The Lace Widow

It is 1804 in New York City. A short time before his death, Alexander Hamilton was unjustly accused of stealing money from the U.S. Treasury. However, just as he was about to uncover the true thieves, he was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. Searching through Hamilton’s papers, Hamilton’s widow, Eliza, discovers he has left her in financial difficulties with eight children to support. Then two men who attended the duel are murdered. Alexander Hamilton Jr. is implicated in one of the murders, as he was seen fighting with one of the men on the night he was killed. Eliza can’t rest until she exonerates her husband and her son, revealing the conspirators and bringing them to justice. To this end, she enlists the support of a small group of independent businesswomen with connections to high society through kitchen, sewing room, and parlor gossip. Cox (A Killer Romance as Maggie Blackburn) uses historical information about the Hamilton family and early 19th-century New York to create a sensitive, character-driven historical mystery. Nicol Zanzarella narrates well, using a variety of voices and accents to good effect.