A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight

by Victoria Lincoln

Lizzie Borden is an American Legend:the lady with the axe. She is a sane, civilized woman accused of a madman's crime. The case has always held its honest students spellbound, because the factual evidence of her sole opportunity and her guilt is so overwhelming, yet the bare idea of her guilt is so humanly incredible, so absurd. The author knew Lizzie Borde, grew up with her in the same provincial mill town and belonged to the same stratum of highly stratified society. She shows Lizzie, not as a legend but as a real person.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Biography, Mystery, 19th Century

317 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

VICTORIA LINCOLN was born in 1904 in Fall River, Massachusetts, where she lived until she graduated from the B.M.C. Durfee public high school in 1922.

She majored in English at Radcliffe College, married the scion of a well-to-do Southern family, divorced, and later married Victor Lowe, a professor of philosophy whose primary interest was in the work of Alfred North Whitehead. They settled in Baltimore, Maryland. She had one child from her first marriage and two from her second.

Miss Lincoln wrote many essays and short stories for women’s magazines and several novels including February Hill (an early success in 1934) and Charles (1962) about Charles Dickens.

After many years of wanting to write about Lizzie Borden, and despite advice that the market for books on Lizzie was saturated, she decided that her unique perspective on the murders deserved a hearing. A PRIVATE DISGRACE received an Edgar as the best non-fiction crime book of 1967 from the Mystery Writers of America.

In 1981 Miss Lincoln died in her home in Baltimore. She was 76.

Reviews

[Liz Amend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to get your feet wet with the Borden mystery!

Ms.Lincoln would have us believe she knew Lizzie much more personally than she actually did and that she lived much closer to her when Lizzie moved into Maplecroft after the murders. In fact, she lived several houses away and was a child during her few encounters with Lizzie. I do believe she had some useful insight into the townspeople, their thoughts on the crimes and how Lizzie was regarded in the town. She certainly grew up hearing the talk and the tales from neighbors and family. When the author gives what she feels are personal insights into the thoughts, actions or habits of Lizzie, she does sound very convincing, as if she or her family were close friends. This may cause you to feel you know exactly what must have happened, so mystery solved! I would suggest you read one or two more books on Lizzie, and you will see how varied the authors views are. If you are still intrigued, as I have been so many years, get a hold of the inquest testimony, and you will be thoroughly confused but totally inspired to try to figure out just what happened that day!

Ms. Lincoln's research into the case is impeccable. As most authors have done when writing about this case, some facts are invariably omitted. What one author finds unimportant is the very thing another author finds the whole mystery hinges upon.

Ms. Lincoln does an excellent job presenting most of what she, I am sure, felt was the most important facts. She wove in her own thoughts about the case, with a bit of humor, along with insights that she, being from Fall River and of the time period would be particularly able to provide. I have read this book several times, she gives you much to ponder.

The only theory the author presented that I found fault with was her wild idea that Lizzie committed the first murder, (her stepmother) whilst having and epileptic seizure. She offers no medical proof that Lizzie suffered from such seizures or that someone could commit and then try to conceal a murder during one. In my humble opinion, it is more likely that Lizzie killed Abbey in a fit of rage, which accounts for the viciousness of the wounds, any one of which could have been enough to kill her, as the medical evidence shows. Her father's wounds were fewer and showed a bit of hesitancy. Perhaps, as Ms. Lincoln suggests, Lizzie *had* to kill her father, knowing he would simply know it must have been she who killed poor Abby, and no one else. Lizzie, contemplating facing her father, whom I believe she loved, just couldn't bear the thought of him looking at her and knowing the monstrous thing she had done and the monster she had become.

Ms. Lincoln's theory on the mystery of Abby's note that morning is very interesting. Some of the player's appearances and actions had previously seemed trivial and unimportant, until I considered her theory of the secret transaction with the farm in Swansea. I am not sold on her theory, but it is food for thought. Often, a very clever theory is smashed to bits by one very strong fact, overlooked in our admiration of said clever theory!

But this is all up for you to decide! That is the fun and challenge of an unsolved mystery, isn't it? Lizzie was acquitted after all, a jury of 12 men felt that they were not presented with the evidence they considered enough to convict her. If you consider yourself an amateur sleuth or Lizzie buff, like me, there is a wealth of information to examine and consider: the inquest testimony, the court transcripts and newspaper accounts. Use this book as only part of your tools towards solving the case!

