First published 2025
Just before Christmas 1799, Elma Sands vanishes from her cousin's Quaker boarding house in Manhattan. When her body surfaces in the Manhattan Well, handbills flood the city naming carpenter Levi Weeks as her seducer and killer. Aaron Burr sees opportunity in the case: defending Weeks means both a substantial fee and public attention for his 1800 election campaign. Alexander Hamilton refuses to let his rival claim the spotlight alone and joins the defense team. The bitter enemies must collaborate to save an accused man from execution while simultaneously working to destroy each other politically. As the trial approaches, Burr and Hamilton race to uncover the truth about Elma's death. The case becomes a battle for public opinion that could determine both Weeks' fate and the outcome of New York's crucial election. This murder mystery reveals how personal ambition and political rivalry shaped early American justice.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, political-rivalry
Setting: Greenwich Street, Manhattan, Manhattan Well
Period: 1799, 1800
352 pages · Kindle Edition · William Morrow