The Judges of the Secret Court: A Novel About John Wilkes Booth (New York Review Books Classics)
“Far more than just “a novel about John Wilkes Booth,”The Judges of the Secret Court— haunting title — depicts the complex aftershock of the Lincoln assassination on a surprisingly large circle of people, including the various conspirators, the famous Booth family of actors and the Washington politicos who seize on the death of the president for their own purposes….What most surprises about this “historical” novel is its urbane, mildly epigrammatic style. Stacton is never florid or old-fashioned. He writes with lean economy and speed….The Judges of the Secret Courtisn’t just a novel about John Wilkes Booth; it is a vision of what life and the world do to us.” -- Michael Dirda,The Washington Post"David Stacton is an original, finely pitched voice in American fiction. I own most of his books and have enjoyed every one. He deserves to return." —Larry McMurtry“The Judges of the Secret Courtis a superior historical fiction, accurate in detail, moving and compelling narrative and character. But it is something more than this as well, an exploration by a brilliant and thoughtful writer of the labyrinthine ways of good and evil.”  —Robert R. Kirsch,Los Angeles Times