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Lincoln wrote A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight in 1967. As a native of Fall River, Massachutes, Lizzie's hometown and scene of the horrific 1893 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden, she grew up fascinated by Lizzie's story. Her research was slow and inhibited by Fall River's ongoing shame at it's grisly notoriety. Over one hundred years later public opinion is still divided over Ms
Borden's guilt or innocence.

As Miss Lincoln hails from Fall River, she does offer unique insight into the psyche of Fall River and it's residents, thus also giving the reader a glimpse into the mindset of Andrew, Lizzie and Emma Borden. Fall River in the 1890's was a textile town whose distinctions in class were still sharply divided into the "haves" and "have nots", where Irish immigrants were third class citizens at best and the town was divided by old money and the citizens who worked for them.

Andrew Borden was a self made man who began his climb to fortune as a second rate undertaker, parlaying his earnings into a slum lord, property owner and banker. At the time of his death his net worth was close to half a million 1893 dollars.

His first marriage to Alice Morse ended with her death when Lizzie was 2 and Emma 12. A third daughter, Alice (born when Emma was 5) did not survive past her 2nd birthday.

Whether because he felt his daughters' needed a mother, he married the hapless Abby several years after Alice death. Abby had a predilection to overrating and what would now be considered agoraphobia. Consequently, she was not well known in Fall River. From the start Emma and Lizzie resented her and their relationship was not close. However, their hatred for poor Abby did not start until much later when a seemingly benign real estate transfer whereby he purchased Abby's mother small house and titled it to Abby, did the sisters explode. Even Andrew's subsequent purchase of a home (used for rental income) for Lizzie and Emma to split did not appease the sisters.

Needless to say, the Borden home was a house divided with Andrew and Abby vs the spinster sisters. It should be noted that while a miser himself, Andrew was extremely generous with both his daughters.

Regardless tensions in the home on 2nd Street ran deep. At the same time, Lizzie suffered from a form of epilepsy usually around the time of her menstrual periods. Great pains were taken by Andrew and Emma to keep Lizzie calm, happy, but Lincoln stresses Lizzie's epilepsy and "brownouts" in the book.

Lincoln delved thru long lost court and inquest testimony and transcripts. While the book can be tedious and repetitive, ultimately Lincoln's conclusions are well thought out and she reconstructs a plausible explanation as to how the murders of August 4, 1893 were commited in broad daylight and an even more sensible explanation as to why Miss Borden got away with a double homicide.

[Christiane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a lot of books on Lizzie Borden but had somehow missed this one, written in 1967 by a woman who grew up in Fall River, practically next door to Lizzie. She has some interesting theories and the book is very well-researched and well-written. I like that she wastes no time trying to prove Lizzie innocent; her theory as to why Lizzie did it is very believable, and her coverage of the trial makes it clear how (and why) Lizzie literally got away with murder. A very good read even for people who aren’t fascinated by Lizzie Borden.

[Katherine Addison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victoria Lincoln, like Arnold Brown (Lizzie Borden: The Legend, the Truth, the Final Chapter), was a native of Fall River. More than that, she lived a block away from Lizzie Borden as a child and thus remembers both her and the society that created her. You don't have to agree with Lincoln to find her insights into Fall River's tightly closed upper class community--and its effects on Lizzie Borden--illuminating.

There are odd points at which Brown and Lincoln agree; for instance, they both argue that the judges at Lizzie's trial were horrendously biased. But whereas Brown has this terribly complicated conspiracy theory about how Lizzie was being tried and acquitted to hide the real murderer, Lincoln's theory is much simpler and more plausible: Lizzie's money hired as her defense lawyer an ex-Massachusetts governor who, as it happened, had appointed to the bench the judge who ran the trial. Robinson wanted to win the case, and Judge Dewey was cooperating to the hilt. Lincoln also makes it clear that once the judges disallowed Lizzie's damningly self-contradicting inquest testimony (and the equally damning testimony of the pharmacist who refused to sell her prussic acid), the prosecution's case pretty much fell apart.

Lincoln's theory of Lizzie's guilt is far more persuasive than Brown's theory of her innocence. Lincoln puts the pieces together--including outlying pieces like Lizzie's recurrent kleptomania--into a picture that makes sad and dreadful sense. She may or may not be right (I have no idea if her understanding of temporal lobe epilepsy is still valid or if it's been disproven), but she has made a really excellent effort.

[Kyrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

That was a long slog for very little information. The book was promoted to me as a wonderful insight into Lizzie Borden and the murders because the author grew up near Lizzie. She talks about knowing Lizzie as a child because they were neighbors. I should have done more checking before grabbing the book.

