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retired_to_alternate_universe's review
4.0
True story of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr teaming up as defense lawyers in America’s first murder trial
meme_too2's review
5.0
This was fascinating! The records this guy must have gone through in order to pull out the information is mindboggling. The murder was sensational, so much was likely written about it. But he also must have searched journals to get the personal side of the story. There were probably holes that he just couldn't ignore as he pieced the story together, but he didn't do what some authors do and give a list of "supposings."
It was good reporting, a fascinating moment in history, and I'm glad the innocent were exonerated.
It was good reporting, a fascinating moment in history, and I'm glad the innocent were exonerated.
rexsavior's review
5.0
A wonderful trip back in time to New York of 1800. I really enjoyed this one.
rpych2's review
5.0
I’ve been reading a lot more history in the last few years and do love early US history, but to be completely honest the reason I picked this up was because of a throwaway verse from a song in Hamilton about Burr and Hamilton teaming up for the first big murder trial in the country. Which just thinking about is awesome; the fates of the two men are so intertwined because of the duel, but them being co-counselors for the defendant on America’s first publicized murder trial and oldest cold case is wild.
And this book certainly didn’t disappoint, because it treated the murder as the main story while the founding fathers involved were secondary to the plot. It’s structured mainly like a courtroom drama, where after the setup of the characters involved and the actual murder, the bulk of it outlined the trial itself and the arguments of both sides.
I also enjoyed the author drawing a conclusion on who he thinks was the likely murderer, because it still technically is an unsolved case. It’s hard to say and I’m not necessarily sure I’d have come to the same conclusion, but it definitely seems plausible.
And this book certainly didn’t disappoint, because it treated the murder as the main story while the founding fathers involved were secondary to the plot. It’s structured mainly like a courtroom drama, where after the setup of the characters involved and the actual murder, the bulk of it outlined the trial itself and the arguments of both sides.
I also enjoyed the author drawing a conclusion on who he thinks was the likely murderer, because it still technically is an unsolved case. It’s hard to say and I’m not necessarily sure I’d have come to the same conclusion, but it definitely seems plausible.
theduchess93's review
4.0
While I didn't enjoy this one as much as Blood and Ivy (mostly because there was more historical context and anecdotes than the advertised legal battle) it was still excellently written and quite captivating. Also, I will never NOT love reading about what a wanker Aaron Burr was.
mawalker1962's review
4.0
Written almost like a novel, this is a fascinating story of a time when founding fathers Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton (two notorious political rivals--Burr would later kill Hamilton on a duel) joined forces to defend a young man accused of murdering a Quaker girl. A few too heavy on extraneous detail for my tastes, but a good read.
mwgerard's review against another edition
4.0
No, it’s not about that duel. It turns out the two worked as lawyers defending a young man accused of murder in 1800 New York City. It’s a bizarre and expertly-told story that sheds light on life when our country was still in its childhood.
On a cold, crackling winter night at the end of 1799 a young woman named Elma Sands leaves her boarding house, wearing a fur muff to stave off the winter’s night air. She never returns. Her muff is found two weeks by a child playing on the edge of the Lispenard’s Meadow and shortly thereafter her body was found in a Manhattan Well. Fellow boarder Levi Weeks was quickly suspected, having been seen with her shortly before. Popular gossip convicted him within a few days, but it would be up to the two best lawyers in New York City to defend him in the courtroom. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were the best at what they did. Despite the lengthy list of differences they had — politically and personally — they were also professionals at the bar.
Please support independent reviewers and read my full post here: http://mwgerard.com/review-duel-with-the-devil-by-paul-collins/
On a cold, crackling winter night at the end of 1799 a young woman named Elma Sands leaves her boarding house, wearing a fur muff to stave off the winter’s night air. She never returns. Her muff is found two weeks by a child playing on the edge of the Lispenard’s Meadow and shortly thereafter her body was found in a Manhattan Well. Fellow boarder Levi Weeks was quickly suspected, having been seen with her shortly before. Popular gossip convicted him within a few days, but it would be up to the two best lawyers in New York City to defend him in the courtroom. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were the best at what they did. Despite the lengthy list of differences they had — politically and personally — they were also professionals at the bar.
Please support independent reviewers and read my full post here: http://mwgerard.com/review-duel-with-the-devil-by-paul-collins/
mikehex's review
3.0
Interesting depiction of the times, but the writing was a bit confusing. It seemed to assume a certain level of knowledge of the events or it was trying to create some mystery, but the end result is just a lot of “am I supposed to know how this person fits in?”