Just finished reading  Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever. It was penned by Bill O'Reilly the Fox news commentator and Martin Dugan a historian. I can recommend it to those who have never read this part of history pertaining to the planning, execution and death, and the chase. 

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever tackles the assassination of President Lincoln in a slightly different way than a number of Lincoln books I have read. This one narrates the last days of Lincoln's life, the assassination and the follow-up search for Booth. 

We follow Lincoln on the last days of his life as the Civil War nears its end. Lincoln, ever so involved was nearby many of the battle grounds and toured Richmond that fell at wars end.

This is intwertwined with the planning of a kidnapping of the president by Booth and co-conspirators. After the war ends shortly after Booths plans turn to assassination. We follow the story with notables of General Grant, Johnson the vice president, Secretary Stanton whose position helps drive the story along with a little more than a glimpse of Lincoln's relationship with his wife. 

pops Take

Though not one to study the Civil War in great depth I have read some ten or so books on the subject. It is an intirguing and identifying part of American history. Studying Abraham Lincoln's involvement  on its own is an amazing tale. When understanding the battles, the generals, the terrain and the push and pull of the war it seems to draw a person to want to reads even more...and so I did with Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever. 

This book was on the NY Times Best seller list for 5 weeks, if not for the death of Steve Jobs, whose biography is now number 1, it may have continued for weeks more. Much, of course, may have been to O'Reilly's primary position to hawk his book on his very popular cable TV station. 
 
The book is promised as a thriller and I do believe it managed to meet that goal. That said, after reading other books about that time and place, this lacked depth. This is especially true after reading James Swanson Manhunt; The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer some year or two ago. That book was particularly filled with detail and insight.

The author's do write a book that moves along with spirit and intrigue, that is for sure. The fact is the books some 300 pages could have/should have been filled with another 200 pages filling in the reader with more background of the players. The character development was OK but, because I have read of them previously in other books, I felt the reader here loses some of that depth.

Not known to me during the read, but finding out later, there are several gaffes printed in the book that would certainly bother the Civil War historians such as multiple references to the Oval Office that didn't exist until years well after Lincoln's death.

All in all though, the book, penned as, and advertised as a thriller, does hit its mark. It's a story that is intriguing, fast paced and offers a piece of history that should be discovered by anyone not familiar the background of the plot of those looking to be "Killing Lincoln."



James L. Swanson - Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer Books

Recommended: Yes