Lizzie

by Evan Hunter

The fascinating novel of a passionate woman, freed of history and legend but trapped by a shocking secret, and the final uncompromising act of a murderous heart.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, True Crime, Crime, Historical, Mystery, Adult

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Better known by his pseudonym Ed McBain.

Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952. While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of Lizzie Borden's trial and her life, penned by Evan Hunter, who is better known by his nom de plume Ed McBain of the Precinct 87th series. In the early 20th century, probably everyone was familiar with this infamous poem:

Lizzie Borden took an Ax,
And gave her mother forty whacks,
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.

Background. On August 4th, 1892, in Fall River, Mass, Lizzie's parents (her father and step-mother) were found slain in their house. Lizzie and the live-in maid 'Maggie' were on the premises, but claimed to have not heard a thing. A few days later, the government charged Lizzie with the deed and her trial took place the following year, where she was acquitted.

Now, the story. Hunter/McBain oscillates the story between Lizzie's inquest and trial and her journey to Europe in 1890 (e.g., two years before the deaths). The tale starts in England, where Lizzie and three girlfriends arrive after a rough journey. Lizzie, in her young 30s, and her companions, a little younger, are all single and most work in their local church in one capacity or another. The journey is their big adventure! On the train to London, they meet a married couple who have a residence in London, and a friendship forms. Albert and Alison are pretty well to do, thanks to Albert's dealings in finance. Alison and Lizzie really hit it off, even as Lizzie is frequently shocked by Alison's 'modern' ways and talk. Scandalous!

Flashback to Fall River. Hunter states in the afterword that the proceeds of the inquest and trial were directly taken from transcripts, although pared down, as the transcripts run over 1000 pages. The detail of the courtroom drama may be a bit much for some, but I appreciated the detail, along with Hunter's characterization of Lizzie, as the trial is told from her perspective. Hunter, however, keeps flashing back to Lizzie's adventures in Europe along the way...

All kinds of rumors surrounded Lizzie, during her trial and afterwards. The one that Hunter runs with concerns Lizzie's sexuality, and (mild spoiler) how she discovered her lesbian side with Alison in Europe. Lizzie's travels in Europe, however, are completely fictional, as Hunter notes in the afterword. The denouement takes place after the trial when Hunter gives us a fictional 'recap' of what actually happened on the fatal day of August 4th. Perhaps a bit laborious, but worth a read if you are interested in Lizzie or are a fan of McBain. 3.5 axes, rounded up!

[Adrik Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more memorable pulp fictions I read as a teenager and a great introduction to the legendary Lizzie Borden.

[Kirstie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, but it's just my opinion...
Very disappointed to be honest. Around one third of the book was interesting, maybe a bit less than that, but the remainder was either boring, written a tad poorly, or just simply annoying. I pushed through this because it was the story of Lizzie Borden and I couldn't just quit it, but I'm just glad this wasn't a book I spent money on. I definitely am sad about this book. The last 50 pages or so was the only reason I am giving this a 2/5 and not 1/5. The story and direction the author chose just didn't work for me. I recently read See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt and personally preferred that story of Lizzie much much more than this one. Just my opinion.


SPOILERS:
The rumor of Lizzie being a lesbian is something I was already aware of. While I have no problem with lesbians or these relationships being written about, I just didn't like that this was the basis of why Lizzie committed the murders in this story.

[Dollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. It was such an interesting read. When I was growing up, Lizzie Borden was really infamous for doing her axe thing. Teenagers these days (2001) may not even know who Lizzie Borden was. Well, probably the teenagers in Fall River, MA, do. Although she was acquitted of the crimes of murdering her stepmother and father, no one ever knew for sure whether or not she really did it. I thought the writing about the forensics in 1892 very interesting. I was also glad that the author stuck to the actual events of the trial. Though we’ll never know what really happened, Hunter gives us a story to think about, coming to the conclusion that Lizzie was a lesbian caught in the arms of her lover by the stepmother, who would tell the father, so she had to be killed. The father came home, found his wife and figured out that Lizzie had done it, therefore he had to be killed also. Were either of them really killed with an axe? Perhaps the father. Hunter speculates that the stepmother was killed with a large, heavy candlestick holder. I found this to be very interesting reading.

[Lynn M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times it felt like the author was trying to fit his research of the era into his narrative by including every small detail, however irrelevant.

[Lisa Marie Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to rate for me. To be honest, I find it a curate’s egg of a book, it was good in parts! The author, Evan Hunter/Ed McBain, is highly successful to this day and has a large and vocal following. From the books I have read, as a casual reader, he seems to be a bit of a slow burn writer. The real action happens at breakneck speed over the final few pages after a lot of hard work on the reader’s part. If you like a fast, simple read, this will not be your idea of a good book. Also, I have to say that a fictional conclusion that was exciting, mind-blowing but acceptable in the early 1980s is probably going to leave a bit of a bad taste in highly liberated 2021, not least if you are gay. The world is just a different place now from when Mr Hunter crafted his novel, and I would imagine the morals of the 1890s will be totally incomprehensible to young readers today as they seem to struggle even with the oppressive reality of the 1970s.

