Well written, well researched book that has produced a well crafted account of an infamous 19th-century murder case. It is a thorough study of the trial of Methodist minister Ephraim K. Avery for the murder of a textile operative named Sarah Maria Cornell set in the 1800's. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Murder In A Mill Town, written by Bruce Dorsey, is a “Crime of the Century” book, about the murder of Sarah Maria Cornell. It is also about her life, how she is treated by the Methodist church, and the trial for her murder. I did have some trouble following the setup of the book, but did really enjoy it and felt for the main characters.

An interesting account of a murder case with a side trip into life in the 1800s. Parts of this frustrated me because it seems like we still, as a society, have not gotten completely past the victim-blaming and double standards that run rampant throughout this case.

This book recounts the life and murder of factory worker Sarah Maria Cornell in 1832, and the fallout of that shocking crime.

Dorsey writes this story in three acts. First, we learn about the people involved: the victim, witnesses, and the suspect. We begin to understand the backgrounds of Cornell and Ephraim Avery, a Methodist minister who is accused of her murder. We also hear some interesting historical social context about the general public’s views on Methodism and religious revivals, factory girls, and sex. I was both interested and incredibly frustrated as Dorsey described the investigation into this murder, which seemed to overlook several important female viewpoints and lack solid evidence. I thought this storytelling was well done and very engaging!

In act 2, Dorsey describes the murder trial. I found it interesting to read the insights on how this trial stood out as one of the longest trials at the time as well as one of the earliest trials with this level of intense publicity. It felt like I was reading a book about the history of true crime. Again, I was frustrated with the prejudices against the victim and female witnesses, which Dorsey very clearly illuminated.

In act 3, we read about the aftermath, or scandal following the verdict. This section of the book explored the court of public opinion, conspiracy theories, intentionally fake news, and how such readily available news impacted how the public viewed this crime. While I did enjoy the discussions had here, I also felt like this section dragged a little.

All in all, I enjoyed learning about a crime and time period I have not learned very much about. I thought it was interesting to see how several current issues were also present in the 1830s. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical nonfiction!

This was an interesting historical true crime recounting. It explores the murder of a young female factory worker and the frenzied aftermath that was dubbed the "crime of the century." From the murder investigation to a church sex scandal to celebrity trial this story gripped the American public's attention in 1833.

What I most enjoyed about this was the author's very balanced storytelling. I have found that many non-fiction writers tend to reveal their bias in the narrative and often fall into the trap of inserting additional commentary that I tend to find off putting.

Bruce Dorsey does a great job of holding up a critical lens to the misogyny that was very prevalent in the media's coverage and the ensuing interviews and testimony. As well as the troubling behavior of the church to protect their leaders over everything else regardless of guilt or innocence.

If you enjoy true crime this was a fascinating snapshot of a part of American life that I didn't know a lot about.

***Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

This one really wasn't for me. There was nothing wrong with it, it was well written and well researched, I just found myself bored by the material. There are elements of true crime and history, probably more history on methodism than I was interested in. Some interesting aspects of the trial highlighted how important rape shield laws are in modern society.

What a read! I was shocked with some of the information that was shared, especially about the preacher who was accused of murder. It seems that he had a history of intimidating and using his position to belittle others. Mr. Avery was not a good person, and it was sickening to see that others, especially high up in his church, would rally to protect and intimidate others.

This was a great read, and one that really sheds some light into some of the protections that were not extended to the mill girls, and those who were desperately trying to just fit in somewhere, to be a part of something.

Bruce Dorsey's Murder in a Mill Town: Sex, Faith, and the Crime That Captivated a Nation is a thorough study of the trial of Methodist minister Ephraim K. Avery for the murder of a textile operative named Sarah Maria Cornell. Pulling from the various trial transcripts, plays, ephemera, and novellas that were rapidly produced as a result, Dorsey gives a well-researched account of the media response to the murder and subsequent court proceedings. Given his academic specialization, it's not surprising that his analysis of the sectarianism in mill towns, the reputation of Methodists, and the role of religion and religious prejudice in public and legal responses is very well done.

Though Dorsey addresses the way lawyers, journalists, authors, and the public at large attempt to imagine Cornell's thoughts, an internality they have no access to, he occasionally does the same thing. He also regularly refers to Cornell by her first name (typically Maria), which I found unusually informal and familiar (the same happens with Avery, though much less frequently).