While Lincoln may have had some insight into Fall River, it's an insight into a town at least 12 years past the murders, and by the time Lincoln was old enough to grasp things, it was even older. When I read that Lincoln thought Lizzie was her next door neighbor and only much later in life realized Lizzie lived further away, I really began to doubt her abilities to give a new look at the whole situation.

I'm sure Lincoln understood Fall River better than an outsider, but just living there didn't mean she could solve all the problems just by using her little grey cells like Hercule Poirot. The conglomeration of her hypotheses about migraine related epilepsy, men's lack of understanding of women's dress habits, and other things just grated on me. It was like Tom Cruise's claims that only Scientologists really know things.

The writing style was difficult for me to enjoy. There was just enough promise of things getting better to keep me plowing slowly through the book, and not enough to make me feel it was worthwhile when I did.

[Jill Crosby · Rating 2 out of 5]

So. Much. Info. Repeated. So. Many. Times.

Here's the gist:

"Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And, suffering an epileptic attack,
Her step-mother's head received some whacks,
I'm not even making this up.

And when she saw what she had done
She cleaned her axe and waited some
Till her beloved dad appeared
And she hacked him to death so he wouldn't be disappointed in her. I'm not even making this up."

[Merja Pohjola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I take all biographies with a grain of salt... and this includes stories of true murder.
This book has the advantage that the author lived at the time the murders happened, and not only that, she lived in the same city and "knew" Lizzie.
However, the forensics being what they were at the time, she is not able to present conclusive evidence... and should that be the case, Lizzie would have been found guilty :-)
Another thing... medicine was in its infant shoes too. I have NEVER heard of full frontal epilepsy (?) that especially during a woman's period can cause them to go mad... I get just as mad as the worst of them during my PMS (LOL) but you definitely won't see me roaming around with a hatchet ;) Although I don't suffer from any form of epilepsy... but still, if this condition was a medical fact, the streets would be full of bloody women waiving axes... reminds me of "the walking dead" somehow...lol... anyway, I am not a detective, I am not a medical expert, and I did not know the Bordens. I just find this case fascinating just like Jack the Ripper... dunno if that makes me crazy or human? I detest "modern" murders, there are just too many and terrible, but I guess what fascinates me is the mystery and how people try to find out the truth decades, a hundred years after it all took place. Of course this book was written by someone who lived through it all - and there's another plus. It is interesting to read how people lived in general during those times... nothing to do with the murder, but plain history, which I am interested in. How the common people lived...
Reread exactly 5 years later.

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a young girl, I checked a book on Lizzie Borden out of our hometown library. I vividly remember the smell of the book, mustiness and old library glue, because it somehow transported me to an old house in the late 1890's. I can't remember the title, or it's reasoning but I came away from the reading convinced that she was innocent. After reading A Private Disgrace, I've had to amend that belief. Ms. Lincoln presents facts of the investigation and trial using police & legal sources which make it hard to see how anyone other than Lizzie was guilty. Unfortunately, Ms. Lincoln also introduces her theories and then treats them as unassailable fact alongside the police reports & court transcripts. I've read somewhere that Ms. Lincoln's theory that Lizzie had a form of epilepsy has since been disproved but I don't know the details. Her theory as to the incident that precipitated the murders seems obvious when presented as Ms. Lincoln does, but it was never discovered by contemporaries, or in later years. Also, Ms. Lincoln makes much of being a part of that level of society that the Borden's lived in, as well as growing up down the block from Lizzie in her later years. She relies heavily on insider innuendo and lots of "we knew the family so we know the truth," to the point where it obscures facts with winking knowledge. While she starts the book stating that she escaped from that stultifying, rigid society, the tone of her narrative shows that she still considers herself a part of that superior class and it quickly becomes annoying.

[Martha Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victoria Lincoln was a young girl in Fall River, MA, and knew Lizzie Borden. There are a lot of interesting details here, but Lincoln's writing style rambles a bit too much. She also tries, and fails, to lend an air of clever yet profound insight to some of her passages that was irksome.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 2 out of 5]

To me, reading in 2019, this book is more a curiosity than anything. I can see how, when it came out in the 1960s, it must have gotten some readers interested in the Borden case. And yes, it is worthwhile to have a book written by a woman who knows local customs because she lived in Fall River and knew the Bordens personally. But I still think this book must have been more revealing when it first appeared than it is today. Most of the useful insights she has are now standard among Borden scholars.

