The murder cases are discussed in chronological order. The discussion starts with the Borden ax murders in Fall River, Massachusetts. Hixson effectively describes what life was like in a bustling New England mill town in patriarchal Victorian America that was experiencing rapid growth and an influx of immigrant workers. The specific facts of the case are described as well as the general atmosphere of the times. The cause of the tension in the Borden home is well laid out.
Ultimately money seems to be the motive for the killings.
However, a passionately disliked stepmother and a distrust of other relatives combined with jealousy and an apparent discontent with life to provide the necessary impetus for murder. A common problem in all the murder cases covered in the book is inept police work. Given the state of criminal forensics in the late 19th century and the sociocultural limitations on police investigations, the missteps in the Borden case are understandable. The most glaring example was the reluctance of the police to thoroughly search Lizzy Borden's wardrobe Page 109 begins here for blood stained clothes. Lizzy subsequently was seen burning the dress she wore the day of the murders.