The Lincoln Conspiracy: A Novel (edition 2012)

On the plus side, vivid historical detail bringing the immediate post-Civil War period in all its messiness and uncertainty to life. On the downside, the characters are a bit thin because so much is just happening that we never find out nearly enough about who they are as people to fully satisfy me, and as consequence also, the numerous plot threads are often somewhat confusing. An interesting premise with something of a mixed bag in terms of execution--still a pretty good read. ( )

Historical fiction set in post-Civil War America is far from my forte or an time period I read much about, but when I was offered a chance to read The Lincoln Conspiracy as part of a blog tour, I couldn't resist. From the title to the cover to the blurb, this is a book that seemed right up my alley. Lincoln is one of those Presidents that will always intrigue and interest me and I was curious to see what type of individual spin O'Brien would use for his version of the events around the assassination. Timothy O'Brien proves himself a more than able storyteller in his easy-to-envision version of Lincoln's American. This wasn't a perfect read for me, but I was impressed enough with the author's style and imagination to be more than willing to read another book of his down the road. His obvious enthusiasm for American history and this particular time period shine through the narrative, and is one of the most compelling components to a well-constructed novel.

Though I was interested in both the plot and the protagonist of Temple McFadden, the novel started off slowly for me. There's action and adventure and gunfights from the first chapter, but I wasn't fully involved in the plot being unwound until about halfway through the novel, and had a hard time being fully engaged in the story. I think that the introduction is so frenetic and fast-paced, I was left without a firm impression on who the key players were and what their motivations were towards the diaries. The suspense was not as heavy or all encompassing as I would have expected for a thriller novel about uncovering an assassination conspiracy; again I believe that is the result of breakneck speed at which everything happens in Temple's dogged and dangerous investigation. That isn't to say that I wasn't eventually caught up in the plot and reveals, but that it just took a while longer than I would have liked. Once The Lincoln Conspiracy starts hitting on all cylinders, it is an entertaining and vivid look at the fallout from one of America's most shocking events.

Coinciding with O'Brien's obvious knowledge and love for the time/area shown, it's easy to get a good feel for postbellum Washington, D.C. The scenery and the various aspects of the city are always described and so easy to imagine. Such detail is worked into the narrative easily, and doesn't distract from the main focus of the momentum that O'Brien started off with. Appearances from well-known historical personages - from Pinkerton to Lafayette Baker to Mary and Robert Todd Lincoln - are fun additions while adding to the overall benefit of the story. The main characters can come across as slightly blasé and flat, but for the most part, they are wildly disparate and well-rounded people with unique motivations and personalities. I thought the secondary and tertiary characters were great additions - and ones that often stole the show from Temple and his various antagonists.

I did have some issues with dialogue and vocabulary of the novel. Sometimes the interactions between characters and how they talked felt just off to me, but it was an intermittent problem and so small of a one that didn't distract me too much from the story itself. I also felt very uncomfortable with how many times the n-word was used - authentic or not. While that may be how the populace talked and addressed other races at the time, I will never be okay with reading it. A personal issue, to be quite honest, and one I don't begrudge the author for using. O'Brien is authentic to history in so many ways over the course of the novel, and my personal attitudes didn't drastically impact my reaction to the novel. Just be warned, it is used frequently.

The twist at the end is a good one, if not a wholly unexpected turn of events. Those familiar with conspiracies about Lincoln's death will half-expect how things turn out with the conspiracy, but O'Brien is more than capable of managing to manipulate a different ending than the one I assumed it would be. If The Lincoln Conspiracy ends with less solid resolution than I think it deserved, it is still a rewarding, engaging and creative novel about an interesting time, peopled with well-drawn characters. ( )

Received this title as a Goodreads giveaway. I thought the author was Tim O'Brien who wrote "The Things They Carried" about the Vietnam war; but, this is a different Timothy O'Brien and not the same author at all. Early into the book and it is intended as an action/adventure fictional account of what might have transpired in DC around Lincoln's death.
Finished the pre-publication edition this morning. The author's strength is in depicting the period of the nation - the transportation, the clothing, the beliefs, the occupations, the technology, etc. I particularly enjoyed the one scene with the photographer and his negative of the last photo of Lincoln. (I recently joined a photo club and am learning digital photography, so, there is a natural interest.) The plot was interesting and held my attention. Living in the DC suburbs, I was interested in the dated scenes of historic Washington DC sites, too.
The author's weakness is that I found the story often confusing - so many characters and not enough initial character development for the leads and little transition between scenes. ( )

A great deal of research went into 'The Lincoln Conspiracy' by Timothy O'Brien. I did enjoy learning about Mr. Pinkerton and the amazing Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I was very disappointed the lack of mystery and suspense in this book. I would have greatly preferred that the author had written a historical fiction book about Mary Edwards Walker.

I did love the quirky characters in this book. Temple McFadden, a Washington D.C. detective was unique because he did not carry a gun and walked with a limp. I loved his witty responses to the other characters like his wife. His wife, Fiona was my favorite character. It seems that she was properly trained as a doctor but society, including her own father would not accept her as that. She was forced to take the role of a nurse. She loved Temple fiercely and often nursed him through the wounds of attacks on him. Fiona was the author's stage to give us insight into Civil Medicine.

Also Augustus, an unusually educated “negro” for the time added his anger and wisdom to this book.

The second greatest asset to this book is the incredible focus on the time and place. It was so easy to slide into the time after Lincoln’s assassination and to picture, smell and hear the Washington DC of that era. You could see the pigs in the streets and smell the odors coming from the swamps.

The lack of suspense seemed to slow down the pace of this book.

If you want mystery, this book is not the place to go, if you want historical fiction then this book is for you. ( )

Temple McFadden, a Met detective, mistakenly comes into possession of two valuable diaries days after Lincoln is assassinated. The two diaries belong to Mary Todd Lincoln and James Wilkes Booth. These diaries reveal the sinister plots of those who wanted to assassinate the President and how much the government was involved. But Temple isn't the only one who wants these diaries. The Union Spy Network, the Pinkertons and others want to these diaries for their own sinister purposes, and they are willing to kill to obtain these diaries. With the help of his nurse wife, Fiona, and their famous friends, Temple tries to stay alive and in possession of the diaries.

This detective book weaves readers in and out of the Capitol in precarious days. With danger all around and coming from all directions, Temple McFadden becomes a hero. Carrying a cane instead of a gun, quick-thinking Temple makes for a fun adventure. Fiona and the other characters round out the story. The plot was full of twists and turns, but somehow Temple always manages (more or less) to stay one step ahead of the others. Thought I'm not a huge mystery fan, I really enjoyed this book. The historical accurate characters and exciting plot make this book a great read!! ( )