31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan. US release March 30, 2010; UK release May 27, 2010. Based on a true story, mystery and intrigue in pre-Civil War New...
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Jan 22, 2011
Misfit
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The story begins in 1857 as police are called to 31 Bond Street upon the horrific murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell. Poised for a run at the mayor's office, ambitious D.A. Abraham Oakey Hall sets his sights on Widow Emma Cunningham as his #1 suspect. Supposedly living in Burdell's house as a tenant and *housekeeper* of sorts, Emma produces a marriage certificate (but can she prove its real?) and further complicates the matter - did she murder the not-so-good doctor for his money and prestigious home?
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Aug 12, 2011
Jennifer
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*This review is based on a copy of the book I won through Goodreads FirstReads Giveaways.*
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
It's a fantastic historical fiction based on the real life murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell and the subsequent trial of Emma Cunningham, a widow who lived on the upper floor of his home along with her two daughters.
I must give Ms. Horan a hand. The story gripped me from the first pages and kept me engrossed until the end. I spent the entire day More...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
It's a fantastic historical fiction based on the real life murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell and the subsequent trial of Emma Cunningham, a widow who lived on the upper floor of his home along with her two daughters.
I must give Ms. Horan a hand. The story gripped me from the first pages and kept me engrossed until the end. I spent the entire day More...
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Feb 21, 2011
Florinda
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This ripped-from-the-headlines, made-for-the-tabloids tale has it all. Murder, corruption, scandal, illicit relationships, class conflict, legal intrigue...and the chance to get a great deal on some New Jersey swampland! Ellen Horan's historical novel 31 Bond Street is indeed ripped from the headlines - of the 1857 New-York Daily Times, that is. (By the way, there's an interesting tidbit in the early chapters that explains how the newspaper we know today as The New York Times became the "pa
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Jul 10, 2011
LJ
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First Sentence: For a boy who watched boats, his room was the perfect perch.
The brutal murder of well-to-do dentist, Dr. Burdell, immediately places his housekeeper, Emma Cunningham as the prime suspect. Attorney Henry Clinton parts ways with his respected law partner and, with the support of his wife and the help of others, sets out to prove Emma’s innocence.
From a very good opening which establishes the sense of time place the impact of the weather and the demeanor More...
The brutal murder of well-to-do dentist, Dr. Burdell, immediately places his housekeeper, Emma Cunningham as the prime suspect. Attorney Henry Clinton parts ways with his respected law partner and, with the support of his wife and the help of others, sets out to prove Emma’s innocence.
From a very good opening which establishes the sense of time place the impact of the weather and the demeanor More...
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Jul 07, 2011
Sacha
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Ellen Horan is a true researcher. Her vivid detailing of lower New York in 1857 is amazing. 31 Bond still stands, I went to look for the building last week. It's lucky, because the three buildings to the west are new. For me I think my favourite thing about the book was the attention to detail of setting up a peek into the city so long ago.
This paragraph of spring here is wonderful, my how things have changed!
"In New York, March turns to April by way of its trees. Apple trees More...
This paragraph of spring here is wonderful, my how things have changed!
"In New York, March turns to April by way of its trees. Apple trees More...
Feb 24, 2011
Lydia
rated it:
There's just something about an unsolved mystery. I mean, we know the outcome (or you will by reading this book or researching online), but still - the possibilities are endless.
That's how this book felt to me - like the possibilities were endless. Even knowing how everything turned out beforehand I wanted to see Ellen Horan's spin on it, to see how she could possibly manipulate the story to make it seem new and fresh (I remember reading about the murder of Dr. Burdell years ago an More...
That's how this book felt to me - like the possibilities were endless. Even knowing how everything turned out beforehand I wanted to see Ellen Horan's spin on it, to see how she could possibly manipulate the story to make it seem new and fresh (I remember reading about the murder of Dr. Burdell years ago an More...
Sep 29, 2010
Chris
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Author Ellen Horan has written a very readable historical fiction novel about the murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell in New York City in 1857. Horan's main character is Burdell's "housemistress" Ellen Cunningham, who is very quickly charged with Burdell's murder.
This book is so fast paced and readable that had it not been for work the next day I probably would have read the entire book in one night, perhaps two. Horan's characters come alive as she details what at the time was the More...
