Lincoln's Final Hours Audiobook By Kathryn Canavan cover art

Lincoln's Final Hours

Conspiracy, Terror, and the Assassination of America's Greatest President

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Lincoln's Final Hours

By: Kathryn Canavan
Narrated by: Todd Curless
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When John Wilkes Booth fired his Derringer point-blank into President Abraham Lincoln's head, he set in motion a series of dramatic consequences that would upend the lives of ordinary Washingtonians and Americans alike. In a split second, the story of a nation was changed. During the hours that followed, America's future would hinge on what happened in a cramped back bedroom at Petersen's Boardinghouse, directly across the street from Ford's Theatre. There, a 23-year-old surgeon - fresh out of medical school - struggled to keep the president alive while Mary Todd Lincoln moaned at her husband's bedside.

In Lincoln's Final Hours, author Kathryn Canavan takes a magnifying glass to the last moments of the president's life and to the impact his assassination had on a country still reeling from a bloody civil war. With vivid, thoroughly researched prose and a reporter's eye for detail, this fast-paced account not only furnishes a glimpse into John Wilkes Booth's personal and political motivations, but also illuminates the stories of ordinary people whose lives were changed forever by the assassination.

The book is published by University Press of Kentucky.

©2015 The University Press of Kentucky (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks American Civil War Military Murder Politics & Activism Presidents & Heads of State True Crime Wars & Conflicts Assassin Abraham Lincoln Civil War Crime War

Critic reviews

"A superior bit of scholarship. Well worthy of inclusion in the pantheon of Lincolniana." ( Georgia Times-Union)
"A valuable addition to the body of published work about Lincoln and his death." (Joan Chaconas, historian at the Surratt House Museum)
"Faced paced, dramatic and exciting, the reader will be hard pressed to put it down. The author, with her exquisite writing, has insured this." (Frank J. Williams, President of the Ulysses S. Grant Association)
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Kathryn Canavan takes you back in time to one of the most famous assassinations in human history - the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Long before social media, you will learn how this story quickly spread, and the panic and shock that became prevalent. April 14, 1865 was Good Friday, but it certainly was not a good day for the sixteenth President of the United States.

A fortune teller was once told a young John Wilkes Booth that he was born under an unlucky star, predicting he would have a short life and make many enemies. Despite his growing stardom as an actor, his life would indeed be cut short. The author reveals how Booth was perceived by the general public, and people's disbelief when it was learned that Booth had indeed shot Lincoln.

The book details Lincoln's activities leading up to his final trip to Ford's Theatre. The scene is set for a frantic attempt by a young doctor to save Lincoln's life, and Booth's plan to make sure Lincoln didn't become a king. Canavan documents the president's mindset at the time, dealing with the loss of his young son Willie.

The book sets the stage for the massive manhunt to find Booth and his conspirators, and Mary Todd's declining mental health. This is truly captivating historic storytelling. "Lincoln's Final Hours" is well researched and is highly recommended!

Captivating history

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This book, beautifully written and performed, provides an amazing amount of historical information on the final days of Lincoln and those immediately surrounding him. The information is provided in utterly readable storybook fashion. I was particularly interested in the depiction of Mary Lincoln's grief compared to other purported historical accounts. As well, the incredible self-deception of Booth and his eventual capture was quite interesting.

Tintillating Tidbits from Tragedy

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Have always been fascinated with April 14, 1865 and the tragedy that occurred. This book goes into great detail with many details I’ve never heard. I found it to be absorbing and fascinating. Very highly recommend.

An absorbing book

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