Winner of the Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize
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“Murder in a Mill Town is a murder mystery, a sex scandal, a legal thriller, and a crystal-clear primer on how the rise of capitalism transformed the most intimate aspects of American life—all rolled into one. It is an essential read for anyone interested in true-crime tales and their hold on American culture.”
— Debby Applegate, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Most Famous Man in America and Madam
“A young mill girl. A married minister. An inconvenient pregnancy. A suspicious death. A sensational murder trial. Bruce Dorsey’s deeply researched account shows that … the tragedy of Sarah Maria Cornell remains urgent, illuminating, and haunting.”
— John Wood Sweet, Bancroft and Parkman Prize-winning author of The Sewing Girl’s Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America
“This is a story of ordinary people living in exceptional times, who find themselves caught up in a rapidly changing world . . . . In strikingly accessible prose, Bruce Dorsey brings his characters to life on the page.”
— Karen Halttunen, author of Murder Most Foul: The Killer and the American Gothic Imagination