by Brad Meltzer
First published 2020
Detective Allan Pinkerton faces his most critical case in 1861 when intelligence reveals a deadly plot against President-elect Abraham Lincoln. A pro-Southern secret society has devised an elaborate plan to assassinate Lincoln at a Baltimore train station during his inaugural journey to Washington. The conspirators refuse to accept an anti-slavery president and will stop at nothing to prevent Lincoln from taking office. Pinkerton must work quickly to infiltrate the group using his network of undercover operatives, including one of America's first female private detectives. As Lincoln's train approaches Baltimore, Pinkerton races against time to expose the conspiracy and protect the future president. The fate of Lincoln's presidency hangs in the balance, along with the entire course of American history and the coming Civil War.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: race-against-time, undercover-operation
Setting: Baltimore, Washington
Period: 1861
448 pages · Hardcover · Flatiron Books