Through parallel narratives, Holzer tells the story of Lincoln’s presidency and John Wilkes Booth’s conspiracy to avenge the fall of the Confederacy. He explains the evolution of Lincoln’s attitude toward slavery as well as the evolution of the plot against Lincoln. Booth had witnessed the hanging of John Brown in 1859 and was both inspired by and jealous of the instant fame that Brown’s historic action garnered. Booth led a conspiracy to kidnap the president in order to exchange him for the thousands of Confederate prisoners of war. The plan evolved into a plot to murder Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State Seward, in an attempt to throw the entire government into chaos. Holzer neatly weaves a huge amount of information into this fascinating story, a page-turner for history buffs. Archival prints and photographs enrich the text and he points out inaccuracies in the prints. A superb addition to the field. (postscript, bibliography, places to visit, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)