This book is so fast paced and readable that had it not been for work the next day I probably would have read the entire book in one night, perhaps two. Horan's characters come alive as she details what at the time was the More...
Sep 04, 2010
Linda
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This book is a wonderful blend of mystery, courtroom drama and historical fiction. It’s based on the true story of Dr. Harvey Burdell’s grisly murder in 1857. I enjoyed it immensely from start to finish. Horan takes a very clever approach to unveiling the events leading up to the murder and revealing the outcome of the trial. She narrates the book from two perspectives and at the same time moves back and forth between the past and the present. The format flows beautifully, one time line fills in
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Aug 10, 2010
Cheryl
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The year was 1857 in New York.
Emma Cunningham and her two daughters are living with Dr. Burdell on 31 Bond Street. Dr. Burnell and Emma met and Dr. Burnell seduced Emma to come live with him and he would provide for Emma and her two daughters. There is quite an age difference between Dr. Burnell and Emma. Things were great between Dr. Burnell and Emma but they weren’t horrible too. Well that is until Dr. Burnell was found with his throat slashed. Emma is the prime suspect.
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Emma Cunningham and her two daughters are living with Dr. Burdell on 31 Bond Street. Dr. Burnell and Emma met and Dr. Burnell seduced Emma to come live with him and he would provide for Emma and her two daughters. There is quite an age difference between Dr. Burnell and Emma. Things were great between Dr. Burnell and Emma but they weren’t horrible too. Well that is until Dr. Burnell was found with his throat slashed. Emma is the prime suspect.
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Jul 30, 2010
Literary Feline
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When Dr. Harvey Burdell, a New York dentist, is found brutally murdered in his own home, behind locked doors, suspicion immediately falls on those in the household, particularly Emma Cunningham whose sudden production of a secret marriage certificate between her and the doctor two weeks before the murder raises eyebrows and puts her innocence in doubt. Emma is a woman who is desperate to hang onto the last vestige of her social status, both for her daughters' sake as well as her own. She is near
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Jul 23, 2010
Gaby
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31 Bond Street succeeds as a mystery and as unique glimpse into Old New York. Ellen Horan has carefully researched the period, the trial, and the characters that make up this book and this comes across from the very start. She weaves in details about daily life in the 1850s and makes it come alive.
Henry Clinton who defends Emma Cunningham is a talented defense lawyer who goes on to become the highest paid attorney of his time -- and it is this case that changed his career. Clinto More...
Henry Clinton who defends Emma Cunningham is a talented defense lawyer who goes on to become the highest paid attorney of his time -- and it is this case that changed his career. Clinto More...
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May 27, 2010
Rose
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31 Bond Street is a historical novel based on the events surrounding the murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell, a wealthy New York dentist found butchered in his New York townhouse in February 1857. After a flimsy investigation, the district attorney decided that Burdell’s attractive housekeeper and mistress, Emma Cunningham, had killed him to seize control of his sizable estate. The evidence was not compelling, but no better suspect could be found. Her murder trial was a media circus that held New Yorke
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May 02, 2010
Chris
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When Dr. Harvey Burdell is found violently murdered in his fine New York home at 31 Bond Street in 1857, the lady of the house, Emma Cunningham, becomes the main suspect. Recently widowed, nearly broke, and desperate to secure her financial future, Emma cunningly caught Burdell's attention several months ago and accepted the best deal he was inclined to offer. For her services as housemistress (and with the potential for marriage at a later date), Emma received free room and board and a respec
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Apr 03, 2010
Gail
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A totally absorbing blend of fact and fiction is found in Ellen Horan's stellar debut 31 BOND STREET. Basing her story on what the 19th century called the crime of the century Horan competently moves between past and present to draw deft pictures of the individuals involved in a trial that held not only New York City but the entire world in thrall.
It was February of 1857 that brought "the worst, the very worst, wintry gale ever experienced in the city..." It was also when a More...
It was February of 1857 that brought "the worst, the very worst, wintry gale ever experienced in the city..." It was also when a More...
