On April 10, 1834, a fire broke out at the Lalaurie house on the corner of Royal and Governor Nichols streets in the French Quarter of New Orleans. When firemen arrived, they found slaves shackled in a padlocked attic, apparent victims of torture and starvation.

When word got out, a mob ensued sending Madame Delphine McCarty Lalaurie into hiding. She retreated to family in France but there is evidence she later returned to New Orleans and is buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.

Visitors to New Orleans can hear this story nightly -- with embellishments of various kinds -- on any ghost tour. In fact, the "Lalaurie House" is one of the most written about buildings of the Quarter because it is supposedly haunted and has been named the most haunted house of New Orleans, as well as cursed. Even actor Nicholas Cage lived here for a spell before selling the home.

Historian Victoria Cosner Love and author Lorelei Shannon attempt to look behind the myths and relay the truth of what happened that night in "Mad Madame Lalaurie: New Orleans' Most Famous Murderess Revealed" by The History Press. The book offers accounts of what happened in 1834 and the incidents of possible slave abuse leading up to that night; a family history of Delphine, her marriages and children and possible abuse by her second husband, Louis Lalaurie; and the incident's aftermath. They use archival sources, family letters, newspapers and other research to back up their findings.

More than solve the mystery whether Lalaurie was a torturess or a pawn of her physician husband, the authors discount the many myths surrounding the incident and shed light on the McCartys, the Lopez family (Delphine's first husband who died mysteriously) and the Lalauries. Although it doesn't tie things up in a neat knot like a good mystery, the book lets you be the judge. When dealing with history and the resources at hand, that's about the best we can hope for.