Lizzie Borden & the Family Curse (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781540299123)

The infamous 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden have captivated New Englanders for over one hundred years. But the story doesn't end in Fall River. Far beyond the locked doors of the Borden household there is a wider web of people, places, and histories connected to the case. From the investigators who shaped the trial and the reporters who sensationalized it, to the key locations that marked Lizzie Borden's life and lingering legacy, there is a multifaceted history behind one of America's most enduring true crime stories. There are the lives of other remarkable--and often overlooked--figures linked to the Borden bloodline. Among them are Innocent Borden, the recently discovered daughter of Thomas Cornell, a man who was executed in 1673 for the alleged murder of his mother in colonial Rhode Island. And then there's Sarah Maria Cornell, a mill worker and distant cousin of Lizzie, whose mysterious death sparked scandal when a prominent Methodist minister was accused of her murder. By weaving these parallel tales of crime, gender, and societal upheaval into the central narrative, local author Sam Baltrusis takes a deep dive into the ultimate whodunit--placing Lizzie's story within a broader historical and cultural context of rumors, power, and the shifting expectations of women in American society.