This exahustively researched, atmospheric novel had some interesting aspects but ultimately fell short for me. The murder mystery was interesting. But long chapters would reveal very few actual details. The writing is very dialog-heavy, which is not my preferred style. However, Willig manages to create a fabulous sense of place and time even among all the dialog. I didn't enjoy the drama between Hamilton and Burr, mainly because I didn't know much about them and felt there was very little background given to help the reader appreciate why they had a feud. I felt plopped in the middle of the conflict and never caught up. The ending was a bit frustrating. The lengthy author's note was more interesting than the novel, for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide feedback.

In New York City, in 1800, the body of Elma Sands was found in a well, leading to the accusation of a man named Levi Weeks. What makes this case infamous is that it was the first transcribed murder trial in the USA, and that Weeks was represented by none other than Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.

Lauren Willig has taken this historical true crime and crafted a very well-researched fictional account. Unfortunately, it is mainly written in a dialogue-driven style, which I do not enjoy. I do think that I would have enjoyed it more if it had been an audiobook, because the many sentences of dialogue are very much like lines in a script and with the narration of a good actor, this would have been much more compelling for me. I also think the sense of place needed to be expanded, and it would have been helpful with a map, a timeline of historical events and a list of the people.

Although this novel wasn’t a fit for me due to the writing style, those who do not mind a lot of dialogue may find the case fascinating and enjoy the true story dramatized in this book.

This is definitely a good choice for “Hamilton” fans! I only knew of the trial for the murder of Elma from the musical and this went into great detail of her family and the effects it had on everyone involved. The story was well written and had good characterization of Hamilton and Burr (at least as I know them). I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect, even if it didn’t include the two men.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Marrow for allowing me to read and review this!

The Girl from Greenwich Street was the perfect blend of historical fiction, true crime, thriller, and mystery. Lauren Willig makes history come to life!
Full Review to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. The opinions stated here are my own.
Willig brings to life an unsolved mystery from 1800 New York, where the lawyers on the defense are none other than Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. If you are obsessed with the musicial, you know which one, then you will enjoy this legal drama. Willig picks apart the case and imagines a new ending, which you know in the beginning, so you can sit back and enjoy the ride.
I thought the pacing was well done and the storyline intriguing enough for a book club or casual read. For me the chapters were a little long, as I like to read in the evening before bed and prefer short chapter bites. But that's me.
Every time they mention Hamiltons red hair I thought of Lin Manuel Miranda and chuckled at how my perceptions of Hamilton had changed with the musical, but Willig brings us back to the spirited redhead sparring with his nemesis Burr.
Enjoyable 4*

Thank you to Nethalley for the ARC.

You know that line in “Non-Stop” from Hamilton where Aaron Burr says our client Levi Weeks is not guilty and tells Hamilton to sit down? Well I think Laura Willig must have had an earworm and that line stuck with her because she has turned that trial in early 1800 into an engrossing historical mystery, bringing her engaging writing style and meticulous research to the early years of the American nation.

Elma Sands is our girl of Greenwich Street and, as the story opens in the boarding house of her Quaker cousin, Cathy, she is excited, she is planning her elopement to a man who will shower her with fine clothes and jewels. She never tells anyone who her secret suitor is, so when she is found dead in the Manhattan Well a few weeks after she disappears, the blame for her murder falls on Levi Weeks. Because of the attention that Levi, a boarder in Cathy’s house, had previously shown Elma, suspicion falls on him and he soon finds himself charged with her murder. His brother, Ezra, a wealthy builder, hires Aaron Burr and Brockhurst Livingston to defend Levi. But then Alexander Hamilton decides that he too is going to help, figuring that he should dig a little deeper, to not just get Levi Weeks acquitted but also fully cleared. He knows someone else killed Elma and he feels like he needs to find the real murder.

Willig is excellent at writing a scene that pulls the reader into the historical era of her novels. Her Pink Carnation series is one of my all time favorite historical series and I rank her books along with Caleb Carr’s The Alienist and the Cadfael series as historical mysteries that allow the reader to inhabit another time and place for a short period of time. At its heart, like The Alienist, The Girl From Greenwich Street, is the story of the people on the margins who don’t always make it into the history books and become just footnotes.