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Mar 27, 2010
Ronald
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I know you've heard it before, but this is a real page turner. It is a fictionalized account of a truly brutal murder that made headlines for more than three months in New York during 1857. In this pre-Civil War era, there was already plenty of intrigue concerning the gross treatment of women, the working class, and free blacks and runaway slaves. All of which made up a substantial part of the population of New York. To say that corruption in the local government was running rampant would be an
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Jun 05, 2011
Patty
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There is a great deal to like about this book, and just a bit to dislike.
I loved the story, I loved the fact that it is partially based on a true murder in the 1850's in New York City, I loved the glimpse into the politics and law of that time period. I loved the characters, especially the lawyer (who is one of the "real" people).
What I didn't love was the bouncing around from the time period of the crime and trial, back to before the two involved in the crime met, More...
I loved the story, I loved the fact that it is partially based on a true murder in the 1850's in New York City, I loved the glimpse into the politics and law of that time period. I loved the characters, especially the lawyer (who is one of the "real" people).
What I didn't love was the bouncing around from the time period of the crime and trial, back to before the two involved in the crime met, More...
Jun 14, 2010
Linda
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The 1850's. Manhattan's elite are only just setting out to make 5th Avenue their enclave. The rest of the population is simply trying to earn a living. Displaced Native Americans, runaway or freed slaves, and unmarried women are particularly vulnerable to the twists and turns of fortune. Emma Cunningham, mother of two adolescent daughters, is desperately searching for a man to replace their now deceased father. Emma believes she has found him in prosperous dentist Harvey Burdell, who wines and d
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Mar 11, 2010
Alayne
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In 1857 a man named Harvey Burdell, a seemingly upstanding New York dentist, was brutally murdered in the middle of the night. His throat was sliced, nearly severing his head, and he was fiercely stabbed several times through his back and chest. The crime scene was bloody, but no evidence of the murder weapon or culprit was ever found. Living on the upper floors of Burdell’s wealthy 31 Bond Street townhouse are the widow Emma Cunningham and her children. As the only household member with motive
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Feb 10, 2011
Ruby
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Based on the true story of the sensational murder of a prominent NYC dentist in 1857, Ellen Horan weaves the tale of the woman who stood trial for her alleged husband's killing with rich layers of political, social, & popular history. Pre-Civil-War Gotham comes alive in ways that feel at once timely & timeless: the media feeding frenzy that surrounded the trial would have had the net & networks buzzing had they existed at the time; sex & gender roles come into play in ways that still feel famili
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Mar 18, 2011
Molly
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I love getting and reading a book and ending up surprised (pleasantly, of course!) with the content. This author is fantastic. She took a true crime and wove it's details into a magnificent work of fiction. From beginning to end, she filled the pages with words and characters that become the reader. The reader is taken on twists and turns through out, following the author's clue like words to the very end.
The setting is set just before the civil war in New York. There's carriages and More...
The setting is set just before the civil war in New York. There's carriages and More...
Aug 05, 2011
Stewart
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I'm not really one for historical fiction -- usually the blending of fact and fantasy gets to the point where you can't tell where one ends and the other begins (I'm looking at you, Dan Brown). 31 Bond Street skirts that problem neatly by saying that, outside of the central murder occurring, nothing else in the book is genuine save some of the names. A review on the back cover calls it Scott Turow meets Caleb Carr -- an enticing combination, to be sure. However, the author doesn't really kno
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Mar 29, 2010
Lara
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This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I'm not quite sure why I didn't give it 4 stars instead of just 3. 31 Bond Street is the story of a murder that occurred in New York in the mid-1800s, specifically, on Bond Street. Because the present-day Bond Street just so happens to house a positively delicious sushi restaurant (check it out here: http://www.bondstrestaurant.com/), I craved sushi the whole time I read this. Let's all shout a big "BOO!" to whatever it is that makes eating
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Apr 02, 2011
Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com
rated it:
“31 Bond Street” by Ellen Horan is a historical fiction novel taking place in 1857 New York City. The book follows the notorious trial of Emma Cunningham for the murder of her landlord Dr. Harvey Burdell, a famous dentist.
Emma Cunningham is a widow with two daughters who is lodging in 31 Bond Street, NYC – the residence of Dr. Harvey Burdell. One fine morning the household wakes up to the horrific news that the doctor has been murdered in his room – with no signs of force More...
