Manhunt

The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

By: James L. Swanson

Narrated by: Richard Thomas

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

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 and detectives on a wild 12-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.

At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, America's notorious villain. A Confederate sympathizer and a member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame and wealth for a chance to avenge the South's defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the manhunters, slipping away from their every move and denying them the justice they sought.

Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln's own blood relics, Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also 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.

©2006 James L. Swanson (P)2006 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

• Mystery Writers of America 2007 Edgar Award, Best Fact Crime
• 2006 Quill Award Nominee
• Audie Award Finalist, Nonfiction, Abridged, 2007

"Pure narrative pleasure, sure to satisfy the casual reader and Civil War aficionado alike." (Publishers Weekly)
"Swanson's synthesis of the sources is bound to be a cover-to-cover reading hit with history lovers." (Booklist)
"Manhunt is vigorous and clear without sacrificing accuracy....Just as Booth did, the book saves its heavy ammunition for a final showdown." (The New York Times)

Beware chapter intros!

Richard Thomas does a decent job adding nuance and passion to the story. But the person who decided to include loud musical flourishes at the beginning of each chapter should be removed from any future Audible book. It’s jarring and completely diminishes an otherwise enjoyable audiobook.

Abridged version

Excellent story, great narration. Didn’t realize the audio version was abridged, but the parts that were left out didn’t greatly impact the story.

How little I knew.

Excellent reading voice and style. So much history, so many facts and events that would have never been known to me without this book.

Good Content, But That's All

I did not like the narrator or the narrative. I did find the content accurate and educational.

Riveting story, well researched, written and read

Never expected that an episode of american history normally summed up in a a paragraph or two could be made into such a fascinating book.

Brilliantly researched and written...you will feel as if you are there beside Booth & his conspirators (and sometimes even inside their heads)during every step of their plotting and attempted escape.

I normally don't comment on narration, but this is the first I've heard that really does add to the drama of the story without being over the top.

Manhunt

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.

LOVED IT!!!!

Great mix of history and story telling. Amazing how the author wove together newspaper articles and accounts from the time surrounding Lincoln's death to piece together a great story. I highly recommend.

Better than any history class

This is an excellent book. I learned more from this book than any history class that I ever took. The book is awesome. The way it is written, you forget that the killer is the bad guy.

The Chase for Booth

Any additional comments?

I didn't know whether I would be an audiobook-type of a person, but I decided to try listening to Swanson's

Great Read

This was a perfectly paced pursuit of the man that shot Abraham Lincoln. Well written and full of details, some of which I was not even aware, the "story" described the characters with their own degrees of involvement in and around the assassination, as well as the impact that it had on their lives. Booth was more than just the name of a villain in history. Although far from being a hero in the eyes of Americans then and now, he nonetheless thought that he was doing something good. I enjoyed this "chronicle" from beginning to end, despite the fact that it was a story that took place so long ago - one that we all learn about in our earliest years of school, but with limitations that this account surpasses. I think the narration was very good as well.