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Summary and Reviews of Manhunt by James Swanson

Manhunt by James L. Swanson

Manhunt

The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

by James L. Swanson
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  • Critics' Consensus (5):
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  • First Published:
  • Feb 1, 2006, 448 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Feb 2007, 496 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

A fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.

The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history -- the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.

At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, America's notorious villain. A Confederate sympathizer and a member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame and wealth for a chance to avenge the South's defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the manhunters, slipping away from their every move and denying them the justice they sought.

Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln's own blood relics, Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.

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Reviews

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Swanson has taken a piece of history and presented it as an action-adventure story seen through the eyes of the hunters and the hunted - and quite a story it is too! He cuts through the overwhelming weight of history to focus solely on the hour-by-hour events immediately before Lincoln's assassination, and the 12-day chase following it (with a short discussion at the end covering the trials of the four co-conspirators and the post-assassination lives of those caught up in the chase)...continued

Full Review (336 words)

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Beyond the Book



John Wilkes Booth

Booth's father, Junius Brutus Booth, emigrated from England in 1821 and quickly established himself as one of the great actors of the day. Most of his children were born out of wedlock, and most followed him onto the stage. John Wilkes Booth started his career in 1855 in Baltimore, and then in Philadelphia. Initially, he didn't show promise but in 1858 he moved to Richmond, Virginia where he became more confident as an actor and grew popular with audiences.

He temporarily enlisted in the Confederate army in 1959 in order to witness the hanging of abolitionist John Brown - afterwards he returned to Richmond and was discharged. He did not fight in the Civil War (apparently having promised his mother that he would not join the...

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Read-Alikes

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