Emma Cunningham is a widow with two daughters who is lodging in 31 Bond Street, NYC – the residence of Dr. Harvey Burdell. One fine morning the household wakes up to the horrific news that the doctor has been murdered in his room – with no signs of force More...
Jul 27, 2010
Bonnie
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I loved this book. Based on a true murder mystery in the mid 1800's before the Civil War, it is set in New York and blends themes of government corruption, life of runaway slaves in a North ambivalent, at best about slavery and the precarious place of women in society. Each player in the drama is woven carefully showing a mix of strength and fragility, power and desperateness, love and manipulation. The book is engaging and intriguing and we move through the story trying to unravel the threads o
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Mar 13, 2010
Barb
rated it:
2.5 Stars, I'm rounding up...It was okay and I liked parts of it.
In her first novel, Ellen Horan, takes a real murder mystery and spins her own fiction around the characters involved in the case.
The author moves the reader back and forth in time revealing the history of the relationship between the victim, Dr. Harvey Burdell, and his accused murderer, Emma Cunningham, at the same time she's revealing the aftermath of the murder. She goes on to describe the murder without More...
In her first novel, Ellen Horan, takes a real murder mystery and spins her own fiction around the characters involved in the case.
The author moves the reader back and forth in time revealing the history of the relationship between the victim, Dr. Harvey Burdell, and his accused murderer, Emma Cunningham, at the same time she's revealing the aftermath of the murder. She goes on to describe the murder without More...
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Jul 22, 2010
Katy
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31 Bond Street is a fascinating look at antebellum New York and its politics, racial tensions, society, and gender relations. Based on the actual murder of Harvey Burdell, Ms. Horan creates a fictional story that succeeds in pulling the reader in and fully immersing them in the historical atmosphere. The story opens with the discovery of Burdell's body and jumps back and forth in time between the events that followed the murder and the events preceding it. Some readers might not like the time ju
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Aug 09, 2011
ParasolPirate
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Although I was a little disappointed with the final 'whodunnit' reveal, I thoroughly enjoyed the book up until then.
The narrative timeline shifts from after to before the murder rather frequently, which I thought might be confusing, but it was actually a great plot device, revealing characters and events piecemeal, rather than a straightforward linear narrative.
I wouldn't go quite so far as to say there were lots of 'twists' per say, but the revelations had me 'ooo'ing (much to my More...
The narrative timeline shifts from after to before the murder rather frequently, which I thought might be confusing, but it was actually a great plot device, revealing characters and events piecemeal, rather than a straightforward linear narrative.
I wouldn't go quite so far as to say there were lots of 'twists' per say, but the revelations had me 'ooo'ing (much to my More...
Mar 26, 2010
Alyssa
rated it:
I was lucky enough to win this book as a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This fictionalized account of an actual murder in the mid-1800's was very entertaining and I found myself looking forward to finding out what happened next throughout the whole book. While the book is more about the events leading up to the murder and less about the time period in which it occurred, I think the author did a very nice job of adding in small details about the 1850's without getting bogged down in More...
This fictionalized account of an actual murder in the mid-1800's was very entertaining and I found myself looking forward to finding out what happened next throughout the whole book. While the book is more about the events leading up to the murder and less about the time period in which it occurred, I think the author did a very nice job of adding in small details about the 1850's without getting bogged down in More...
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Sep 17, 2010
Mike
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Guess this fits in the historical fiction category, as many of the people and events either actually existed/happened or at least mirrored actual history. The story surrounds a murder and the various levels of fall out from the short-termed wife to the saving of a nation. Several of the characters were intriguing but it felt like as we got to understand them a bit better, they would be pulled from the stoy - at the end, I felt that outside of one or two I really didn't care about any of th
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Apr 21, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
For the most part, this is a pretty engaging story. Horan plays off of the "did she or didn't she" vibe rather well - Emma Cunningham comes across the first 3/4 of the book as both calculating and determined, making readers wonder if she really did kill Dr. Burdell. The current passages alternate with flashbacks of how the two met and the underlying story of what was actually going on before the murder.
After the trial, the book sort of shuffles its way to the end. It is in More...
After the trial, the book sort of shuffles its way to the end. It is in More...
