Murder on the Baltimore Express: The Plot to Keep Abraham Lincoln from Becoming President

Jurmain (Worst of Friends) returns with this suspenseful account of the Confederate plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln in Baltimore en route to his inauguration. Deeming it “important to give the American people a chance to see him in person,” Lincoln embarked on a 70-stop tour to introduce himself, beginning in Springfield, Ill., and ending at the nation’s capital. But Lincoln became a seemingly easy target for Southern secessionists when newspapers published his travel schedule in detail. The book’s tension relies on Jurmain’s intricate account of Lincoln’s trip, as he gets closer and closer to Baltimore and as a small but dedicated group attempts to learn the particulars of the assassination plot in order to thwart it. Jurmain profiles a memorable cast of characters, especially Lincoln himself, unruffled in the face of threat; Allan Pinkerton, the famed detective obsessed with tracking down the conspirators; and Kate Warne, a “vivacious and clever” pioneering female detective and spy. Basing her narrative on numerous primary sources, Jurmain’s nonfiction thriller resonates by touching upon contemporary concerns, particularly deep-seated political prejudice and racial division. Ages 10–14. [em]Agent: Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis. (Apr.) [/em]