This book is coming out in early March and I predict that it will be a must-read of 2025. People are going to pick it up because of Burr and Hamilton but will leave with a real sense of the struggles for women in the early years of American history.

This very interesting and detailed story reads more like a true crime narrative than a work of historical fiction. I loved seeing the famous rivalry of Burr and Hamilton in action, and I am in awe of the author’s research.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Girl from Greenwich Street is a dramatization of the first murder trial of a young USA, back when our legal system was still developing, and our court processes were new. Levi Weeks is accused of murdering Elma Sands, a young woman who lives in the same boarding house with Levi, in NYC. His brother Ezra is a well-known as respected builder in the city and hires Aaron Burr and Henry Brockholst Livingston to defend Levi, and Alexander Hamilton, with an idea to persuade Ezra to help him build his future country home, inserts himself onto the defense team, even though he is already quite overloaded with work related to the development of the United States Army.
This book is very much a police procedural drama, as the author uses various points of view from both the defense and prosecution, as well as from Elma's cousins as bystanders in the process, as both sides work towards supporting their case before the eventual trial of Levi. I found the very process of investigation and then the trial to be intriguing, given the time period that the book is set in, with a very young USA, with a trial never taking more than a single day. I also found the perspectives of both Burr and Hamilton and how they worked together but also had conflicts to be interesting and clearly well researched. There is a lengthy author's note at the end of the book that is worthwhile to read as well. Overall, this was a fun and interesting twist on true crime, in a time period that I rarely read about.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

An interesting book of a true historical event. The trial to prove Levi's innocence and how the rivalry between two highly ambitious lawyers wanting to make a mark in politics, this book was a deviation from Willigs books I have read in the past. It was slightly slower paced, but still interesting especially given the historical context.

I really enjoyed reading this book and learning all about our country's first murder trial. It was so interesting to see how things started and how things are done now during a murder trial. I feel like this book sucks you into the mystery of the murder and the trial proceedings. So interesting to learn more about Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and how both were on the defense team of this murder trial even though they were rivals. . Some parts of the middle of the book became a little slow for my liking but overall, I really enjoyed it. I would recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction and true crime/mystery.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review

Willig's latest novel, The Girl from Greenwich Street, is a fictionalized account of Levi Week's trial in early 1800 for the murder of Elma Sands. I found the beginning chapters a slow go but sticking with the book turned out to be well worth it. The real-life trial found political enemies Alexander Hamilton and Aarron Burr collaborating as Mr. Week's co-counsel. Willig skillfully weaves dialogue taken from the actual trial transcripts with inferences drawn from the historical record -- and of course, some literary license, to tell a gripping story about the lead up to the trial, the trial itself and its aftermath.
While admittedly speculative, Willig's description of how the rivalry between Burr and Hamilton affected their approach to the trial was more than plausible. Made plausible too by her skillful writing and meticulous research (be sure to read her historical notes) are the theories about other suspects in Sands's murder. I recommend the book highly.

This is a hard one for me to review. I just couldn't stay engaged, it all felt pretty far fetched. I like the premise but I love to see known characters, especially historic ones, in unexpected situations but it seemed beyond belief and I ended up skimming most of the second half. Just not the right time for this one, I think.

An interesting story. It is based on true facts. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The mystery of Elma Sands. I found it good.

Base on true events of the Manhattan Well Murder trial, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, fight fto keep an innocent man from the gallows. This story will pull at your heart and keep you turning the pages. If you are a fan of historical fiction and love a good mystery this a perfect read for you!

The Girl from Greenwich Street by Lauren Willig weaves a perfect story of historical fiction with characters I grew to love.
It was interesting following the legal and courtroom pieces of this story. They way they did things back then was so crazy.
The story follows the murder of Elma Sands. Her body was found at the bottom of a well which became known as the Manhattan Well murder.
Elma was in love and was to marry Levi Weeks. Then Levi becomes the suspect in her murder and the story relates to the last few days leading up to the murder.
I was intrigued learning Alexander Hamilton joined the defense team along with Aaron Burr. They were joined in defending Levi Weeks but personally working to undermine each other in politics. Would they succeed to uncover the truth and charge the killer or possibly just end in mystery? This book was so entertaining. The Author's Note was fascinating.
Thank you to the author for this story and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is such a departure from what I e pe Ted from this author. Willig has set this in NYC and filled it with characters out history. The plot revolves around the disappearance of a young woman, Elma Sands. Not only is this novel about the supposed killer of Elma, but the historic rivalry between Hamilton and Burr.

