A compelling read about the tragic and mysterious true-crime case that came influenced many works, including Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Kate Winkler Dawson is a well known writer whose decision to cover Sarah Cornell's death is made even more interesting by her choice of a co-investigator - Catharine Williams, a woman who wrote her own version of this case, America's first true-crime novel, nearly two centuries ago. Compiled from the extensive research of both women, and supplemented with Dawson own investigation into Williams's and her work, this novel is a well-researched, close examination of the events leading up to and surrounding the chilling death of thirty-year-old Cornell.

Despite it's subject being a 1830s murder trial, there are pieces of the tale that unfortunately ring true even in today's society. The Sinners All Bow tells the heartbreaking story of a women's desperate search for justice in a world where religious evangelism, sexism, and shame all do their best to muddy the waters. 

Thank you to Penguin Group, Putnam Books, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.