She wrote this book, she claims, because you need an insider’s perspective, a local’s perspective, to understand what happened. And I agree, it is useful to know things like why naming a house (Lizzie named her post-trial house “Maplecroft”) was seen as pretentious. Why the family would have searched down the Protestant Yankee doctor rather than the Catholic doctor. And why locals said they were going “down street” rather than “downtown.” Things like that ARE useful, but they are also well-accepted today.

Where Lincoln falls, for me, is that she is highly — and annoyingly — judgmental about so many things. Lizzie, she claims over and over and over, was dull and boring, incapable of lying (huh?), and plodding. Abby, she claims over and over and over, was fat and crippled (at 5 feet tall and 200 pounds, Abby was obese, and while that might have been unusual in 1892, in today’s world of processed food and widespread obesity, it’s hard to conceive of a woman that size being incapable of leaving the house). Her constant harping on Abby’s fatness (Abby never walks anywhere, she “waddles” or “plods”) gets annoying quickly. As does Lincoln’s sexist insistence that ALL women are fastidiously interested in clothing and that ALL men pay zero attention to them (it’s understandable that she had such a gender stereotype given the norms of the day, but still, from today’s perspective it’s hard to believe).

Worse than that, her theories often strain credulity. The idea that Lizzie might have hidden a blood-stained dress simply by hanging an unstained, fancy heavy dress over it seems only barely plausible. Her primary theory — that Lizzie killed Abby in an menstruation-induced epileptic blackout (a blackout that apparently occurred with clockwork regularity every three months) is hard to believe. It has also been debunked by medical scholars. Hormones and menstruation can be linked to epilepsy, but there has never been a case, as far as I’ve been able to discern, of a person committing violent crimes while in such a state. The fact that no other Borden historian has agreed with Lincoln on this is a strong indication of its unlikeliness.

But perhaps the thing that makes this book lose credibility the most for me is that she often asserts contested ideas as facts — or gets facts just plain wrong. She brings up the weather over and over — constantly stressing that it was really hot that day, sweltering. Borden scholars, using Fall River newspaper accounts of the day, show that it was actually rather mild, in the 70s or maybe just the very low 80s — pleasantly warm, not a heat wave. Bridget putting on a hat and shawl to go fetch Alice Russell might have been partly because of the weather and not, as Lincoln says, because Bridget had some Irish fastidiousness about propriety despite sweltering heat. Lincoln also says that Lizzie used the nickname “Maggie” for the maid Bridget as a sign of cozy friendship, while others says the Bordens were so oblivious they never bothered to lose Bridget’s name and called her by the name of their previous maid. Who does one believe?

I can see why this book added some useful thoughts to the scholarship on the Borden murders — and why it might have inspired some people to get interested in the case — but in 2019, it feels more like a Borden curiosity than an essential text.

[Katy Koivastik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is chilling in so many ways. The author’s parents were part of “Lisbeth” (as Lizzie chose to be called after her acquittal) Borden’s social circle, as they were neighbors; the author herself knew Lizzie/Lisbeth when the author was a child.

Because Victoria Lincoln grew up in Fall River she is familiar with the social mores of Lizzie’s time and place and this knowledge serves her writing well. Her prose is a bit flowery, but this is offset by the vast amount of information conveyed by an “insider” and dogged researcher.

I found this book fascinating, both for its rich detail and for Ms. Lincoln’s psychological portrait of a woman so many have heard of, but who few knew personally. I found this passage, about Lizzie after her acquittal, especially interesting: “I knew something of her limitations and of her small town ambitions—which before and after that brief glory were always unfulfilled; I know something of her temperament, lost in fantasy and at the same time strangely deficient in imagination, blind to the real world of people and still so terribly anxious for its acceptance—so self-defeatingly anxious. Those who knew her best and spoke of these limitations, ambitions, mechanisms of self-defeat have often seemed to be describing themselves—and my own early girlhood—when they spoke of her.”

[Uriah Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this point it's easy to think that there is little that could be added to the Borden case, but this book does manage to put a few ideas out that might not have been gone over multiple times. The author brings up some points, particularly regarding women's fashions of the day, that cast the case in a somewhat new light. As the case was entirely investigated and decided by men, due to the era in which the murders occurred, it is entirely believable that these men were ignorant of the finer points of women's clothing.

Unfortunately, the other major addition to the case that the author puts forth is not as believable, and smacks of a poor understanding of the condition in question.

If you're interested in the Lizzie Borden case, give this a read for the evidence details and possible missed clues in the case, but prepare your eyes for rolling when the author explains her pet explanation.

