I saw a lecture from the author on the Hamiltons and was thrilled to pick up the ARC afterwards. This is such an interesting look at the Hamilton family--given Alexander's own ending, it almost seems unsurprising to think that there were other tragedies visited on his descendants, but the author does a truly fantastic job exploring and explaining.

To be honest, I was intrigued by this title due to my interest in Hamilton the musical. I’ve done my share of research on Hamilton and read the Cheetos biography, so obviously I wanted to know more about a potential scandal somewhere in the Hamilton lineage. This book was clearly well researched and the delivery of the details of the scandal was compelling. However, I did feel like the story slowed down and began to wander in the second half of the book. It seemed like the scandal had played out and the author resorted to digging deep for more details to stretch out the book. I still enjoyed the read though.

A first glance at Bill Shaffer’s biography and you’d be forgiven for thinking he doesn’t exactly have the credentials to write about a Gilded Age scandal and the newspapers’ reporting of it. Once you started reading, however, you’d discover that he spotted a plaque on Riverside Drive which piqued his curiosity. It’s for the Hamilton Fountain, but the decorated piece of architecture isn’t named for the Hamilton you’d immediately think of, founding father, Alexander. Instead, it’s for his great-grandson Robert Ray Hamilton, a member the rest of the family – at the time – wished did not have a connection to them. During the Gilded Age, there were many Hamiltons among the esteemed Four Hundred, and a stain on one was a stain on everyone with that name.

The Scandalous Hamiltons covers the tale of Robert Ray Hamilton and his marriage to his paramour of four years, Eva. The wedding came about after she alleged she was pregnant with his child. But was she? During a summer vacation to New Jersey Eva was arrested for stabbing the child’s nurse, a woman who Shaffer states survived but who I’ve read elsewhere died of her injuries. The story was pounced on by the media. In 1889, Shaffer writes, of 1492 daily newspapers 19 of these were English-language dailies in New York City, and it seems most of them went crazy over the Hamilton story. Shaffer includes multiple headlines from 1889 to 1894 including the stabbing and Hamilton’s death, which may or may not have been murder.

This is an easy book to read, and Shaffer includes just the right amount of background information and context to help move the narrative along. He also quotes from contemporary legal documents as well as the newspaper headlines. I’d say, however, there’s less of the newspaper aspect than I had expected. What stunned me though was the Nellie Bly jailhouse interview. Bly, a ground breaker in terms of women in journalism, appeared to take Eva’s side. We don’t know how much Eva told the truth about her relationships, but my feeling from reading it is that Bly believed it all instead of keeping an open mind. And that lowered my opinion of the reporter immeasurably. Shaffer rounds off the book by describing the efforts to build the fountain, which attracted his attention in the first place.

Although I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher, the opinions above are my own.

Thank you for the ARC to review. I apologize for taking so long to review this book, but I requested too many at once. I listened to the audiobook while I read the egalley. This book threw me for a loop, they truly are scandalous. I mean I love to read about scandals but this book has so many! This is a good book to read when you need some excitement in your life.

I think this is the perfect followup read for the people who watched Hamilton, but don't actually want to read the Chernow Biography.

This book was thoroughly entertaining read and was both sad and funny in places. It is very well researched, and the author has clearly accessed a huge number of historical documents. Highly recommend.

A great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton falls prey to a con woman, giving rise to a Gilded Age scandal and a courtroom drama that fascinated the American public, especially once all the lurid details emerged. Hamilton’s secret marriage to the woman and the birth of a child resulted in attempted murder and the emerging tabloid press had a field day. Even the world renowned Nellie Bly, one of the first investigative reporters, makes an appearance. EastEnders eat your heart out. And then to top it all off Hamilton himself dies in mysterious circumstances a year later. What's not to like? Well, quite a bit actually. Admittedly it’s quite an interesting story, and the author has carried out an impressive amount of research. But essentially the book is too long as he tries to shoehorn every bit of research in, going off piste at regular intervals talking about characters who only appear briefly and who are not integral to the main event. And then courtroom transcripts are only interesting up to a point – after a while the questioning and cross-examination become tedious, unless the reader is heavily invested in the characters. And I’m afraid I wasn’t. Respectable member of society gets embroiled in a scam. And that’s about it. As we don’t get inside the head of the main participants the book is really just celebrity gossip about not very important people. After all, if it hadn’t been for the Alexander Hamilton connection I doubt we would be reading about the case at all. Certainly the second half of the book once the main action has happened drags. Nevertheless the book is well-written overall and the reader can pass a pleasant few hours with it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Being a history buff and a lover of a good scandal, this book was thoroughly entertaining read. Well written and well researched, and including headlines and court documents, this one is not to be missed!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

The story of New Yorker Robert Ray Hamilton ( a descendant of the famous Alexander Hamilton) and his wayward wife Eva, documented in The Scandalous Hamilton’s by Bill Shaffer is a gripping read presenting an almost unbelievable tale of an unconventional relationship and the bizarre set of circumstances that brought it to public attention.

