I had heard of Lizzie Borden before but had never really given much thought to her actual trial until I began See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt. One of #cjsreads first August picks, I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect when I dove into this book. Generally speaking, I enjoy historical fiction but struggle when it has a mystery/thriller angle. I don’t know what it is about them, but they all feel a little “Sherlock Holmes” to me. However, with a cover quote by Paula Hawkins stating this book was “eerie and compelling” I was intrigued right away. I would have to say that I agree with Hawkins on this one; See What I Have Done had an ominous vibe throughout.
Opening with Lizzie discovering her father dead in his study and going back and forth between the day of the murder and the days prior, the investigation into the murder begins and it doesn’t take long for Lizzie to be at the center when she begins to seem unreliable and struggles to remember events of the day. With her sister by her side and the police closing in, the novel is narrated through multiple character perspectives including a stranger and a housemaid.
The first thing that stood out for me while I was reading was how irritated I was with the multiple character perspectives. I didn’t care for the various POVs; I felt like I wanted to hear the story through the eyes of Lizzie and all the other characters felt a little bit irrelevant to me. I know they all played their role but I think I would have been completely consumed with the plot should it had been through Lizzie’s unreliable narration. I love me an unreliable narrator!
I was impressed with how Schmidt was able to take a real scenario and turn it into a fictionalized account without making it seem over-embellished or too far-fetched. I feel like it was kept realistic and took more of a rational approach. This was a smart decision on Schmidt’s part. I felt like I was truly reading more a “true crime” story instead of a work of fiction.
Overall, I felt like this was an entertaining read but, like some other historical mysteries, I found this one to be quite slow moving. If you are at all interested in Lizzie Bordon, this will obviously appeal to you and I also feel like fans of true crime will have a special interest in this tale. However, if you are looking for something incredibly fast paced, then I would skip this one!
Thanks to the publisher and the author for a copy of this book; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.
Want to know what Chandra and Jessica thought of this one? Keep reading to see what the other members of #cjsreads had to say about See What I Have Done!
What Chandra Thought:
What Jessica Thought:
“Lizzie Borden took an ax and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. Or did she?” How could I not be instantly drawn into SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE by Sarah Schmidt? This was a historical mystery/thriller and I could not put it down. It had an eerie vibe for the entirety of the book – like something wasn’t quite right.
It’s August of 1892 and Lizzie Borden finds her father dead. All she can say to their maid is that someone cut him. While everyone around her panics, Lizzie remains eerily calm throughout the ordeal. A short time later that same day, they find her stepmother dead in her room. Who could have possibly killed them?
I loved this one for the atmosphere and the characters! I thought Lizzie and the relationship she had with her sister were so brilliantly done, and super disturbing 😁
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