Thriller

William Martin’s hybrid historical-fiction/thriller, THE LINCOLN LETTER, promised to be an interesting read, and I was not disappointed. The story revolves around a previously-unknown diary of Abraham Lincoln’s, a daybook that clearly shows the evolution of his thoughts on the emancipation of slaves. Modern-day historical sleuths Peter Fallon and Evangeline Carrington are racing to locate the diary before it is found by those who would use its controversial contents to further their nefarious political desires. Juxtaposed with the 21st century treasure-hunting story is the story of how Lincoln’s diary came to be lost during the Civil War, and the lengths to which Lincoln’s enemies would go to locate it. In order to track down the diary, Fallon and Carrington must – through careful research – reconstruct the Civil War story. They must also thread their way through a complex web of characters whose varied selfish aims place the sleuths in danger at every turn.

The novel was very interesting, but it also appealed to me on another level: it reminded me of my own research in reconstructing the Civil War career of my great-great-grandfather, a junior officer in Tennessee’s Confederate Cavalry who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the middle of the war, never to be seen again. Solving Lt. Andrew Lacy’s mystery does not have the potential impact of Lincoln’s diary in THE LINCOLN LETTER, and there is no race to elucidate this mystery. But just as seemingly minor details at the time of the Civil War provided important clues to the disappearance of Lincoln’s diary in THE LINCOLN LETTER, my hope is that minor details (many of which are found in the letters Lacy and his family wrote one another during the war) may lead to the discovery of my ancestor’s actual fate. This possibility is what keeps me searching, researching, and re-researching. It also makes for more extensive research than I realized I would need in order to tell Lt. Lacy’s story. That, in turn, has caused the writing of my story to take much longer than I had guessed. All I can ask for is patience from those who are waiting to read Lt. Lacy’s tale. ( )

Wow. I loved everything about this book, especially the way the author moved back and forth between Civil War and present-day Washington, DC. That our family took a trip to DC last summer added a little extra something because I could visualize Ford's Theater, the lockkeeper's house, and other DC landmarks. I plan to read the rest of the author's books. He's very skillful at weaving the present and the past together. ( )

Ending up abandoning around page 300. Could not become engaged with the Peter Fallon portion of the plot -- felt very contrived. Martin did a much better job with the historical Halsey character, but it the end it wasn't enough to reward him with what I saw was a waste of time to finish the last 130 pages. ( )

This book is a historical mystery per excellence. The author has managed to capture the times and life of the Lincoln era while infusing it with modern day intrigue and mystery. Treasure hunters Peter Fallon and Evangeline Carrington take off after a lost diary/journal Abraham Lincoln supposedly wrote in 1862—a document revealing his very thought on slavery and the course of our country. To add to the intrigue, this is an election cycle, and the diary/journal may have implications for that and possibly even change the future of our country. Peter and Evangeline follow the mystery of the diary across a modern day Washington, infused with realistic portrayals of the era in which it was supposedly written. The author manages to seamlessly combine the two eras, switching back and forth between them. I don’t normally read or enjoy historical novels, but this one pulled me in from the beginning and kept my interest through its myriad of twists and turns. If you enjoy historical novels, if you enjoy Lincoln and his era, or if you are just looking for a fascinating portrayal of the man and his thoughts and their impact on modern day, this is a book for you. I received this book from goodreads. ( )