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Book Review of Arsenic and Clam Chowder: Murder in Gilded Age New York (Excelsior Editions)

Arsenic and Clam Chowder: Murder in Gilded Age New York (Excelsior Editions)
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On Friday, August 30, 1895 Evalina returned home to her apartment. It was just your average day, so she was delighted when her ten year old grand-daughter brought over dinner; a tin pail of clam chowder and a pie wrapped in paper. Evalina immediately fell ill afterward eating it, and boldly told the doctor between waves of pain that her family did this to her. They poisoned her for her money. A few hours later, Evalina died.

Her daughter, Mary Alice Livingston, was accused of murdering her mother. Mary Alice said she was innocent; her mother was her best friend. But on further inspection, it would seem Mary Alice ordered room service from a hotel restaurant and on the ticket was clam chowder and a pie; which she promptly sent to her mother. Whether she added anything to it was for the courts to decide.

It seems when Mary Alice's father passed, he left quite a bit of money in a trust. Mary Alice needed it desperately. She was raising three kids on her own, but the trust wouldn't give Mary Alice the funds while her mother was alive. The odds were not stacking nicely against Mary Alice. Pregnant with her fourth child in prison, the book escalates into the courtroom, where Mary Alice is facing the possibility of being the first woman to be executed by electric chair.

Arsenice and Clam Chowder is a mystery and yet true story, filled with rich and vibrant characters, a solid plot, and a court room drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final verdict. A stellar read!