Chasing Lincoln's Killer Review

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(More customer reviews)If any historical account for youth should get six stars, it is *Chasing Lincoln's Killer* by James Swanson. Written for ages 12 and up, this book moves at a quick pace and is chock-full of details that I had never seen before, my introduction to the subject having been a *You Are There* account of John Wilkes Booth by Walter Cronkite in the 1950s. Teachers, students, and homeschoolers will find this a valuable illustrated resource. Swanson has done a great job of making this historical account read like a novel. It includes dialogue, but all words and sentences in quotation marks are the actual words of eyewitnesses and participants whose works served as primary sources for this book. Atmosphere is included, but only that which would be apparent to a writer who put himself into the scene to imagine it. For example, the smells inside Surratt's tavern are listed as "wax, candles, oil lamps, tobacco, burning stove wood, whiskey, dirty clothes, and leather boots"--realistic details that help readers to place themselves in the company of the fleeing Booth and co-conspirator David Herold. Another plus is that Swanson does not take cheap shots at Mary Todd Lincoln or Boston Corbett, whose personal quirks are often used as grist for writers about Lincoln. Published by Scholastic Press, the book has ancillaries including a reading group activity guide, an educational poster, and downloadable activities on the publisher's web site. This book will grab the attention of any reader and spark interest in this great historical event. I myself am motivated now to read Swanson's New York Times bestseller, *Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer* on which *Chasing Lincoln's Killer* is based.

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