The Scandalous Hamiltons by Bill Shaffer

Gilded Age New York was full of sensational journalism and there were plenty of scandals to catch a reader's eye - torrid love affairs, crooked politicians, swindlers and women's rights that would barely make a major headline today filled the many daily newspapers of the city. One case covered many of the hot topics, that of the supposed marriage of one of Alexander Hamilton's descendants and his fortune seeking, swindler wife. Robert Ray Hamilton was not the oldest son but his decision to marry well beneath him to his lover who tried to pass off a baby as his kept the wedding out of the society pages. When a cat fight broke out between his wife Evangeline and the baby's nurse which resulted in a stabbing, Robert filed for divorce. Once Eva was in jail charged with the stabbing it didn't take long for the court to discover that she was still married to her friend's son and multiple babies were purchased. In the end Robert fled New York for adventure in Wyoming and died there in a suspicious accident while Eva proclaimed her innocence to the end and still fought for part of the Hamilton estate. This book has it all - seduction, corruption and a big dose of scandal which will appeal to those historical buffs, readers of Caleb Carr and viewers of The Gilded Age who wanted more of the seedy side.
​3 1/2 stars