Chasing Lincoln's Killer

This young adult adaptation of James Swanson's bestselling "Manhunt" offers a meticulously researched, fast-paced account of the twelve-day chase for John Wilkes Booth following Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Drawing from original sources like trial transcripts and letters, the book provides an authentic, moment-by-moment narrative of the pursuit across Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Beyond the thrilling manhunt, it also explores the profound impact of Lincoln's death on those closest to him, humanizing the historical figure. It's an accessible entry point for young readers into a pivotal moment in American history, presented with the tension of a fictional thriller.

Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia. "This story is true. All the characters are real and were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865. Their words are authentic and come from original sources: letters, manuscripts, trial transcripts, newspapers, government reports, pamphlets, books and other documents. What happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made up." So begins this fast-paced thriller that tells the story of the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth and gives a day-by-day account of the wild chase to find this killer and his accomplices. Based on James Swanson's bestselling adult book MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER, this young people's version is an accessible look at the assassination of a president, and shows readers Abraham Lincoln the man, the father, the husband, the friend, and how his death impacted those closest to him.