This story, which became a sensation in newspapers across America, and as I discovered, across Australia in the late 1880s and into the 1890s, is a thoroughly researched narrative using a variety of primary sources to explore the compelling, and convoluted chronology of events that played out in the lives of an unlikely couple. It reveals a desperate woman determined to secure her future by any means, and a man who was duped and ultimately disgraced before his tragic death.

I enjoyed this book and found it an engaging and informative read. I would highly recommend it to others.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books - Citadel for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

One of the lyrics from the the musical ‘Hamilton’ states ‘but just you wait, just you wait’. That same lyric applies to this engrossing historical crime story about Alexander Hamiltons great grandson Robert.
Set in the Gilded Age, it is a story filled with spice, deception, bribery and violence that had me turning the pages with disbelief and yet always wanting more.
Robert Ray and Eva meet in a brothel. She becomes his mistress. Several years later he is thrust into marriage because Eva is pregnant. The union does not survive once Robert Ray learns that Eva is hiding a marriage and the child he thought is his, is not (the child was purchased). The Hamiltons live in a world built on Eva’s lies, deceit and temper. Mix in attempted murder, a trial and trying to cash in on Robert Ray’s estate after his death and you’ve got the perfect recipe for an unputdownable read.
Highly recommended, much enjoyed.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Citadel for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

Gilded Age scandal involving the descendant of Alexander Hamilton. When Ray Hamilton’s wife is arrested for stabbing the family’s wet nurse, a great deal of scandalous truth comes out, namely, that the child is not his, nor hers. The book provides the reader with the big picture while capturing attention with the deception that is Eva. An excellent look at a gilded age scandal, a true crime case before true crime was a thing.

https://soundcloud.com/user-141386597/the-scandalous-hamiltons-interview?si=8424f874e6de43b4a08ca10e59cad858&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Thank you to NetGalley and Bill Shaffer for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Before I read this book I had not heard of Robert Ray Hamilton. This tawdry story of lies, sex, deceit was very interesting. If you have an interest in history especially those lesser known historical figures of famous families this is the read for you! I would love to learn more about the Hamilton family now.

I adore true history books. I knew nothing about the Hamilton's prior to this book. I was totally fascinated. A story almost beyond belief but no, the fact that it's all true is mind-blowing. An incredibly well researched and written book.

When Ray Hamilton’s wife is arrested for stabbing the family’s wet nurse, a great deal of scandalous truth comes out – namely, that the child is not his, nor hers.

I have not seen that seminal musical Hamilton, but I had read the doorstopper of a book it was based on. While I knew all about the successes and scandals of Alexander Hamilton’s life, I had not considered his descendants. This descendant in particular had rather fewer successes and rather more scandals.

The star of the show, though, is Eva – Hamilton? Mann? – his wife. A grifter of the highest order, she is simultaneously infuriating and sympathetic. After all, what can a woman be but out for herself? The parts of the book that involve her are the most compelling, though in general the first half of the book was very engaging.

However, I did think the story began to drift a little in the second half as the scandal becomes mostly played out, and the author apparently scoured the newspapers for tidbits of news to keep the story going. He has a fascinating story to tell, but I wonder if the book wouldn’t have been better served by not plunging straight into the action, and instead writing a bit more about the lead up to the scandal first.

This is a fascinating and well-researched story of a privileged son of The Gilded Age and a girl 'from the wrong side of the tracks'. Robert Ray was descended from Alexander Hamilton himself and had a wealthy, educated background. He was very bright. After he paid a few dollars for the prostitute Evangeline Steele in New York, he was in for a terrible shock, and the start of a descent from grace. They married a few years later after she told him that she was pregnant, but they soon began fighting. When Evangeline attacked the baby's nurse with a knife, Robert found himself forced to face the trial of a century, and discovered that what Evangeline had told him was a pack of lies, and even more scandals lay ahead...

I enjoyed this, but not as much as reading about the endlessly interesting Alexander.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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ISBN 9780806542256

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I absolutely was hooked on this book! My podcast production has a history podcast called What Do You Know About...? and I had to talk about Evangeline Hamilton once I found this book. Her story is so interesting and this book just brought it to life. Thank you so much for this amazing read and I will be getting a physical copy for my bookshelf once I have the extra cash for it!

There are two things that I could read so many books on. One - scam, give me all of them because they are always such fascinating (and often funny) stories. Two - Hamilton in any form. The musical, the man, the family. All of it. It was only natural to want to read this title.

Shaffer captures the Gilded Age and weaves a story that is sure to please most fans of history and true crime!

Well-written, interesting history on a Gilded Age society member I was unfamiliar with.

Thank you Netgalley

I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read this book and give an honest review. I will be honest, I only requested this book because like so many others, I am obsessed with all things Hamilton! This book was told in an odd way. I can't put my finger on it but in a lot of scenes (like the trial) you feel like you are there but watching through a glass. It made me sad to see that just as Alexander, his later generations had issues as well.