Chasing Lincoln's Killer: The Search for John Wilkes Booth

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In a concise and very moving account of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, author James L. Swanson delivers an excellent companion book to his best-seller, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. Though the work is crafted for "young readers," the wealth of engravings, artist's renderings, production prints, woodcuts and photographs - including an April 14, 1865, playbill advertisement for the Ford's Theatre - from the time period should be of interest to anyone remotely interested in history. There is a powerful photograph of one of the seven conspirators, Lewis Powell, whose haunting eyes tells the story as well as any words. The rush by the media to cover the tragedy is particularly interesting. Major errors in factual information occurred as newspapers rushed one-page extras onto the streets and pamphlets were being quickly produced for sale. Erroneous reports included the murder of Secretary of State William H. Seward - he was wounded in a knife attack - the shooting of Captain Henry Rathbone, who was in the president's box in the theatre - Major Rathbone was cut with a dagger wielded by John Wilkes Booth while struggling with the assassin - and the incorrect time of death of President Lincoln. Surprisingly, Dawley's New War Novels got things right when advertising a work of fiction entitled, Booth: The Assassin; the cover of the magazine was an accurate depiction of the president's box at the time of the assassination. Swanson adroitly maneuvers the story from Washington, D.C., to the swamps, rivers, fields and forests of Maryland and Virginia. Emerging from the shadows of Booth on the run for 12 days and the unraveling of the conspiracy are Colonel Lafayette C. Baker, whose work to solve the crime became driven by a hefty financial reward, and Sergeant Boston "Lincoln's Avenger" Corbett, the man who shot Booth during the showdown at Garrett farm. On April 21 Booth wrote in his diary: "...I am here in despair. And why? For doing what Brutus was honored for - what made Tell a hero. And yet I, for striking down the greater tyrant than they ever knew, am looked upon as a common cut-throat...I struck for my country and that alone." The assassination of President Lincoln was the abrupt termination of a dream, with lasting ramifications. Swanson delivers a powerful reminder on how it all tragically ended through an assassin and his Philadelphia Deringer pistol.

If any historical account for youth should get six stars, it is *Chasing Lincoln's Killer* by James Swanson. Written for ages 12 and up, this book moves at a quick pace and is chock-full of details that I had never seen before, my introduction to the subject having been a *You Are There* account of John Wilkes Booth by Walter Cronkite in the 1950s. Teachers, students, and homeschoolers will find this a valuable illustrated resource. Swanson has done a great job of making this historical account read like a novel. It includes dialogue, but all words and sentences in quotation marks are the actual words of eyewitnesses and participants whose works served as primary sources for this book. Atmosphere is included, but only that which would be apparent to a writer who put himself into the scene to imagine it. For example, the smells inside Surratt's tavern are listed as "wax, candles, oil lamps, tobacco, burning stove wood, whiskey, dirty clothes, and leather boots"--realistic details that help readers to place themselves in the company of the fleeing Booth and co-conspirator David Herold. Another plus is that Swanson does not take cheap shots at Mary Todd Lincoln or Boston Corbett, whose personal quirks are often used as grist for writers about Lincoln. Published by Scholastic Press, the book has ancillaries including a reading group activity guide, an educational poster, and downloadable activities on the publisher's web site. This book will grab the attention of any reader and spark interest in this great historical event. I myself am motivated now to read Swanson's New York Times bestseller, *Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer* on which *Chasing Lincoln's Killer* is based.

I am sure everyone has heard of John Wilkes Booth and at least knows a little bit about him....but this book fills in alot of gaps that you might not know. I am just a casual reader of this subject, I enjoy Civil War books alot, but didn't know much about the details of Lincoln's shooting until reading this book. This is a very interesting book that's very simple to read and follow...also has some very good pictures that I had never seen before. You could easily read this in a day or 2...It's 195 pages and the words are pretty good size...so it's good for anyone, not just the teen audience the book is intended for.

I'm a huge fan of the adult version MANHUNT so I skeptically anticipated this vine product. I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised and very pleased with this book. I consider it almost a supplement to the adult book in many ways. While the story is more concise and a bit simplified here (obviously), there are MANY pictures in this teen book that are not in the adult version (such as the picture of the hanging of the conspirators, and the portrait of Dr. Samuel Mudd, to name a few.) I understand that the publishers may feel that teens need more pictures to grab their interest than an adult might, but Swanson's narrative really could stand alone. But, thank goodness that it doesn't! The tight storytelling and the myriad of pictures that enhance the narration prove to be a fantastic combination of visual and verbal input for the reader. (I should also say that the advance copy that I received was missing several visuals as well, so the final product will be full of even more photos, portraits, documents etc). Highly Recommended.