Review: Highly recommended!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2012
What a pleasant surprise!  I wondered before reading this book how much more can be written about Lincoln's assassination.  But Berry truly created a thriller in which knowing the results doesn't take anything away from the journey that gets you there.  I felt like more of a witness to history than a reader of history.  The accessibility to and sometimes even informal interactions with the President, consistent with the time, are fascinating.  Along the way some of the details will make you cringe, too, including the primitive way the doctors examined Lincoln's wound, the graphic depiction of the brutal assaults on the Secretary of State, his family and others and even the matter-of-fact manner in which the conspiracy takes form.  We can't tell how much of the dialogue and characters' thoughts are realistic but that's okay.  The job of an historical novelist is to grab your interest early, hold that interest and in doing so transport you to another time.  Berry's done just that and I highly recommend this novel - not just for history buffs but for anyone who enjoys a good thriller.