Books › Chasing Lincoln's killer
Chasing Lincoln's killer
197 pages
A breathless, true-crime historical thriller that plunges you into the desperate, shadowy swamps of a twelve-day national manhunt.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels less like studying history and more like being dropped into the middle of a high-stakes true-crime thriller. The narrative moves with a propulsive, ticking-clock urgency, dragging you through the shadowy streets of 1865 Washington and into the muddy, desperate swamps of the South. It is steeped in a tense, somber mood, balancing the profound grief of a shattered nation with the adrenaline-fueled desperation of a manhunt. The prose is cinematic and accessible, seamlessly weaving authentic letters and trial transcripts into a gripping story that never feels bogged down by its own research. It is an absolute magnet for reluctant readers and young history buffs who want their nonfiction to feel as breathless and dramatic as a blockbuster movie.
- Mood
- tense
- shadowy
- gripping
- somber
- Tone
- urgent
- dramatic
- factual
- suspenseful
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- national trauma · the anatomy of a manhunt · justice and vengeance · historical fanaticism
- The writing
- Cinematic and accessible, weaving primary source quotes into a fast-paced narrative that reads like a thriller.
- The arc
- Moves from the shock and profound grief of a national tragedy into a breathless, high-stakes pursuit, ending in a grim but necessary reckoning.
- Who it's for
- Reluctant readers and young history buffs who crave high-stakes true crime and fast-paced narrative nonfiction.
Content notes
- gun violence
- assassination
- death
- historical racism
About the book
Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia. "This story is true. All the characters are real and were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865. Their words are authentic and come from original sources: letters, manuscripts, trial transcripts, newspapers, government reports, pamphlets, books and other documents. What happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made up."
So begins this fast-paced thriller that tells the story of the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth and gives a day-by-day account of the wild chase to find this killer and his accomplices. Based on James Swanson's bestselling adult book MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER, this young people's version is an accessible look at the assassination of a president, and shows readers Abraham Lincoln the man, the father, the husband, the friend, and how his death impacted those closest to him.
Description from Open Library.
Books like Chasing Lincoln's killer
See why they match
ManhuntJames L. SwansonA ticking-clock historical thriller that plunges the reader into the desperate, hour-by-hour pursuit of America's most notorious fugitive.
Lincoln's Grave RobbersSteve SheinkinA tense, stranger-than-fiction historical heist that reads like a thriller.
Killing LincolnBill O'ReillyA cinematic, present-tense plunge into one of history's darkest moments that reads with the breathless urgency of a ticking-clock thriller.
LincolnRussell FreedmanA visually rich, deeply humanizing portrait that strips away the myth to reveal the man.
Who was Abraham Lincoln?Janet B. PascalAn engaging, fast-paced, and heavily illustrated introduction to the life and legacy of a monumental historical figure.
Killing KennedyBill O'ReillyA cinematic, ticking-clock narrative that transforms a well-known historical tragedy into a suspenseful collision of two very different lives.