Review: "See What I Have Done" by Sarah Schmidt

Although I have heard the rhyme, Lizzie Borden Took an Ax…, a thousand times, I have never read anything pertaining to this horrific crime. Then I found this book and the description intrigued me and I wanted to know more. Lizzie was never convicted of this crime, although the evidence strongly supports her guilt. This story looks at all possible suspects and tries to show evidence that someone else could have done it. It shows that there was a steady rift growing between Lizzie and her father and stepmother but it also introduces her sister, the maid, an uncle, and a mentally disturbed gentleman that her uncle hired to do harm, all as suspects.

The author told this story from many different views. It follows Lizzie and what she saw and thought and also gave her reasons for animosity towards her parents. It also does the same for the maid, her sister, and the uncle. We also heard the prospective of the man that her uncle has hired and his background. For me, this made the story harder to follow. I had to go back a few times to insure I knew exactly what was going on.

This story is more for the late teen to adult reader. It is dark and deals with a gruesome subject from the murders to everything that leads up to them. After reading, I was compelled to dig more into facts surrounding the murders, which, in my opinion, is what good historical fiction should induce you to do.

I have requested and received this book for review from NetGalley.