ELLEN HORAN
31 Bond Street is based on the notorious murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell in his fashionable townhouse in New York City in 1857. The sensational murder case was front page news throughout 1857 and the question “Who killed Dr. Burdell?” gripped the nation in the boisterous era just before the Civil War. 31 Bond Street interweaves romance, politics, greed and sexual intrigue in a suspenseful domestic and legal drama.
“Horan brings to life a sensational 19th-century New York City murder trial in which a woman is accused of viciously killing her husband... An engaging mix of fact and fiction, with a juicy trial, sensationalistic reporters, and lots of local urban color.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A real-life New York City murder case provides the basis for Horan's impressive fiction debut... Horan alternates deftly between the present and flashbacks to Cunningham's past, capturing both the complex inner lives of her characters and the feel of the time, along with exciting courtroom scenes...”
—Publishers Weekly
“The story is a blend of historical evidence and fictional imagining, an engrossing read that gains much from the author's historical acuity while making no compromises on narrative pace. Horan writes eloquently of the rapidly expanding city, contrasting the bustle of the downtown streets and the mansion-building frenzy on Fifth Avenue with the orchards and kitchen gardens of Greenwich Village, where woods tangled with brambles still separated the dwellings from the river... It's not easy to breathe life into real-life characters… but Cunningham and Clinton live on the page as freshly as if they had stepped, new-minted, from Horan's vivid imagination.”
—Washington Post, Claire Clark
“Horan’s characters, like Edith Wharton’s, are motivated by social class and survival in a world ruled by wealth and national uncertainty. This unique look at history and the private lives of those affected by it makes for captivating reading.”
—Booklist, *Starred Review*
“Readers everywhere, rise from your chairs, go to the local bookstore and demand more to read than zombie novels that rip off great literature. Go now! Ask your local bookseller for a smart, well-crafted and sophisticated story. Then bring home your copy of 31 Bond Street, a most satisfying first novel by Ellen Horan.”
—Jason Boog, MediaBistro
THE HEADLINES
BOOKLIST—Starred Review
VANITY FAIR—Hot Type, Essential Reading
INDIE NEXT LIST—Booksellers Pick
UP CLOSE WITH SAM ROBERTS—New York 1
LEONARD LOPATE SHOW
“Riveting.” —New York Post
"An enthralling page-turner to the very end." —Sunday Herald, UK
“Spectacular debut novel.” —The Post and Courier, UK
"Mystery and romance galore,” —The Sun, UK
"A gripping recreation of this true life crime."—The Independent, UK
"A deft and highly readable book, much recommended.” —Daily Mail, UK
“Terrific Legal Thriller”… Mystery Gazette
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ellen Horan has worked as an artist and photo editor for magazines and books. She turned her attention to writing after discovering an old newspaper clipping about the Bond Street murder. She currently lives in New York City, the setting of her first novel, 31 Bond Street, published by Harper Collins.
