Arsenic Under the Elms: Murder in Victorian New Haven

by Virginia A. McConnell

Book Overview

A high-profile murder can function as a mirror of an era, and attorney and crime researcher Virginia McConnell provides a fascinating view of Connecticut in Victorian times, as glimpsed through the unrelated, but disturbingly similar murders of two young women near New Haven in the late 1800s. The colorful characters involved in the commission, investigation, and prosecution of these crimes emerge as real, vibrant individuals, and their stories,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0275962970
• ISBN13: 9780275962975
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Praeger
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

If you want an enjoyable, challenging novel, then read this!

"Arsenic Under the Elms" is thoroughly an intriguing, mind challenging read. I felt Virginia A. McConnell did a wonderful job presenting the known facts, as well as including her speculations, but leaving the final verdict up to the reader. The explanations of the era and how they dealt with these sorts of crimes, as well as how they dealt with it legally and medically were very educational and thought provoking. I'm sure many criminalists, physiologists, lawyers, judges, and crime scene analysts, would have a field day solving these crimes. If only they had the technology of today, back then. Even if your genre is not "true crime," this book is a great read. I recommend.

victorian true crime

this was a great book! I loved the comparison of how the world & justice worked in the time setting of the 2 stories versus how we have it now. I am fasinated by the victorian era & true crime. This book blended both into a very ingrossing experience. I can't wait to read her 2nd book "Sympathy for the Devil:the Emmanuel Baptist Murders." and hope there will be more after that!

Compelling read!

I bought this book on a Saturday and once I started I couldn't put it down. Ms. McConnell writes about two obscure murders in Victorian Connecticut in a style that compels the reader to keep turning the pages. Learning about the mores and workings of the criminal justice system during this period was fascinating! I highly recommend it!

Real Characters, Real Action

This book is excellent and Ginny has made it seem like these crimes happened in our times. She has made the characters real and relevant to today. We feel like we could meet these people on the street today. She writes in a fresh and modern way. Great Job, Ginny, and we are eagerly awaiting your next offering! Sherry

I think it is fascinating

First of all, Virginia McConnell is a great writer I find her to be very straight to the point. I have met this wonderful lady! and it was a pleasure to do so. She has this amazing talent that I do not find anywhere else, I am hoping that she will write another book and maybe become one of the top selling authors of this century!- maybe Ginny's first book will become a movie? you never know?.