There were also a few factual issues that rankled. For example, in "Passion and Self Murder," he cites the testimony of Lydia Pervere and says, "Lydia had never before seen a factory worker in a white dress," which is not what appears in her testimony. Pervere says she'd never seen a woman "come in with a white dress to work in the Factory," which changes how we consider these women and their clothing; many did have white dresses, but they would not wear them to work. That Cornell alone would own a white dress suggests, like Avery's defense, that she was extravagant and irresponsible with money (and likely with her virtue). In June 1833, only a month after the trial began, the operatives in Lowell would famously parade through the street dressed all in white when Andrew Jackson visited. This, however, is rather small and does not affect Dorsey's trajectory too much.

Overall, Dorsey has produced a well crafted account of an infamous 19th-century murder case, and one that was enmeshed with many political and social changes sweeping the nation.

The narration is very well done, except for some small pronunciation issues. The one that really got me was pronouncing "wanton" as though Cornell were a dumpling.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC

Thanks to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for this ARC audiobook.
I enjoy historical non-fiction and despite the nature of this book I thoroughly enjoyed my listen.
At times I was outraged at the reminder of the treatment of women in earlier ages. At times I was saddened by Sarah's story. At times, I was aghast at the lack of knowledge I had on this particular story.

I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn a bit about a "factory girl" named Sarah and a legal trial that changed history.

I found this one to be very interesting, seeing as I'm very in tune with true crime cases and sequences. I am so thankful to Bruce Dorsey and Netgalley for granting me audiobook access to this riveting and historically passionate read.

This book should have been super good w/murder, sex, and religion but I just found it to be dry and boring. I finished it but just b/c I was determined to not DNF it.

#MurderinaMillTown
#NetGalley

Murder in a Mill Town is the story of a murder... in a mill town (shocker) in the late 1800s. This book was advertised to me as the first large murder case that really "captivated" the nation. I was excited to hear how the "spectacle" of true crime differs now to what it was then, and how it is the same. This book, however, is a history book. You learn about life for single women in mill towns in the 1880s, and a lot about how the Methodist church worked in the day. I ultimately DNFed at about 38%, because it was not what I thought it was and I found myself drifting off in thought anytime I tried to listen to it. The audio was very plainly read, to the point where I couldn't really continue with it. I would say if you're going to read this, go for the physical text instead. This book is not bad--the author did a very thorough job of researching the case and society of the time. It was just not the book I was expecting, and had I known what the book was meant to be I would not have picked it up myself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting listen/read about a piece of American history I hadn’t previously heard of. I felt like the book did a good job of situating the trial in the social and religious context of the time, which was critical for understanding the case on a deeper level. The one thing I thought was missing that would have made it a little more impactful for me was some connections to the present day - either a discussion of how the handling of the trial impacted future similar proceedings, or the parallels between it and current day attitudes towards cases of violence against women. Other than that I thought it was very well done!

Rating : 2.5 ⭐

Murder in a Mill Town is said to be trial of the century in America. A body of a young woman, a mill worker was found hanging from a stackpole on the farm of John Durfee in nearby Tiverton, Rhode Island on December 21, 1832. Her death was at first thought to be a suicide. After an autopsy, it was discovered she was pregnant and they found a note while investigating which pointed that the culprit was a Methodist minister Ephraim K. Avery even when he was later acquitted of the charge.

The local news soon bacame a national scandal as it involved sexually charged violence, adultery, hypocrisy of church and the ministers , mystery and suspicions revolving around the whole case.

Firstly I want to say that this is quite well researched book but then it is so much detailed with background story that I wondered if this is actually necessary to the whole story. I love true crime and although I would love to have all the facts in the open, I would prefer those which doesn't really contribute to the story to be brief.

The book didn't get interesting till about 30% which made me wonder if I should DNF it but I continued, it got little better but overall it wasn't what I expected. Being a true crime lover, I did not find it as good as many other true crimes.

Coming to the audiobook, there's no change of narration whatsoever in the book, it is read plainly, not narrated. At points It feels mundane that it becomes a task to continue even after content being quite intriguing. There are no change in dialect, accent or voice change over.

Thank you Netgalley and tantor audio for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book is very strongly written as a factual history non fiction source of information on a true crime that happened in the US. I found the narration of the audiobook a bit dry -- and thought the narrator could have put more expression or changes voices in some sections when quoting people to make it more interesting.
Maybe because I am not American, I found the beginning a bit confusing when they tried to give back story and historical background to the area , time and people involved-- for me it detracted from the main true crime case.
I didn’t really enjoy that part. I started to enjoy it more at 35% where it stuck to the true crime that happened -- the social aspects of the community and the church and the involvement of the rumours from town.
You learn a lot about the methodist sect of Christianity and their practices and how people can be severely shunned from a community to the point where they may not be able to survive.
For those that like factual non fiction based books without any dramatization this is the book for you !

