★Willig, Lauren. The Girl from Greenwich Street: A Novel of Hamilton, Burr, and America’s First Murder Trial. Morrow. Mar. 2025. 352p. ISBN 9780063306110. $30. M

Just before Christmas in 1789, Elma Sands walked out of her cousin’s boardinghouse in New York City and was not seen again. Her cousins thought she was leaving to marry Levi Weeks, a carpenter who boarded there. But then Levi showed up that night, asking about Elma. It wasn’t until January that Elma’s body was found in the Manhattan Well. Handbills circulated, and a mob called for the arrest of Levi Weeks, accusing him of killing Elma. After his arrest, Levi’s influential and wealthy brother Ezra hires Aaron Burr and another prominent New York attorney to defend Levi. Politics and jealousy won’t allow Alexander Hamilton to stay out of the trial. He insists on serving as part of the defense. In the sensational two-day trial, Hamilton and Burr compete for the public’s attention while attempting to save Levi’s life. VERDICT Historical personalities bring this real story to life in a riveting account of the first U.S. murder trial for which there is a transcript. The author of the “Pink Carnation” series leans on that transcript for the trial testimony in a gripping novel that will appeal to true-crime buffs, those interested in Hamilton and Burr, and historical mystery fans.