Author’s
name: Timothy L. O’Brien
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Year: 2012
Price in
sterling: £12.59
Format: Hb &
eBook
# of
pages: 368
ISBN: 978-0345496775
The
Civil War has ended and the President who has done the most in recent to bring
about social and political change is dead, murdered in a theatre by a radical
lone gunman. As the fledgling United States struggles to comprehend the loss of
Abraham Lincoln, a Washington D.C detective, Temple McFadden, becomes embroiled
in a situation that could rock the establishment to its core.
He is
dragged into a shoot out at the B&O Railroad Station and, on the body of a
dying man, he finds two diaries that put him and the ones he loves in mortal
danger. One is that of the President’s
widow, the other is written in a mysterious code, He is soon on the run, using his wits and
guile to keep the diaries out of the hands of Lafayette Baker, the head of the
Union Army Spy Service and Allan Pinkerton, the famous private investigator
amongst others. What
follows will cause him to doubt everything he believes in and if the real
reason for Lincoln’s murder was revealed, it would endanger everything the
great man had strived to achieve.
Review
The
murder of Abraham Lincoln is one of history’s most defining moments. Whilst it is undoubtedly a story which is of
great importance to the American people, it also has meaning to many people
around the world. A man with a vision
who wanted to create a society where everyone had worth, where everyone was
equal and no one could claim ownership over another. But in Timothy O’Brien’s novel, that presumption
is turned on its head.
Most
readers enjoy a good conspiracy thriller, I thoroughly enjoy the re-workings
and re-inventions that talented writers develop around actual events and this
story is one of the best I have read this year.
I know little about the history of the USA but that did not spoil the
enjoyment of the book because the author seems to have taken that into account
and expertly provides a narrative that educates as well as entertains.
The main
protagonist, Temple McFadden is a typically flawed hero with a strong,
independent wife and a group of friends who cover the whole spectrum of
society. The antagonists are larger than
life and twice as nasty and the writing is of a high quality. All in all this is an extremely enjoyable
book that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and thrillers alike. As such I am awarding The Lincoln Conspiracy
4 Crosses!
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