Thank-you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for this ARC . This is my honest review.

In Murder in a Mill Town: Sex, Faith, and the Crime that Captivated a Nation scholar Bruce Dorsey presents the first 'crime of the century' in three acts. In December 1832, Sarah Maria Cornell, a factory work, was found dead, hanging, outside of a New England mill town. On preparing the body for burial, she was found to be pregnant. Methodist preacher Ephraim Kingsbury Avery was identified as the possible murderer following the discovery of their correspondence in Sarah's belongings, especially a note stating that if Sarah went missing, "the Rev. Mr. Avery of Bristol, he will know where I am."

Dorsey begins the book with the discovery of Sarah's body, then proceeds to go through the discovery of evidence and Avery's movements, as well as biographies of these two individuals and how they were connected. The case was complicated by the gendered expectations, lack of training for coroners, and multiple initial juries with different conclusions. Avery did not help himself by going on the run and hiding. Act II details the trial that went on considerably longer than expected, due to the sensational events, difficulty in securing a jury, and the large number of witnesses and experts called upon. Act III details the aftermath of the trial and the rest of Avery's life, as well as the rising public interest in criminality or murder, even when it was later found to be fiction.

What makes this case so compelling, beyond the tensions of a married religious leader accused of murdering a pregnant lover is its recorded details that exemplify a time of transition. The more traditional barriers of 'separate spheres' were eroding as women were beginning to enter the workforce to earn their own money, doctors were overtaking the traditional role of midwives and the measuring of time was shifting from approximation by daylight to the mechanical measure through watches and clocks.

Sarah's account, necessarily told through the eyes of others, is one of tragedy. Bereft of her family, she steered the course of her own life. In demonstration of her faith she was open with her sins and crimes, including sex outside of marriage, thoughts of suicide and theft. Sarah shared these things to seek forgiveness to aid her standing in her faith. But this was misinterpreted by others by not knowing of when the sins took place or that multiple people she confessed before did not release they were single occurrences, instead presenting them as multiple sins. Having a documented letter that claimed her a member of a church in good standing was key for Sarah being able to be employed or shelter in quality housing. A fallen women was quick to be shunned. Sarah could still speak somewhat for herself, as the recovery of her correspondence gave some evidence of her thoughts. Much of the rest was relayed through memories of fellow Methodists, coworkers, friends and families.

Dorsey, (as well narrated by Brandon Pollock), is fastidious in presenting the facts as they occurred creating a chronological historic true crime that should appeal to those who read
The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders or those who are interested in the history of popular culture or transitional times of the United States.

Murder in a mill town it’s about the murder of 30-year-old Sarah Marie Cornell by Reverend Ephraim Lewis there were many things I found interesting about this book like how the author set up the atmosphere in the zeitgeist of the time and place the murder happened and even went back into service history and told about her parents divorce and all the ramifications from it like how her mom was given less than 1/5 of what her brothers and sisters got at the time of her granddad‘s death I enjoyed the history of the town Pastor Eathan frames backstory the investigation but I did think the author went too much into her religious believes all the letters she wrote about that belief and I get how it was apropos to the story but could’ve been conveyed in a more condensed way. For the most part however I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it especially for those who love historical True Crime that is written well and put you right in the middle of the happenings I really like the way he set it up and with the exception of the letters to her sister I really enjoyed this book. I also thought the narrator did an awesome job I really enjoyed his performance. I want to thank Tantore audio and Net Galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A tale of murder in a mill town in the 1800s. I thought the actually true crime part was interesting, but it was in between weird sections that didn’t seem as relevant. I think a lot of it could have been cut to be more concise and focused on the murder/crime. I also didn’t love the narrator. I think he felt almost robotic at times.

Thanks to Tantor Audio, NetGalley, author Bruce Dorsey and narrator Brandon Pollock for excellent advance audiobook Murder in a Mill Town. This was set during 1832 in Fall River, Massachusetts and opens when the body of Sarah Marie Cornell is found hanging at a local farm. The initial thought is suicide until it is discovered that not only is she pregnant but there was a rather controversial relationship she had with a local married Methodist pastor. Soon he is put on trial in what becomes known as the “trial of the century” as it lasts for weeks on end and puts neighbors against each other. It becomes known as The Factory Girl vs The Pastor even on Broadway as this case covers everything from sex, money, politics and secret societies. It’s a very interesting story and quite entertaining to listen to as well .