Poor Polly! Her trial for the murder of her sister in law, Emmeline, and her baby niece was put on trial for capital murder. Polly was no saint. She was a divorced woman who drinks, is an adulterer, has had abortions, so she presents as the perfect villain.

This is the 1843 and what was then the penny press, runs with articles about Polly and more or less convicts her in the press., and we thought this was a modern age travesty! She is tried three times over in Staten Island, Manhattan, and Newburgh. Even some famous names entered the hysteria surrounding the Christmas murders, like Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman, PT Barnum, and later James Fennimore Cooper.

It became a media circus something we are so use to today. The media drove this trial and no matter how talented the defense team was, it didn't really matter as Polly was already convicted by the frenzy created by hucksters.

This was a frightening story for the reason that people were convinced by the press not by the evidence which at times was very strong that she murdered wantonly.

Was she guilty? Only a jury should decide not the press!
Fascinating material that was at times presented in a laborious way.

The Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice by Alex Hortis is a true crime book that takes place in New York between 1844 and 1846. Polly Bdoine is accused of murdering her sister in law and her niece on December 25, 1943 when their remains are found under the bed of the house that was burned to the ground. This book follows Polly three trials which lasted from June 1844 to April 1846. During this time both Edgar Allan Poe and P.T. Barnum made money from Polly Bodine's trail from writting articles in newspapers to making a wax likeness of Polly as an attraction for his circus. This is just one example in history where a woman didn't get a fair trail due to the information that was printed about Polly Bodine and her lifestyle choice. This is a must read for anyone who likes both history and true crime.

This book was not a favorite. In my opinion it was very repetitive. However stating this, I’m from the podcast generation, I think this might be better for people who enjoy more traditional book style of laying out the information.

I love true crime so this felt very in my wheelhouse. I also liked the title and found that very intriguing. I appreciated listening to this audiobook! It reminded me of some true crime podcasts also.

I found this case interesting and interesting that I had never heard about it. The people were interesting and I wasn't sure where it was going. I enjoyed learning about the trial. Very relevant to today too.

Thanks Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

It’s always so interesting to me how women are villainized throughout history. As a fan of true crime and history of women accused of witchcraft (not a fan in a weird uncaring way - just curious!), I found this story extremely interesting. I did have the audio and the narrator was clean and easy to listen to

Loved this! What an extraordinary story, and such a fascinating insight into turn of the century journalism. It reminded me a little of Erik Larson's work with two big historical moments interacting with each other and impacting our modern culture all these years later. The author's research is evident, and their writing is truly gripping. The narration is simple, but effective.

On Christmas night, December 25, 1843, in a serene village on Staten Island, shocked neighbors discovered the burnt remains of twenty-four-year-old mother Emeline Houseman and her infant daughter, Ann Eliza. When an ambitious district attorney charges Polly Bodine (Emelin’s sister-in-law) with a double homicide, the new “penny press” explodes. Polly is a perfect media villain: she’s a separated wife who drinks gin, commits adultery, and has had multiple abortions. Between June 1844 and April 1846, the nation was enthralled by her three trials—in Staten Island, Manhattan, and Newburgh—for the “Christmas murders.”

This is a great origin story of how America became addicted to sensationalized reporting of criminal trials. I enjoyed listening to the narrator, the woman's cadence is perfect for the book. I was sad to hear of how a woman who wasn't an angel, was drawn through the mud and made responsible for murder. This is not only true crime, but journalism history.

I, like many other people, like true crime and consume that genre on a regular basis. This book and the murder case it portrays could maybe be seen as a base for the true crime-interest today as it seems like this case was one of the first where media and the papers was heavily involved in the whole process.

I found it quite interesting throughout.

I don't remember ever learning about Mary (Polly) Bodine before. This was an interesting 1843 murder trial and it was fascinating to see what role the newspapers played in making it difficult to find men to participate in the jury who had no preconceived notions on if Mary was guilty or not. I think something we forget in 2024 is the prejudices of the day, I didn't even think about how WHO was allowed to book a hotel room/was welcome in a town could factor in to who could be a witness in a trial - regardless of the type of trial. So the fact that some key witnesses could not participate in the second trial because they were not welcome in the town it was taking place... and how that took away some major evidence for the prosecution makes me wonder how many trials turned out differently because of factors like this. I also loved seeing young Edgar Allen Poe and Walt Whitman as newspaper reporters and can see how their viewpoints of this case hinted at the types of authors they would later become.

Erin Bennett does a good job with the audiobook narration.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks in exchange for an honest review.

What a fascinating story featuring the murder trial of Polly Bodine, of murdering her, her sister-in-law and her niece on Christmas night 1843, and how her case is the first to be held, and influenced by the press.

I love a good historical murder mystery, and this one definitely fits the bill. Featuring an imperfect woman, who is villainized, and made to be the scapegoat and suffers through three trials in pursuit of justice… all the while, being torn apart and falsely convicted in the penny press!

The narration by Erin Bennett is well done and suits the story. Her voice work is very easy to listen to, and her differentiation in her speaking provides a good delineation between different parts or segments of the book. This was an easy and I enjoyed the experience.

Thanks to Spotify Audiobooks and NetGalley for the audio review copy. Opinions are my own.

This is the story Polly Bodine, the first American woman put on trial for capital murder and how American became addicted to sensationalized reporting.

Polly Bodine was accused of everything in the papers, from alcoholism, witchcraft and abortions. America was captivated by her situation and the papers took advantage and created a public monster.

