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A review by richardrbecker
The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President—And Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer, Josh Mensch
4.0
Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch deliver a rousing story about the first assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln and uncovers some insight into the early years of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency — including the first known female private investigator — in the process.
The plot, which was largely formulated by The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC), intended to kill the President-elect in Baltimore while traveling to his inauguration. Many of its members also advocated for secession, which was part of their larger intent to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle. This country would eventually be divided into 25 slave states, including Mexico, parts of South America, and the Caribbean.
While not tackled in the book, the KGC had many notable members and sympathizers, including members of President James Buchanan's administration. With the exception of mentioning James Wilkes Booth (who later did assassinate the President), Meltzer and Mensch stick to those closest to the original plot.
The most dubious of those men was Cypriano Ferrandini, a longtime barber who almost immediately began training militia to what the South equated to an onslaught against southern principles at the time. While some historians still argue whether or not Ferrandini played a central role in the pilot, Meltzer and Mensch place him front and center.
By stirring together bits of history, memoirs, letters, and books, Meltzer and Mensch deliver a detailed account from the perspective of Lincoln, Pinkerton, Kate Wayne, and KGC members. The story is told as a tightly-written thriller, with short digestible chapters that keep the story moving forward.
It’s not until Part IV, The Aftermath, that things begin to slow down and become a bit jumbled. In that final section, less critical to the assignation story, that the authors attempt to pack too much into too small of a space. The result reads like a postscript before the postscript — interesting but not nearly as compelling as the conspiracy story. Shortening it all to a single postscript might have been better.
A very enjoyable, fast-paced read that sheds more light on President Lincoln, Allan Pinkerton, and Kate Wayne. Without their resolve, the history of the United States might be very different.
The plot, which was largely formulated by The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC), intended to kill the President-elect in Baltimore while traveling to his inauguration. Many of its members also advocated for secession, which was part of their larger intent to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle. This country would eventually be divided into 25 slave states, including Mexico, parts of South America, and the Caribbean.
While not tackled in the book, the KGC had many notable members and sympathizers, including members of President James Buchanan's administration. With the exception of mentioning James Wilkes Booth (who later did assassinate the President), Meltzer and Mensch stick to those closest to the original plot.
The most dubious of those men was Cypriano Ferrandini, a longtime barber who almost immediately began training militia to what the South equated to an onslaught against southern principles at the time. While some historians still argue whether or not Ferrandini played a central role in the pilot, Meltzer and Mensch place him front and center.
By stirring together bits of history, memoirs, letters, and books, Meltzer and Mensch deliver a detailed account from the perspective of Lincoln, Pinkerton, Kate Wayne, and KGC members. The story is told as a tightly-written thriller, with short digestible chapters that keep the story moving forward.
It’s not until Part IV, The Aftermath, that things begin to slow down and become a bit jumbled. In that final section, less critical to the assignation story, that the authors attempt to pack too much into too small of a space. The result reads like a postscript before the postscript — interesting but not nearly as compelling as the conspiracy story. Shortening it all to a single postscript might have been better.
A very enjoyable, fast-paced read that sheds more light on President Lincoln, Allan Pinkerton, and Kate Wayne. Without their resolve, the history of the United States might be very different.