31 Bond Street, an unforgettable literary debut from Ellen Horan, is based on the true story of a brutal murder, a desperate mother and mistress, and the vicious constraints of 19th century society“The story is a blend of historical evidence and fictional imagining, an engrossing read that gains much from the author’s historical acuity while making no compromises on narrative pace. Horan writes eloquently of the rapidly expanding city, contrasting the bustle of the downtown streets and the mansion-building frenzy on Fifth Avenue with the orchards and kitchen gardens of Greenwich Village. . . . It’s not easy to breathe life into real-life characters, especially when quoting their words extensively from reported sources, but Cunningham and Clinton live on the page as freshly as if they had stepped, new-minted, from Horan’s vivid imagination.” —Washington Post