The Murder of Abraham Lincoln

This latest volume of Geary's series A Treasury of Victorian Murder is a must-read for those who are only familiar with cursory details of Lincoln's assassination. Geary's meticulous research and vivid illustrations create a fascinating narrative that covers the 62 days between March 4 and May 4, 1865, and provide a wealth of information on murderous thespian and Southern loyalist John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators, some of whom backed out of the assassination plot. Geary paints Booth as a man with an exorbitant need for attention and aggrandizement. History shows he achieved the attention he sought, but rather than being hailed as a hero to the South, Booth found himself regarded as an utter villain by those whose favor he hoped to garner. Geary also gives much attention to the bizarre elements of the case, such as Lincoln's ominous dreams of his own death, the strange actions of Secretary of War Edwin McMasters Stanton and the shockingly lax security around the president, all the more alarming when coupled with obvious hints beforehand that something foul was afoot in the capital. With his elegant pen-and-ink art and knack for sifting memorable and unusual details from history, Geary renders this familiar true story in riveting and thorough detail. (Aug. )