Swanson has done a masterful job of research, with every bit of this narrative taken from newspapers, diaries, letters, court transcripts, and other contemporary accounts of the actual manhunt. This story will keep you enthralled throughout; it's both superb storytelling and excellent history that will appeal to a broad audience. Highly recommended!

This is a fascinating, well told story, with all kinds of intruiging details that most history books ignore. The drama is so well told that it draws you in, even though you know the ending. Richard Thomas does a stellar job narrating.

Like the rest of us I first learned of the Lincoln assassination when I was in grade school. Ever since that time I thought about the "whys" and "hows". How did Booth escape? Why was Dr Mudd arrested for only setting a visitor's ankle? Why was Mary Surratt hanged for running a boarding house? When I asked these questions of the teachers I was told about the excitement of the times and the lack of justice.

After reading this book I found out that much of what I was told was wrong. There was a reason Dr Mudd was arrested. There was a reason Mary Surratt was hung. This book is very well written, well researched, mostly well read and extremely informative. My only real complaint had to do with the way the reader made so many parts sound as though they ended in exclamation points. Other than that I thought it was great and would recommend it to anyone with questions about the Lincoln assassination.

I put off buying this audio book for a while because I really don’t like abridgements. Since there is no unabridged version available I decided to give it a shot. Pun intended?

Abridged or not, I loved Manhunt. The last time I was on F street, you could see the back of Ford’s Theater though the vacant lot that was once the Atlantic building. The alley I always new as “Rat Alley” was still there, but without the right side wall, it looked very strange. I’m sure there is a building at 930 F now, but I haven’t been by to see. The book is wonderful, and I enjoyed the interview with the author as well. I usually skip over them. This is a STORY about people, not a textbook, and I recommend it.

There were some things I wanted to know about that were not mentioned. I had hoped that Francis Tumblety (Spelling? He was a flamboyant Jack the Ripper suspect) who was arrested and held during the manhunt would have been mentioned. I don’t think this is a fault, I was just hoping to hear more about people who were falsely or erroneously arrested and held after the assassination. That might have been too much for one novel.

I would still like to have an unabridged recording, and would buy it if one because available. I’ll buy the print version in any event.

A thriller right from the start. The author brings you back to the 1860's and his descriptive style of writing lets you envision everything as if you were there. A great read. I couldn't put it down. If you are a history buff and like a good mystery, you will enjoy this one.

This story should be required reading for anyone who has more than a casual interest in history. In fact, even if your interest is only casual it should be read (or listened to).

The author does an amazing job of researching the events leading up to and following Lincoln's assassination. He describes the details of the entire episode in such detail that it is hard to believe he was not there as an eyewitness.

This is a book that I will listen to more than once.

In many books you can get lost in the complexity of spurious details, but not this one. The level of detail and the narration are superb and compelling.

Manhunt is an excellent book; the best that I have read from audible so far. I was raised and had worked in the Washington DC area and lived Charles County Maryland where all of the action and events took place. I knew the story of Lincoln's assassination and Booth's escape from what I had been taught in school and seen in many TV presentations over the years, but there were many things I had never known that I found interesting to know. I had always believed Booth died in a barn fire; he did not. I had always thought Booth died in Maryland following getting his broken leg set by Dr. Mudd in Charles County; he did not. Relearning about Secretary of War Stanton's taking charge following Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, makes me recall a similar attempt by Secretary of State Haig to take charge following President Reagan's attempted assassination. I had always believed Dr. Mudd had spent many years sentenced to Devil Island for his participation in the Lincoln assassination; he did not. Richard Thomas gives a marvelously read narration delivered, I felt, in such a masterful way as to be more of an audio performance. He is very good.

I thought this book sounded interesting based on its review but I was pleasently surprised at how good it was. Great narration which made the story come to life, and great research. It was a perfect overview of this part of American history for someone who did not know much about the subject. I could not put it down. Richard Thomas draws you into the story so that you can;t wait to know what happens next. One of the best purchases I have made in a while.

I listened to O'Reilly's book about Lincoln and loved it. This one is just as good maybe better. Yes!!!!

This was a great listen that had me totally hooked. I love listening to Richard Thomas, to begin with. I also loved hearing the details that I had never heard before, of the hunt to track down the assassin. I live just outside D.C., and spend a number of weekends in Southern Maryland, so I was constantly connecting to places I've seen or heard of in the area. I enjoyed the recording, and have listened to it twice in its entirety.