Arsenic and Clam Chowder

Born June 23, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York, James D. Livingston studied engineering physics at Cornell University and received a PhD in applied physics from Harvard University in 1956. Since retiring from General Electric after a lengthy career as a research physicist, he has been teaching in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Although a physicist by profession, he has long had a strong interest in American history, and is the coauthor, with Sherry H. Penney, of A Very Dangerous Woman: Martha Wright and Women's Rights.

"Arsenic and Clam Chowder is a very interesting analysis of a significant trial … Evelina's murder provided late-nineteenth-century New York with a fascinating story of intrigue, and Livingston attempts to bring those events to life and detail their historical significance." — New York History"…Livingston … meticulously recreates the world of Wall Street, emerging technology, development, racy journalism, celebrity, political ambition … and raises some doubts, reasonable or not, about her guilt." — New York Times"…a clear and engaging historical narrative that reflects years of painstaking research into these events and the records created as they unfolded in the press and were remembered in private family documents … Livingston's choice to structure the book as a narrative rather than an analytical treatment of Fleming's life and the complicated cultural history with which it intertwines makes for a fascinating read." — Hudson River Valley Review"This is a titillating account of mystery, murder trial procedures, social status of women, and the societal practices and prejudices back in the horse and buggy days. There is enough material here for an exciting film exploring legal history, social customs, and the behavior of the upper crust. This is definitely a non-fiction mystery thriller that will grab and flabbergast you at the same time." — Sacramento Book Review"In the process of telling this scandal-ridden story, Livingston … explores the social and moral issues that surrounded the trial." — Hudson Valley Magazine"…a carefully researched and readable account of the Bliss murder, and of the subsequent trial of Mary Alice." — Boston Globe"James Livingston breathes life into this old case by placing the circumstances of the Livingston clan in the contexts of their time … this is a book that should interest readers beyond historians of the 19th century, journalism, feminism, the death penalty, or simply racy historical scandals. It belongs on library shelves, but should also prove fascinating reading for general readers who might enjoy a window into an age not as different from ours as we might think." — BookPleasures.com"Arsenic and Clam Chowder is a great read, not just for murder buffs, but for anyone interested in the vibrant years that ended the 19th Century." — MurderByGasslight.blogspot.co"The story is told, in lurid and fascinating detail." — Hudson Valley News"A sensational story, packed with twists and fascinating revelations. The murder trial of Mary Alice sheds unexpected light on the Gilded Age, and in the future will make us all think twice about clam chowder." — Eric Homberger, author of Mrs. Astor's New York: Money and Social Power in a Gilded Age

• 1. The Death of Evelina Bliss2. The New York World 3. Mary Alice Almont of the New York Livingstons4. Promises Breached5. In the Tombs6. Twelve Good Men and True7. Opening of the People’s Case8. The People Rest9. The Defense10. Decision11. Afterwards12. Reasonable Doubt and Judicial MurderAcknowledgementsSourcesBibliography