The Trial of Lizzie Borden

Winner of the New England Society Book Award, this true crime narrative examines the murder trial of Lizzie Borden following the August 1892 deaths of her parents, Andrew and Abby Borden, in Fall River, Massachusetts. The case became international news and her trial drew unprecedented public attention, with reporters and columnists filling the courtroom while the public debated her guilt or innocence. Based on twenty years of research and recently unearthed evidence including letters from Lizzie herself, the book draws on trial transcripts, contemporary newspaper accounts, and unpublished local records. It presents the legal proceedings and historical context of the case while exploring how the Borden murders became a lasting part of American cultural mythology, retold across multiple genres for over a century. The narrative offers insight into Gilded Age America and the legal history surrounding one of the country's most enduring murder mysteries.