Duel With the Devil

Duel With the Devil: The True Story of how Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery
Paul Collins

I think most people at this point are at least somewhat familiar with the life of Alexander Hamilton, thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton. Many of us in the U.S. were familiar before this with the infamous Burr/Hamilton duel from the coverage in our U.S. History classes. But how many knew they had worked together as trial lawyers on a "trial of the century" type event a mere four years before the fateful duel?

I admit at this point to being a fan of Paul Collins' writing style, and this book is no different. Despite the events being over 200 years ago, this book has the same edge-of-your-seat feel as any current true crime book.

A brief prologue gives us a hint that a murder has occurred, then the first chapter flashes back to the start of the story six months earlier. We meet the residents of a boarding house in Manhattan, among them a young Quaker woman who suffers from frail health, and a young carpenter. When the body of the young woman is found in a nearby well, rumors swirl about whether she was murdered or had committed suicide, as well as rampant speculations as to the reasons why, and the possible involvement of others. We also gain some insight into the relationship between Burr and Hamilton, once friends, who were now on opposite sides of the political questions besetting a new country.

Despite the rumors and friction between and about many of the people involved in the entire affair, this book manages to remain neutral and present the facts, both of the event itself, and the behavior of those in the then-young city of Manhattan. The biggest ones of all revolve around whether there was a relationship between Elma the young Quaker woman, and Levi the young carpenter, and if so why, how, and if he was involved in her murder - that is, if it was a murder at all. The people and places are presented in a way that you feel like if you could step back in time, you would immediately know all the people involved, as well as recognize the young town that was just beginning to experience a boom of expansion and commerce after the American Revolution. I would definitely recommend this to both true crime fans, and fans of history.