Sunday, November 21, 2010

ATTENTION MYSTERY AND HISTORY LOVERS!

THE FIRST ASSASSIN

(Published by Amazon encore)

This is one of those novels that takes literary license with history. If I were teaching English (especially American Literature) or American History, I would assign this book to my students. The novel is based in historical fact but the author gives Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War a heart beat and breath sounds.

You might be deceived by the title of the novel and believe it is about John Wilkes Boothe, but you would be mistaken! This is a very different plot and a very different assassin!

We see how Abraham Lincoln might have been. We are taken inside conversations with generals during the Civil War and we hear them discuss the war. Lincoln is made so human in this novel.

We are introduced to a very heroic figure who is assigned to protect Lincoln, Colonel Charles P. Rook. The Rook character is a composite of several real people. He serves the roles of protector, detective and soldier.

This novel gets a standing ovation and a "BRAVO!" from this reader. I was captivated.

1 comment:

Diane Kelly said...

I enjoyed Matthew Pearl's "The Last Dickens" for the same reason - he gave life to a historical figure.