The most thrilling true crime story never before told -- the breathtaking 12-day hunt and capture of President Abraham Lincoln's assassin: John Wilkes Booth.

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 the 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild, twelve-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. Read more >>

"Taking the reader into the action, the story is shot through with breathless, vivid, even gory detail. With a deft, probing style and no small amount of swagger, Swanson, a member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, has crafted pure narrative pleasure, sure to satisfy the casual reader and Civil War aficionado alike."

- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"James Swanson has written a terrific narrative of the hunt for Lincoln's killers that will mesmerize the reader from start to finish just as the actual manhunt mesmerized the entire nation. It is a triumphant book."

- Doris Kearns Goodwin

"This riveting hour-by-hour account of Lincoln's assassination, Booth's escape, and the pursuit that finally ran down and killed him is a truly remarkable narrative. Even those familiar with the story will find fascinating new details here."

- James McPherson