not as straightforward as it at first seems.

Eve Karlin has created a wonderful version of the events. Her characters just jump from the pages and her descriptions of the conditions of the time or the courthouse drama are riveting. I think any reader will find something to love in this story. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end that describes how each characters life played out after the trial. This book really spoke to my history/crime buff side. I’m giving this one 4 out of 4 stars for being a truly great creative work. I hope to see more from Eve Karlin in the future.

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Becky says

On a cold and snowy night, young Elma Sands set off supposedly to wed her sweetheart. But when he returned home alone, claiming they'd not had plans that evening, Elma's cousin, Caty, becomes concerned. As days pass with no sign of Elma, some claim she may have run off or even tried to kill herself. But Caty knows her cousin would do neither of those things. No, Caty fears something much more sinister.

And twelve days later her fears would prove to be correct.

I was immediately intrigued by the fact that this book is based on an actual case. As the author outlines on her website, it's said to be "the first recorded murder trial in US history..." and of course it also involves two of the most famous personalities of the time: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The case is referred to as the Manhattan Well Murder. There are various pieces about it online, but I found this one particularly interesting as the famed well is still in existence. It's a macabre tourist attraction, that's for sure.

Eve Karlin's spin on the historic murder (one I'd not heard of before) is an intriguing read. The story unfolds via Caty's perspective, making the tale both suspenseful and emotional. Caty's fear, remorse, and frustration can be felt intensely throughout the tale. The theory set forth by the author in her imagining of the murder isn't without merit and Karlin does a great job weaving together her fictional accounts with actual historical ones. As an added bonus, Karlin's afterword does outlines various historical references and the fates of many of the real life players in the case. It's a quite interesting read (as is the book for that matter).

I would have liked for certain aspects of City of Liars and Thieves to have been further fleshed out. The time leading up to the murder moves by quite quickly and a little more time and attention to the characters' lives and motivations would have been welcome. Even without that, though, the book proves to be a pretty darn good read.

Julia Shield says

In City of Liars and Thieves, Eve Karlin tells the grim, fascinating story of Elma Sands, a young woman who was, in her words, "caught in the crossfire of our nation's most powerful men" of the nascent United States, a victim whose own narrative has largely been lost to time. She effortlessly weaves together historical details, trial transcripts, and vivid images of NYC at the end of the 18th century in a way sure to engage anyone interested in that era or how the crimes of our forebears still reverberate today.

Esil says

Thank you to Alibi and Netgalley for a copy of City of Liars and Thieves. This is a fictionalization of New York city's first murder told from the perspective of the victim's cousin. The book takes place at the very end of the 18th century. I am often weary of historical fiction that takes place prior to the 20th century because I find that some authors tend to give their characters sensibilities that don't match the time period. City of Liars and Thieves does not suffer from this flaw -- in fact working from a transcript of the original trial, Karlin does a good job of conveying what feels like a realistic feel for life in New York at that time. And the story is well told and very readable. This is a good quick read.

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Marlene says

Originally published at Reading Reality

This novel gets off to a slow start but comes to a slam-bang finish. It has the feel of both history and suspense, because it is both.

Elma Sands, the victim in this case, was a real person. The place where her body was found still exists in a New York City basement. I’m not sure which gave me more chills, the description of her short and tragic life and horrific death, or the author’s afterword describing her visit to the site.

City of Liars and Thieves is a story that proves that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

The story, and the case, center around the first publicized murder trial in New York. And it displays all the facets of the “blindness” of justice, or the lack thereof, that we still expect to see in contemporary sensationalized trials.

Elma Sands was a young woman whose body was found in a well in Manhattan, in what will someday become Soho. But in 1800, Manhattan is a fast growing city with a desperate need for fresh water. “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink” could easily describe the situation. Surrounded by salt water, there is nowhere near enough fresh water for the people who live there. A situation made even worse by the lack of sanitation practices at the time.

Elma lives with her cousin Catherine Ring in a boardinghouse owned by Ring and her husband Elias. Elma is a young woman who has shown some questionable judgment back in her small home town of Cornwall, NY, and Caty hopes her cousin can get a fresh start in the larger city. Also, she just plain misses her.

Instead, Elma’s faults drop her into an early grave, as a warning to anyone who would get in the way of much bigger plans by much more important people than Elma (or Catherine) ever expected.

Elma got herself caught in the struggle between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton to create a bank outside Hamilton’s control. That struggle manifested itself in the creation of the Manhattan Water Company, a front for the creation of the Manhattan Bank (which still, in a strange way, exists).

The water company was a complete sham. It was a way of roping investors into a scheme that was bound to fail, but folded their money into the bank in such a way that the investors lost their shirts.

Elma made the mistake of telling one of the founders that she would expose him, based on pillow talk with his brother. Instead, she ended up in the bottom of a dry well, and the trial of her supposed murderer ended up as part of Burr and Hamilton’s presidential campaigns.

And the killer, beneficiary of his brother’s money and influence, got off scot-free. Or did he?

Escape Rating B: This story takes a while to set up, because there are so many historical factors in play. Caty and Elma’s relationship, Caty’s husband and their move to Manhattan, and finally, Elma coming to Manhattan already in the relationship that would eventually get her killed.

The stage also has to be set to show the continuing water crisis in Manhattan. We think of New York City as

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Caty Ring is used as the point of view character. On the one hand, she survived, so she lives to tell the tale (and apparently did in real life). On the other hand, we are restricted to what Caty knows and does, or is reported to her. She is not privy to discussions with Burr and Hamilton, because in 1800 those gatherings were restricted to men. Her husband does not treat her as an equal partner, because he has myriad secrets of his own. In the dark, Caty forms her own conclusions about Elma’s actions and eventual death. Many of those conclusions turn out to be erroneous, both because Caty naively believed the best of people who obviously did not deserve it, and because she drowns in her grief as surely as Elma drowned in that well.

The suspense in this story, and the point where it starts moving at terrific speed, is when the accused murderer is brought to trial. The way that trials were conducted is both different and the same. The jury has to sleep at the courthouse, on the floor, until the trial is over and the verdict is rendered. The judge makes his bias obvious from the beginning of the case, and the amount of perjury condoned is jaw-dropping.

But the verdict in the end is the one that we expect. Money decides the case, and much of the reporting follows the accepted version rather than search for the truth. In the end, Elma’s virtue is on trial much more than her killer’s guilt or innocence.

And that is all too familiar. p.s. Even if you don't normally read the author's afterward in a book, read this one. It's even more chilling than the story.

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