The Hour of Peril

Author: Daniel Stashower
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2014
Pages: 368
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: In February of 1861, just days before he assumed the presidency, Abraham Lincoln faced a  "clear and fully-matured" threat of assassination as he traveled by train from Springfield to Washington for this inauguration. Over a period of thirteen days the legendary detective Allan Pinkerton worked feverishly to detect and thwart the plot, assisted by a captivating young widow named Kate Warne, America's first female private eye.

As Lincoln's train rolled inexorably toward "the seat of danger," Pinkerton struggled to unravel the ever-changing details of the murder plot, even as he contended wit the intractability of Lincoln and his advisers, who refused to believe threat the danger was real. With time running out Pinkerton took a desperate gamble, staking Lincoln's life - and the future of the nation - on a "perilous feint" that seemed to offer the only chance that Lincoln would survive to become president. Shrouded in secrecy - and, later mired in controversy - the story of the "Baltimore Plot" is one of the great untold stales of the Civil War era, the Stashower has crafted this spellbinding historical narrative with the pace and urgency of a race-against-the-clock thriller.

Review: The Baltimore Plot may have been riveting, but this book was not. There was so much filler information about Allan Pinkerton, the key players in the supposed plot, and insignificant details. Experts can't even be sure there was a plot to assassinate Lincoln prior to his assuming the presidency, although it's not implausible.

The most interesting part of the novel was the epilogue in which "what happened next," the United State and key players, post 1861 were discussed. I'm just glad it's over.

The author interview at the end of the audio book was interesting. I enjoyed that piece.