On the plus side, it is extremely well-researched but presented in a way that remains readable. To condense 1930 pages of typed trial transcripts down to approximately 220 pages of a novel took some doing and it was, by and large, engaging to read. Chapters alternate between 1890 and 1892 with some co-mingling towards the end. This makes the reader work hard to make sense of the time frame.

The first chapter was nearly a book killer for me; it was so dry and detailed it was hard to tell what was going on or why it was relevant. As time went on, I began to see the relevance of this. Lizzie’s character is developed through her relationship with Alison; it’s fictional I might add but adds an element of romance that makes Lizzie seem more real. The reality of being in the closet is something that seems unbelievable to many, but not all, modern kids; it nearly costs Lizzie her life as comments she makes are misconstrued because she cannot explain her feelings openly.

(SPOILER ALERT)

The ending is dynamite. The church mouse who becomes a woman in Europe is labelled a monster and then loses it to become a real monster. This is a little unfair on Lizzie, who may have been innocent all along and let’s be frank about this, the murderous lesbian has become an annoying trope in recent years. Having said that, it provides a credible motive for why she could have killed her parents. A good read if long complicated reads that are well rooted in history are your thing.

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if I really appreciated this book. I was told it was the best fictional work written about Lizzie Borden that's out there. What I got was a rather boring account of the trial (which in and of itself was interesting only because I knew most of it was fact). But the author throws in an entirely fictional althernating story that explains why, although not very well, Lizzie would kill her mother and father. I have nothing against lesbianism, and there have been facts that back up Lizzies lesbianism, but there has never been any proof, and I really didn't appreciate that the writer assumes that Lizzie felt she had to kill these people to hide her sexuality. I guess I'm a purist, and I can understand where the author is trying to work an exciting conspiracy into the story that so many speculate about. I just didn't think it was the right story line to go with.

[Helen Azar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Ed McBain/Evan Hunter, so when I came across this gem, it was right after I visited the Lizzie Borden house/museum in Fall River, MA and was hungry for more. I couldn't wait to read it. And I was not disappointed! Hunter's version of the Lizzie Borden story is chilling and is a page turner. I believe the book was out of print for a while but is now easier to get. If you like true crime mysteries, this one is for you!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent fictionalization of the story of Lizzie Borden and the Falls River killings. Based upon research, contains one explanation of the events. Shows a psychological basis for the events. True to his reputation, Evan Hunter (better known by his pseudonym Ed McBain) has produced a very readable and satisfying book.

[Laurab · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is a combination of the trial, taken from transcripts, and a fictional story of what may have been happening in her life that led to the murders. The characters are well developed and remain true to self throughout the book. The parts about the trial get slow going, occasionally, but it is broken up with the story of her relationship with friends, family and travel in just the right places to pull the reader along.

[Bruce Marr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evan Hunter combines actual trial testimony from the Lizzie Borden murder trial in the late 1800s with an imagined earlier trip by Lizzie to Europe, to weave an "alternative" history explaining the axe murders. Worth the trip!

[Liz Moffett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it- which is rare for me. The court room chapters were so tedious and difficult to read. I finally just skipped to the end to read the part where she killed her parents. I only paid $.25 for it at a used book sale. Sometimes you get what you pay for ;0)

[Alli Saleh · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 50%
I kept waiting for it to pick up, but it just kept going on and on with the darn trial and Her time with Alison. And the descriptions of people and places...I just stopped caring.

[Jess | dapper.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Lizzie Borden story. It’s really one of those cases that’ll get your brain working. So here we have an historical fiction version of the Lizzie Borden story and I was all in!

Now this is a dual timeline and I’ll be upfront about this - not a fan. For me, it didn’t add much to the story but it did make the story drag on. I much preferred the chapters that surrounded the murder of her parents and the trial rather than the other chapters that took place before. The before chapters just didn’t hold my attention and I found myself dreading them. However, I flew through the chapters regarding the case! They were incredibly interesting.

While I say the dual timeline didn’t add much to the story, I do understand why it was there and that was necessary, but I believe it would have been better if it had been done differently. Again - that’s just my opinion.

