Written by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
Published on September 27, 2011
On April 14, 1865 Abraham Lincoln became the first U.S. President to be assassinated. His murder came at the end of the bloody four-year civil war. As with the Kennedy assassination Lincoln’s murder was a key moment in American history that O’Reilly and Dugard have written about in a quick, dramatic way that would appeal to fiction readers. This will not interest academics or readers that have read earlier books on Lincoln. There were many inaccuracies in this book that I found distracting and in the end made me question the books accuracy overall. For instance the Oval office was mentioned several times but did not exist until 1909. The story is written in a sensational true crime format that will appeal to true crime and fiction readers.
Appeal Notes (May contain spoilers):
Pacing: Fast
Character: Lincoln, Booth and the others part of Lincoln and Booths lives.
Language: Compelling and dramatic
Location: United States, Washington D.C.
Tone: Dramatic
Comments: I enjoy reading about the Civil War and decided to put myself of the list of patrons waiting for both “Killing Lincoln” and “Killing Kennedy”. I have read a great deal about Lincoln and the Civil war and did not gain any new information reading this book. I did enjoy the writing style and the way the Lincoln’s assassination was presented making it a good choice for readers who do not typically read nonfiction. For readers that enjoyed this book I would recommend “The Assassin’s Accomplice : Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln” written by Kate Clifford Larson.