[M.J.Rixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but a slog of a read

Not the first book I've read on the subject but certainly the must convoluted. Her rambling and disjointed sentence structure makes the reader struggle harder than one should.
Perhaps she thought her degree from Radcliffe should exempt her work from the gross hands of an editor.

Also glaringly obvious was her distaste for fat people or perhaps for Abby Borden herself. Repeated use of the term "waddled," among other disparaging and needless references to the murdered woman's size, are intrusive, calling more attention to the author than to her subject.

On the same note, she describes Lizzie in overly flattering terms where most authors on this subject have described the alleged murderer not only as fat but as almost repugnant. MS Lincoln's family knowledge of the Borden's seems tainted, perhaps by the prejudices of those same staunch upright, upper crust cronies of the Fall River Victorian elite.

[Cobagibu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given the information that has been "discovered" since the publication of this novel; it is interesting to show how time has changed the interpretation of the "facts". It is noted that Lizzie and Emma locked their doors at night, but there is no speculation or factual revelation as to why. Now it is speculated that the reason was because of incestual relations between the daughters and the father. Also much is made of the stepmother's weight and yet, while at 200 pounds Abby Borden was overweight looking at the facts with "modern eyes" she would not necessarily be the social pariah that London makes it appear to be.

As long as one remembers that they are reading "facts" that were interpreted 50+ years ago, this is an interesting take on one of America's first sensational true crime stories.

[Meg Truscott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The True Account of Lizzie Borden

After reading many books about Lizzie Borden and the Fall River murders, which included quite a few very bizarre theories, I happened upon A Private Disgrace.
I am convinced that this book describes the actual events surrounding these murders and the aftermath. If one wishes to know exactly what happened and why it happened, then read this book. It is the only book on this subject that I recommend.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reviewing the case of Lizzie from the unique perspective of this author. It provided a personal, local view of the crime and circumstances of the location. I am not sure I agree with her interpretation of every aspect of the case, but she does back up her opinions with good information and evidence. Don't we all wish Lisbeth had left a written confession to be opened after her death?!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective

The author came from the same town as the Borden family. Her perspective is unique in that she knew them somewhat, but knew the town and its ways very well. Ms. Lincoln studied the transcripts and researched the subject in depth.

[Jo Besser · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took me a lot longer to read than I admit. I think because I was distracted by everything other than the book. Interesting but a little dry. I think this was the source material for the Lizzie Borden television series with Christina Ricci.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any Lizzie Borden enthusiasts and not. Great true crime / mystery read.

[Mary Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read by an author who lived at the same time as Lizzie and can give a much better “feel” of the atmosphere.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Favorite Lizzie Borden book...

[Michelle Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An indepth look into the woman behind the famous murder trail very well written.

[Susan]

From Gina benson

[Danielle Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough timeline and detail of events. Author claims to have been acquainted with bordens and grew up in the same neighborhood so has a unique perspective on events

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating read. Told in a First Person format, as if the author had actually been alive during the time that the murders occured and Lizzie was on trial.

[Gale · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Patricide on a Summer’s Day”

Over a century since Fall River’s most heinous crime the public remains still fascinated; there are many boos available to amateur sleuths and various legal transcripts to consult. Most forensics experts agree that it was the 3rd daughter, Lizzie, who butchered her parents with an axe, yet this book offers more detailed explanation and investigation into the psychological mindset and probable motivation of much-maligned Lizzie, and other characters in this grisly drama: possible suspects as well as prosecutors, defenders and even the jury—chosen deliberately in an age long before formal Jury Selection experts.

Written by a lady author who herself grew up in Fall River this captivating narrative is presented in six chapters; the last one proves an Epilogue which reveals the last days of Lizzie, her sister Emma, and faithful servant girl, Bridget. Unashamed of her geographic proximity to the Borden house (it was hardly a Home, once the five-year Cold War began) Lincoln hints that she has particular insight into the truth, as her various family members spoke fervently of the shocking events on “the Hill” or “Downstreet.” Several newspapers receive journalistic scrutiny as well, for some were clearly biased in favor of Guilty. She interjects the personal “I” onto many pages, as she freely shares her reminiscences of the various non-Borden personages mentioned. Yet withal she strives to remain unbiased—allowing the reader to draw his/her own conclusion.

