This blog is for material that supplements and helps to deepen an appreciation for the Lizzie Borden: Girl Detective novels by Richard Behrens. It is also an appreciation of history, and will strive to maintain an historical accuracy when the material is presented as history. A distinction will always be made between the historical Lizzie Borden and the fictional girl detective of these pages, as well as the historical and fictional Fall River.
The novels do contain criticism and commentary upon a whole range of subjects including class struggle during the 1870s in New England, the industrial factory system, the wealth of Fall River, the relations with minorities, and the political and religious issues that would have been relevant to Lizzie Borden’s world. I’d like to stay limited to those issues and not drag in contemporary debates.
All Lizzie Borden books, plays, films, journals, blogs, YouTube videos and other media will contain varying interpretation and opinions. Every wants to “solve the case” but keep in mind that my literary fantasy is certainly far from a serious solution. I make no pretense that I have discovered anything new about the Lizzie Borden case, but I am presenting an entertaining literary fantasy for your amusement. If by chance, I present anything that seems like a “theory” about the murders of 1892, do no let me take myself too seriously!
It will be tempting to toss in your two-cents about whether you think “Lizzie did it” or not. I honestly state that such talk bores me, and I’d rather hear what you think about the characters, about the world I am presenting. Tell me what you think about Lizzie the character, and if you want to compare her to the historical Lizzie, by all means do so, but don’t get bogged down in debates over whether she had time to clean the blood off her dress or not. There are other web sites, other forums, other blogs for the endless hash and re-hash of those theories.
As for foul language or obscene remarks, remember that we are dealing with proper New England Congregationalists, and they will not have those kinds of words in their parlors! Those are the type of words you shout when you smash your thumb with a claw-headed hatchet or you get trampled by the horse traffic on Second Street. Abby will have none of that! Please follow common sense rules of common courtesy.
Relax, have fun, and enjoy the strange world of Lizzie Borden: Girl Detective.
Richard Behrens
I really loved the book, and found it a fascinating (and amusing) reflection on life in 1870s New England. I’m still trying to determine how many characters and organizations were based on actual poeple (WAS there a historic inspiration for the Arkady Society?) which simply means the entertainment value has extended well beyond a single reading for me.