City of Liars and Thieves by Eve Karlin

I found Eve Karlin’s debut historical fiction novel, City of Liars and Thieves, to be fascinating and will recommend it as a possible Junior Theme choice, even though it currently appears to be only available as an eBook. The story is set in 1799 New York City and begins with a young woman, Elma Sands, arriving to help her married cousin run a boardinghouse. Sadly, Elma is later found murdered and questions arise about her romance with a boarder along with speculation about justice and motives when high profile lawyers like Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr become involved in the case. 

The story is based on actual events and includes a description of the courtroom trial for the first recorded murder case in American history. I especially liked the sense of mystery and dread that pervaded City of Liars and Thieves. Mostly, though, I was excited by potential for students to see ties to modern issues like class and income inequality, corruption in politics, corporate greed, and questions related to women’s roles in society.

Just a year or two ago, the New York Times printed a feature story noting how corners were cut in the roughly 200 year old water system described by Eve Karlin. I think that this book will intrigue readers and prompt them to further investigate the rivalry between Hamilton and Burr.