The author has purposely addressed the dearth of readable and manageable accounts of Lincoln's life and career. Young people and adults alike will find this book valuable. Although brief compared to the usual tomes written on this subject, the reader will gain a good understanding of the formation of Lincoln's character and magnitude of what he a accomplished. The author's style is smooth and engaging allowing the reader to think about the subject matter rather than struggling from one paragraph to the next. I found that the end of the book came quickley and without great labor. The curious reader will come away from this book with a desire for more knowledge and understanding of this great man.

This book showed each side to any conspiracy that could have been involved in the Lincoln assassination. I became confused after reading a chapter and then all of that historian thinking was rejected by some other guy. If you are into that kinda thing, sure go ahead and read the book, but I just got confused. I can't determine what really happened and what was people's thoughts.

Since the day Lincoln was assassinated, many theories have emerged about who was the mastermind behind the plot. Among the accused have been members of the Confederate government, including Jefferson Davis, the Catholic Church and members of Lincoln's own Cabinet.

Hanchett examines these conspiracy theories and the people who put forward the theories in an attempt to find out if a higher authority, civil or religious, ordered John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators to kill Lincoln and members of his Cabinet. By examining each theory individually as well as the motives behind those who suggested the theories, Hanchett does an excellent job of refuting some of the more unlikely theories.