For those of us who are fascinated by the rivalry of these men, this book certainly is very interesting. The author does an excellent job with the setting of the novel. I certainly congratulate the accuracy and details of her portrayal of NYC in the post-revolution world.

Thank you Netgalley for this novel about Hamilton and Burr surrounded by a murder case and 1800 NYC.

On the chilly evening of December 22, 1799, a young woman named Elma Sands, wearing her best calico dress, slipped out of her Quaker cousin’s boarding house on Greenwich Street, ostensibly to elope with her lover (as she told her cousin, Hope). Eleven days later, Elma’s body was found floating in the Manhattan Well, and Elma’s family accused Levi Weeks, a young carpenter and a fellow boarder, of killing her. The subsequent trial, which featured the powerhouse defense team of political rivals Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, became the first sensationalized murder trial in American history; it was also the first U.S. trial for which there is a recorded transcript. Willig (The Pink Carnation series) draws on this transcript to bring the historical personalities involved brilliantly to life in all their human complexity. Especially fascinating are her depictions of Hamilton and Burr and their contrasting legal strategies. The impulsive, idealistic Hamilton wants to identify the true killer; the Machiavellian Burr is only interested in exonerating his client (even if he might be guilty). In her closely observed details, Willig also vividly recreates a growing New York City in a newly independent America. With an epilogue that reveals what happened to the principal characters after the trial and a historical note that details the author’s research, this compelling novel will appeal to true crime fans, aficionados of legal thrillers, and readers of historical mysteries. [Fun fact: The notorious Manhattan Well still exists at 129 Spring Street in lower Manhattan.]

When Elma Sands is found murdered at the bottom of a well, it is Alexander Hamilton who decides he must defend the accused, Levi Weeks. He will need to find a way to work with his rival, Aaron Burr, if he wants to help his political career and, at the same time, he hopes to outshine Burr to take him down a notch.

There was much research involved in the writing of this novel and it shows in the Puritan way of speaking and the atmospheric feel of those early times. This is based on a true story and it’s one that not many of us have heard about. It is beautifully written and very compelling. I highly recommend this to historical fiction readers. Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

e-ARC from Netgally- all opinions are my own

As a longtime fan of Lauren Willig's books, I was very excited to get an ARC from Netgalley for her latest novel- a murder mystery! A break from her typical stories, The Girl from Greenwich Street covers the first murder case of young America, with Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and Brockholst Livingston defending the man accused of murdering his girlfriend.

As I am also a huge fam of the musical Hamilton, it was so much fun to see Hamilton and Burr together on a case (years after the events of the Revolutionary War) and how different they were not only in politics, but in their approach to the legal system. Lauren Willig did a fantastic job of showing how Burr thought about Hamilton's approach, demeanor, etc- things I wouldn't have learned in school.

The books ends with an unknown, as there never was conclusive evidence against anyone for committing the murder. Lauren explains her theory as to what happened, as well as adding an endnote explaining how her story differs (only very slightly) from history. I can't imagine reading such old transcripts of a court case, diaries, and so many other primary sources in order to have enough background for this book! Bravo!

Just before Christmas in 1789, Elma Sands walked out of her cousin's boarding house in New York City, and was not seen again. Her cousins thought she was leaving to marry Levi Weeks, a carpenter who boarded there. But, Levi showed up that night, asking about Elma. It wasn't until January that Elma's body was found in the Manhattan Well. Handbills circulated and a mob called for the arrest of Levi Weeks, accusing him of killing Elma Sands. After his arrest, Levi's influential and wealthy brother, Ezra, hired Aaron Burr and another prominent New York attorney to defend Levi. But, politics and jealousy wouldn't allow Alexander Hamilton to stay out of the trial. He insisted on serving as part of the defense. In the sensational two day trial, Hamilton and Burr compete for the public's attention while attempting to save Levi Weeks' life.

Real life personalities bring this story to life in a riveting account of the first murder trial in the U.S. in which there is a recorded transcript. The author of the "Pink Carnation" series leans on that transcript for the trial testimony in a gripping story that will appeal to true crime buffs, those interested in Hamilton and Burr, and historical mystery fans.