First published 2012
Abigail Canner arrives in Washington with her Oberlin degree and a job defending Abraham Lincoln. The president survived John Wilkes Booth's bullet in 1865, but now Congress charges him with exceeding his constitutional powers during and after the Civil War. At twenty-one, Abigail breaks every social barrier as a black woman working alongside white attorneys in the highest profile case in American history. She meets senators, congressmen, and Lincoln himself as the impeachment trial approaches. Then someone murders Lincoln's lead counsel on the eve of the proceedings. Abigail discovers a conspiracy that reaches into the highest levels of government. She must navigate the treacherous politics of Reconstruction-era Washington while uncovering who wants Lincoln destroyed. The fate of the president and the nation's future depends on a young woman society believes has no place in the corridors of power.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 21st-century, 19th-century, legal-thriller, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, underdog
Setting: Oberlin, Washington DC
Period: 1865, Reconstruction Era
516 pages · Hardcover · Knopf