“Why Lizzie took an Axe” presents the events leading up to the bloody scene, with possible motives and details of the previous “robbery.” Valid items of exposition are laid out for study. Next comes “Why Lizzie was Suspected”—laying out the preliminary case for her guilt. Then comes “Why Lizzie Was Accused: the Inquest”—not to be confused with the actual trial ten months later. The public immediately was drawn into one of two bitterly opposing camps; follow the furor, journalistic hullabaloo and floral tributes abound surrounding Fall River’s (later, Taunton’s) most famous female prisoner. “How Lizzie became a Cause” (celebre) continues the protracted course of Bay State Justice. Everyone was interviewed and put on the stand: relatives, servants, detectives, neighbors, cops, and casual passersby who may have observed something suspicious—or not—in her yard. Regardless of which side one espoused, passions were aroused; in fact, the debate polarized the city and captivated much of the nation.
“How Lizzie’s Cause was Won” relates the courtroom proceedings and her stunning acquittal by a jury of middle-aged, non Fall River farmers, who remained sequestered the requisite hour pretending to deliberate when they were agreed on the verdict at the start. Love her or Hate her—Lizzie’s legend lives on, for hers is the most requested grave in Oak Grove Cemetery when tourists come to visit the once reclusive spinster who behaved in a most unfeminine manner.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sought out this book as part of a "project" to read the "honor roll" of 10 classic crime stories listed by James Hitchcock in an American Scholar essay "Murder as One of the Liberal Arts" which I photocopied years ago, probably in the 1990s. By classic, Hitchcock means a crime story which has endured and remained of interest over the years usually because some mystery still surrounds the case.

I think this book presumes some prior knowledge of the case, although if you keep focus through the whole book you will be able to put it together. That said you are better off reading a more traditional account first. And my comments presume you have read something about the case as well.

This account is different from others because the author grew up in the town where the murders were committed, and saw Lizzie as an old lady and her parents were alive in the community at the time. The author definitely did a great deal of original research and puts forth a lot of damning evidence, including a clear motive, not set forth to the jury which leaves me leaning towards Lizzie's guilt. A prior sketch on the case by Edmund Pearson in Studies in Murder had left me skeptical of her guilt.

That said the author does her work a disservice by introducing a half baked theory that the murders were perpetrated in some type of epileptic trance. Given the tight time frame in which the murders had to be committed and covered up, it would have been a miracle. Likewise, her theory that Uncle John Morse covered up the identity of a witness who could establish not only the motive but possibly firm up the prosecution's timeline -by establishing the identity of the person inside the house who slammed the door- is not convincing. Uncle John had almost been lynched by people suspecting him of the crime - so why would he not want additional evidence against Lizzie presented? Absent evidence of a payoff or other motive it does not add up.

In any event, this is still a good read, and almost 120 years later the murder is still a classic as some loose ends still remain.

[Anna Erishkigal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read A Private Disgrace in law school while preparing for a mock trial. Victoria Lincoln has walked that fine line between accurately telling the facts she uncovered via meticulous research and telling a tale that is interesting (unlike the other horrid books we were assigned). She tells her tale like a Homerian bard might sing a song to a king; history and fact intertwined with just enough human interest to make it feel more like you have the inside scoop on some juicy gossip rather than the meticulously researched historical tome this book really is (and we were forced to read the actual court transcripts to prepare for our mock trial … this book -is- pretty accurate).

Although Lincoln falls firmly into the school of 'Lizzie did it,' the picture she paints of Lizzie is a sympathetic one. The science Lincoln relied upon in 1967 to hypothesize Lizzie suffered from a form of temporal epilepsy is nowadays discredited, but nonetheless the meticulously researched details Lincoln documented enable somebody with a mental health background (such as myself) to peg Lizzie as a likely sociopath (think Sleeping With the Enemy). I am pleased this book is now available once more in paperback and e-book and recently re-read it. It was as much a pleasure to read the second time as the first.

[Debby Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, unsettling. Downrright scary in light of Casey Anthony's very recent acquittal, and of course OJ. Makes me truly wonder at our legal process. The book is easy to read, though the construction is often circuitous, felt like reading Jane Austen, including the moments of wit. More than I ever really wanted to know about Lizzie Borden, read it as a recommendation from another book, probably would have found it less interesting but for the timing. Or maybe more so, it wouldn't have been so bothersome.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An aunt who made it her mission to encourage young people to read let me borrow her copy of this book when I was in high school. I had seen the TV movie version of this story, and I was scared to death of the book as a result. I dug in, nevertheless. I was glad I did because I loved the narrative. Victoria Lincoln draws a portrait of late-19th century mores in New England at the same time she creates a vivid portrait of a woman acquitted of a crime she very likely committed. It's as gruesome as it is humorous and real. I love this book.