Based on an historical true crime, the Manhattan Well Murder Case that took place in New York City in 1800, The Girl from Greenwich Street revisits the sensational murder of Elma Sands. Sands, a young woman from a modest background lived in a Quaker boardinghouse run by Catherine and Ezra Ring. When Levi Weeks a young carpenter who also lived at the boardinghouse is accused of her murder, his brother Ezra a successful contractor hires political rivals, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and his associate Brockholst Livingston to join forces in his defense. Blending meticulous historical detail with keen psychological insight, the author transforms court transcripts from the time into a vivid world of ambition, betrayal, and hidden motives. The prosecutor Cadwallader Colden who will go on to have a distinguished career in the law is portrayed as relatively simple lawyer who goes up against the eloquence of Hamilton and the calculations of Burr who needs the fees from the trial to restore his recent financial losses. All use the trial to advance their political motives. An additional rich element of the story is the exploration of Quaker characters Caty Ring who runs the boardinghouse and her sister Hope Sands who had developed a previous attachment to Levi Weeks. Hamilton, Burr, and Livingston are rendered with subtlety—ambitious, flawed and laying the groundwork for the famous duel that will end Hamilton’s life four years later. The book that was enjoyed on audio was a little slow to start but became more compelling as details from the trial emerged. Although no one was actually convicted of the murder of Elma Sands, The Girl from Greenwich Street suggests a possible suspect and resolves the question of justice by breathing life into history with a compelling and highly satisfactory conclusion.

I really enjoyed the mystery that surrounds Elma Sands disappearance. If you're a fan of Lauren Willig's books and/or Hamilton, I highly recommend The Girl from Greenwich Street. My adult kids are all fans of Hamilton on Broadway so I found myself wanting to sing some of the songs while reading this.

I read/listened to the audio and enjoyed Jane Oppenheimer's narration.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 4 March 2025

Great historical novel. Intriguing mystery premise and characters. Would recommend to others. Great at writing each scene.

This book has an interesting premise and the author clearly did her research for it! I had no idea about this murder trial until I read a review of the book.

Overall, the story moved a little too slowly for me and it was difficult to follow along with what was going on at times. Also - I understand the author was trying to capture the language used by people at the time, but I found the us of "thou" and "thy" to be distracting and take away from the story.

Fans of slower paced mysteries and historical fictions will likely enjoy this!

I really wanted to love The Girl from Greenwich Street, especially since I’ve been craving historical fiction outside of the over-abundant WWII era. I was excited to dive into a different time period, but unfortunately, the format of the book just didn’t work for me. The frequent back-and-forth between perspectives made it hard to stay engaged, and I struggled to keep track of whose story I was following—though that may have been a challenge of listening to the audiobook rather than reading a physical copy.

Surprisingly, I also didn’t love Jane Oppenheimer’s narration, even though I usually enjoy her work. That being said, I still think this book would be a great recommendation for historical fiction fans looking for a fresh setting and perspective. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

Thank you to Lauren Willig, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A very cool work of historical fiction based on the murder of a young woman in 1800. Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr didn't get along more times than not, but worked together on this real life murder case of The People versus Levi Weeks.
Just before Xmas, of 1799, Elma Weeks left her cousin's boarding house, saying she was meeting her intended. Her body was later discovered in the Manhattan well. Levi Weeks is quickly fingered as the perpetrator of the crime. His brother calls in a favor to Aaron Burr for this defense. However, Alexander Hamilton cannot let Burr take the credit for this defense. He inserts himself into the case, determined to save Levi and find the real murderer.
This was a super interesting work of historical fiction. I'd never heard of this case, nor was aware that Hamilton and Burr ever worked together after the Revolution. Very enjoyable read. As we all still seem to do, you'll be routing for Hamilton.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for this digital audio e-arc.*

I loved reading about a part of history you just don't hear about. Everyone knows the story of Burr and Hamilton but this murder mystery was a gem.