Manhunt - Annotated by James L Swanson (Paperback)

About the Book

From April 14-26, 1865, the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices transfixed a nation reeling from the horrors of the newly ended Civil War. "Manhunt" takes readers on the intensive search that moves side-by-side with the desperate assassin from the streets of Washington, D.C., through the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.

Book Synopsis

Now an Apple TV+ Series

"A terrific narrative of the hunt for Lincoln's killers that will mesmerize the reader from start to finish."--Doris Kearns Goodwin

The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history--the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry troops on a wild, 12-day chase from the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.

Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln's own blood relics Manhunt is a fully documented, fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, it is history as it's never been read before.

From the Back Cover

The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin, John Wilkes Booth, led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.

James L. Swanson's Manhunt is a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.

Review Quotes

"James Swanson has written a terrific narrative . . . a triumphant book." -- Doris Kearns Goodwin

"Brilliant! Absolutely haunting. . . . This historical book is almost impossible to put down." -- Patricia Cornwell

"A gripping page-turner . . . Riviting . . . Booth comes across as viscerally real." -- Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A)

"Told expertly . . . Swanson's moment by moment account of the 12-day chase is compulsively readable." -- Wall Street Journal

"Extraordinary . . . Brilliant . . . As gripping as any tightly scripted crime drama" -- Boston Globe

"An action-adventure . . . infuse[d] with high drama. . . . A multifaceted chronicle." -- New York Times

"Vividly readable example of the you-are-there genre . . . managed with 'CSI' immediacy." -- Washington Post