Parts of this tale are quite intriguing and you realize a lot has changed since this time period…BUT, a lot has stayed the same, as well. This tale does drag in many places and it is repetitive. However, I did learn quite a bit about how processes worked, or didn’t work, in this time period.

The narrator, Erin Bennett, has such a clear and true voice. She kept this story moving for me.

Need a well researched true crime…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.

This audiobook was not for me. I had tried to like it. The suspense just wasn’t there for me. They just seem to read off of the court papers. If you like true crime podcast then I would give it a try. I just don’t like them.

This book covers the historical murder of a Mother and her baby that happened in the 1800's. .The aftermath is a media circus with multiple trials. While the case may have faded into obscurity over the years, there are people involved you will recognize like P.T. Barnum and Edgar Alan Poe.

One of my reading goals this year is to read fewer popcorn thrillers and replace them with true crime books. In this case, I listened to this on audio. the production was well done. The author was able to convey the history in a way that engaging and kept me reading. There were clear connections that tied in with what we saw back then and how we still see themes play out in modern times.

Such a great read for true crime lovers like myself. I had a lovely time listening to this audiobook! It felt almost as if I was as listening to one of my favorite true crime podcasts!

I was so intrigued by this case that I had never heard about before, and I was really interested to know more about all the details and the trial. I thought it was such a relevant case and absolutely one that makes us reflect on justice and the impact that media has on it nowadays!

Thank you to @netgalley and @spotify for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoy nonfiction, specifically history and true crime, and I found this book to be very informative and interesting. For the average true crime reader this might not be for them as this reads more as a study on how media can affect the outcome of a trial and less about the crime itself. That being said I personally enjoyed this story and the insight that was given as this topic is very relevant to society now and how crime and how profile trials are handled.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

This book just wasn’t for me. I am a true crime fan but I just didn’t like this one.

I'll admit. This book isn't exactly what I expected it to be when I requested it. Even so, I was interested in it because I love true crime books, and I had never heard about the Polly Bodine case. Most true crime books aren't about women, so that drew my interest immediately.

Even so, in execution, it fell a little flat for me.

Let's talk about the pros first:

- The book was obviously well-researched. For a case I've never even heard of, this author came up with a WEALTH of information. I was very impressed with the level of detail that went into this book. Well done, author. This case took place at a time before media was so involved in court cases, but at the same time, media DID play a large role in this particular case. It was interesting to see how that played out.

- The book doesn't shy away from addressing "sensitive" topics like misogyny and the particular prejudice against women -- particularly women who strayed outside the bonds of marriage -- during the time this trial took place.

- The narration for the audio book was excellent. It was clear, and the speaker had an engaging voice that made it easy to pay attention.

Now the cons:

- While the level of detail and research was phenomenal, it also made it hard to get through the book at times. It slowed the pacing down and made some sections pretty tedious and -- I won't say boring -- but definitely less than captivating. There was also a certain level of repetitiveness that made it difficult to slog through at times.

- At times, the book read more like a history book than a novel. And while that's to be expected somewhat with any true crime story, this one suffered from that more than most.

- The story itself -- the crime and the actual events -- weren't super exciting. That, of course, is not the writer's fault. But when placed beside stories about Manson, BTK, and Ed Kemper (other true crime books I've loved and read), it leaves a lot to be desired.

Ultimately, I'm glad I read the book. It was an interesting and pivotal case that (it seems) really stressed the importance of "non-biased trials." But I can't give it more than three stars.

I am not generally a non-fiction reader (it's just not the genre I typically gravitate towards), but I wanted to read this book because the premise sounded really interesting and it's a person and event I didn't previously know anything about so that intrigued me. I genuinely thought the way the author Alex Hortis told the story was really interesting and definitely reminded me a well-detailed true crime podcast (definitely with less dramatization, though). I will say I really appreciated the way the book was outlined (intro to story with cast of characters upfront, chronological telling of events in the case, and then conclusion and final thoughts). I'm more of an analytical person, so the attention to detail was a big plus for me. But I also enjoyed how the author's tone shown through in the recounting of events, as well. There were just moments here and there in her writing style that alluded to why Mary "Polly" Bodine's story is so important to know and not forget (since so much of the prejudice and unjustness of her story is still relevant today).

Listening to the audiobook was honestly the best way, I think, personally for me to have consumed this book. Due to nature of the story (specifically the multiple court cases held against Polly), sometimes the facts began to feel repetitive at times. I think Alex still did a good job with telling an accurate portrayal of the events so this was just an unfortunate side effect of that, as facts of the case had to be rehatched often. But I think the narrator, Erin Bennett, did a good job with her reading of the book and that made those parts easier to parse through as she kept such an even, clear voice throughout the audiobook.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this read. Though it definitely felt slower-paced at times, I think Alex Hortis did a phenomenal job not only recounting the trials of Polly Bodine, but also the woman. Whose character was defamed publicly in such a demoralizing, brutal way. Both by the press and by the courts. She deserved a better immortalization than the "witch" she was depicted as.

This one just wasn't for me. The most exciting part was the recitation of the cast of characters in the very beginning, as it promised a super fun and bizarre journey through a certain period of history. But there just wasn't enough information to fill 8-10 hours of listening, and I found myself checking out mentally quite a bit. The research is impressive though.

This was a three-star/DNF title for me; I really wanted to like it, as the story seemed to be so interesting. But it felt like someone was just reading through court documents, and I got bored very quickly. Thank you for the opportunity to give this title a try!