All in all I have a lot of opinions about this book. It was good but not great. Slower paced than I would have like as well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Terri Weitze · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay. This was an interesting concept - taking a lot of the content from the inquest and trial transcripts and reports. Hunter recreates much of the actual trial. He also creates a fictionalized trip to Europe (the trip happened in real life, but what happened there is unknown). And then, of course, the usual, rationalized explanation for what really happened that fateful day. I found the whole book a slog - which is too bad since it is a topic that I find interesting. (Spoilers coming - don't read further if you care.) It seems likely, from the proof offered in the afterword, that Lizzie Bordon was a lesbian. Okay. But the idea that the whole thing was the result of her being a jilted lesbian on her period, I find extremely offensive. Yes, women can get cranky on their periods, but as a rule, they do not kill family members as a result. Just saying.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the structure confusing. Chapters alternated between a recounting of the trial and Lizzie’s European adventure.

The trial chapters use multiple first person narrators, which gets REALLY confusing—especially because this POV is inconsistent.

The travel chapters are better, but I think that was because they had a traditional third-person limited narration that focuses on Lizzie’s travels. They had an arc that was easier to follow.

I read this because I’m a true crime fan who has had an interest in this case for a long time. I’m glad I read this book, but I’m not sure I’d recommend this to anyone else.

*Review as written on a mobile device while lying in bed about to go to sleep. Tops are my fault, but I think they’re understandable under the circumstances.

[L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story alternates between two different years. In 1890 Lizzie Borden goes on a trip to Europe where she meets some people. There is sightseeing and chitchat and more sightseeing and more chitchat. Oh, something does eventually happen but by that time it's too late, I don't care. The other timeline is a few years later and covers Lizzie's trial for the murders of her father and stepmother. The author uses actual transcripts from the trial which turns out to be nothing but pages and pages of "Yes," "No," and "I don't know." Not exactly riveting stuff. I don't understand Evan Hunter's choices. He's got a real-life mystery to work with and does nothing with it. I want to pick up an axe and give this book forty whacks.

[Bonnie Owen · Rating 1 out of 5]

So this is a fictionalized story about Lizzie Borden's European vacation, and affair with an English women, leading up to the murders of her father and step-father two years later. Every other chapter has factual information about the inquest and trial that even led to Lizzie Borden being found "not guilty". I found this book utterly boring. I didn't care for the author's writing style nor his fictionalized version of Lizzie Borden. The only spark of interest this book gave me was in the last 60 pages. Too bad I had to drudge through over 400 pages to get there. The author tends to spend a enormous amount of time narrating a situation without anything actually really happening.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very tedious.

The courtroom scenes were just dull and complicated. I appreciate that the author is trying to bring in the courtroom transcripts to keep it as real as possible, but I think there is a reason people don’t typically read courtroom transcripts. I found it repetitive and obnoxious.

The European trip storyline was an interesting theory, but I think the lesbian theory is a little weak compared to some of the others that are out there.

Meh, I finished it, but I don’t think I’d recommend it to anyone else.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like this book at all. Having read a lot about this case, this lesbian theory just didn't work for me. Don't know why the author felt the fabricated trip to Europe was necessary. At the end of the trial, the author went into what "really" happened, and it seemed like he was done writing this book and wanted to be done with it - rushing through a crazy ending. Will not recommend this one.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember it's a story

This take on the Lizzie Borden tale was a bit hard for me to get into, but I do think the main issue is my historical take of the story. While the court was written from history the other was fiction. A new take on the how and why and even who that leaves me thinking about the historical event as well as the book. Any book that makes you truly grow and think is a three star read even if I'm not sure I could say I liked it.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know....this one was well written to a great extent but speculating about her private life and why she killed her parents when you're directly quoting the trial just seemed like such an invasion of privacy. And no one is more surprised about that than I am. I still remember Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha on Bewitched) playing Lizzie Borden. That was pretty surprising too.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the author used some of the common plot points that I don't find plausible in the true story, I really appreciated the fact that so much of what he included in the 1892 chapters was factual information down to quotes in many cases. Very well-researched. In the end, it was a nice mix of fact and fiction.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked parts of this book, but I didn't care for other parts. I enjoyed the historical detail about Lizzie Borden's trial, but the completely fictitious parts of her trip to Europe didn't mesh well with the rest of the story.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing book. As a fictional tale it was okay, but I don't understand why the author felt the need to insert the fictional trip to Europe. The lesbian slant really threw me off course for a while too. Both items distracted from the story. I wouldn't really recommend this book

[Thom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read, even as historical fiction. Lizzie did not kill her father or stepmother, but nevertheless Hunter weaves a well-written and highly entertaining tale with many interesting facts woven into the narrative. I read this back in 1984 and can recall nearly all of it; not always the case.

[John Stisk · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very strange book. After reading the first chapter I skipped all the fictitious holiday and just read the trial,which was quite interesting but I felt could have been commented on better. Glad I read what I did.

[Stella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was published in 1985. It would explain the pulpy feel and execution.

[Lyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very rough read.

[Steve Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a slow start with a lot of trial material, Hunter delivers at the end when he reimagined the murders and their motivation in an intriguing and interesting way.