Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 5/11/2018 + 1178 more book reviews

I thought this was a very compelling narrative of the events leading up to Lincoln's assassination as well as the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators. The book starts with the final days of the Civil War and the battles leading to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House. This includes the role of George Armstrong Custer who I didn't realize was involved in those final battles. Then the story delves into John Wilkes Booth and his eventual plan to kill the President. I was unaware that Booth and many others were originally plotting to kidnap Lincoln up until the war ended which then led Booth to the assassination. As part of the plot, the conspirators also planned on killing Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward at the same time. Seward was actually viciously attacked in his home while recovering from a bad accident but the person who was supposed to kill Johnson backed out. There were also implications in the book that Secretary of War Stanton may have been involved in the plot. The assassination itself is also described in detail including the play the Lincolns went to see at Ford's Theater and the actors taking part. Ulysses S. Grant was originally going to attend with the Lincolns but backed out when his wife insisted on leaving the city. The hunt for Booth was also very compelling reading and the eventual fate of the conspirators included the hanging of the only female ever executed by the Federal Government, Mary Surratt, who really wasn't directly involved in the conspiracy.

Overall, I learned a lot from this one. I really didn't know the extent of the conspiracy to kill Lincoln and this book really shed a light on the whole story. While it was not as detailed as it could have been, it was a very educational experience. I'm not sure how much of this Bill O'Reilly actually wrote...I know his co-author Martin Dugard has written several other historical works so I tend to think he was the guiding hand in the book. In any case, I would definitely recommend this one to anyone wanting a good background on the assassination.

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