Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
Audiobook (abridged)9 hours

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

Written by James L. Swanson

Narrated by Richard Thomas

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

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 April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry troops on a wild, twelve-day chase from the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.

At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, Americas notorious villain. A confederate sympathizer and member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame, wealth, and promise for a chance to avenge the Souths defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the manhunters, slipping away from their every move and denying the justice they sought.

Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as youve never read it before.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateFeb 7, 2006
ISBN9780061134685
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
Author

James L. Swanson

James Swanson is the Edgar Award-winning author of the New York Times bestsellers Manhunt and its sequel, Bloody Crimes.

More audiobooks from James L. Swanson

Related authors

Related to Manhunt

Related audiobooks

Criminals & Outlaws For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Manhunt

Rating: 4.234567901234568 out of 5 stars
4/5

81 ratings59 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A full and fascinating look at the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. There is so much about this event that is either left out or ignored in most history classes that cover it. Things like the brutal attempt on Seward's life by Powell, Mudd's much larger part in the whole conspiracy, the multiple mistakes and misdirections that Booth and Herold took, and the fact that the whole plan for assassination came together in just one day.Swanson has made the study of the Lincoln assassination his life's work, and it shows in the writing of this book. He covers every aspect of interest in the case, even hunting down the testimonies of people involved who kept their secrets for years, some that were not revealed until well after their deaths.Definitely worth reading if you are interested in popular moments in American history.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was inspired to pick up this book by the musical "Assassins". I wanted to know more about Booth than what Sondheim gave me. This book was at times highly melodramatic, but on the whole I found it a much easier read than a straight history of events. The author uses source material to re-write the events into a narrative that's unfolding as you read. It's an unusual way to write a history book, and I'm not entirely sure that the author didn't cross the line into historical fiction at times, but from a readability standpoint it's a brilliant method. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out what happened to Lincoln's killer after Lincoln's assassination.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The author James L. Swanson isn't a historian but a journalist. He has been however, as he put it, "obsessed" with Abraham Lincoln since childhood and a collector of memorabilia regarding the assassination and someone who had read exhaustively on the subject even before he began formally researching this book on his assassination by John Wilkes Booth and the 12-day hunt for him. I didn't get farther than the assassination though, and the issue is one of style. Let me give you the passage that stopped me reading:The actor's black pupils flared wide, adjusting to the darkness, while also fixing on the only available light in the dim claustrophobic chamber--a faint pinpoint emanating from the peephole that somebody, probably Booth, had bored through a right-hand panel of the door to box number seven.Oh please. I've gotten sick and tired of this kind of In Cold Blood tarted up history. There is, of course, absolutely no way Swanson could know Booth's pupils "flared wide" (although I concede Swanson might be able to infer it) and certainly no way he could know on what Booth fixed his gaze. Only Booth could know, and I can't believe he imparted such details in a letter. That completely lost my suspension of disbelief in what is supposed to be a non-fiction account. Nor is Swanson the kind of stylist--a Truman Capote, a Tom Wolfe, an Erik Larson--for whom I'm willing to forgive such excesses. (And God, the melodrama!)And it's so unnecessary. After this book I turned to reading Shelby Foote's The Civil War. This also purports to be a "narrative history" and Foote's background is as a novelist, not a historian. But he never steps over the line. Foote writes in the Bibliographical Note in the back that he "employed the novelist's methods without his license... Nothing is included here, either within or outside quotation marks without the authority of documentary evidence which I consider sound." And I'm willing to take Foote's word for that, because there's nothing in the 150 pages I've read so far that makes me doubt it. And yet his book flows and has all the vividness of a novel--and truly powerful prose. Foote also said in that note that the historical record is so rich, he didn't feel any temptation to imagine details--what was difficult was what to omit. Because yes, it is possible to write good history that makes for good reading. It's a shame Swanson didn't take note how to do it from Shelby Foote.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Swanson did a very nice job with this book. The level of detail provided about the assassination of Lincoln and the subsequent hunt for his killers makes it "real" to a modern reader. It reads like a suspense thriller -- very engaging until the end. One small complaint is that I would have appreciated more insight into Booth's motives for leading the conspiracy, more information about his earlier life and career, and some indication of the impact of his notoriety on his family after his death.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a fantastic story. Swanson does a great job explaining the events, making you feel like you are there as they unfold. My only gripe is that too often he repeated certain obvious facts, while other times he left explanations for later in the chapter. However, I found this book riveting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Compared to the historical account I read earlier this year of a serial killer from the midwest, this book had everything the other didn't. It was engaging from the first page, combining facts of the case with GOOD WRITING.

    I learned a great deal more about Lincoln's life, as well as Booth's life than I had before--the most interesting part of that being that I thought I knew about both, and I learned in reading this book I did not. It was very interesting. It's a quick read despite the 400 pages, but so thorough and utterly worth it.

    It also drew my attention that Booth was killed on my birthday--(one or two years before I was born, that is).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a very good book that filled in many of the details of Lincoln's assassination.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    All in all, Manhunt was pretty good book. The beginning was really too detailed and the book felt about a 100 pages too long but the ins and outs of the hunt for Lincoln's killer was a lot of fun. I found myself in this weird dichotomy of rooting for the underdog before remembering that he was the bad guy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Excellent almost hour-by-hour examination of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth and his associates in the days that followed. The research is admirable and the writing is clear and engrossing. The story is full of all the little details that make a narrative come alive.The picture we are drawn is of a man so consumed with hate, and with such an inflated view of himself and his abilities, that he was able to simultaneously plan such a terrible crime and not bother to plan the details than might make it successful. It was both cold-blooded and incredibly sloppy.Two areas that I found really interesting were the examinations of Mary Surratt and Dr. Samuel Mudd. I had grown up with the idea that poor Mary and Sam were caught up in the hysteria and were really not guilty of anything. According to the research of this author, I was wrong on all counts!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The perfect book to follow up Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. It pretty much picks up on the story.The book almost plays out like a fictionalized story, but as the author says at the beginning of book: What happened in Washington D.C., in the spring of 1865, and in the swamps and rivers, and the forests and fields, of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have ever been made up.However, due to many documentaries and other readings, I believe some of the facts here to be a bit embellished. Not false, just glamorized. They do serve their purpose, though.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    great voice, fun story
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A thrilling read. Swanson rich descriptions of the swampy pre-industrial landscapes of Maryland and Virginia present a spooky backdrop for this horrifying story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fascinating story of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent search for John Wilkes Booth through the Maryland countryside and into Virginia. Stranger than fiction in many ways. The confusion of what to do with the dying president after the shooting, the bizarre plot led by Booth, including plans to assassinate the Vice President and the Secretary of State, the bungled plans to find the assassins and the strange climax to the episode at the Garrett Farm. Striking how different the world looked 150 years ago.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Much better than Bloody Crimes by the same author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Excellent book, had to stop on page 205 as it was due back at library;must check out again and finish one day!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Ugh. I really thought that this was a boring book with some interesting tidbits in it. I like history and it was written in a way that was not difficult to read, but BORING....
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is definitely worth a read. The background to the assassination is fascinating, and I never before knew and will never now forget that it was essentially planned in one day. My god! The telling of the manhunt is very thorough although in some places a tiny bit disorganized; I could usually tell what day it was when Booth and Herold themselves were the subjects but things were a little murkier when discussing the hunters. I also would have loved to know more about the military tribunals; for instance, why in the world was the person who (as far as I can tell, completely unwittingly?) held Booth's horse sentenced to 6 years but the person who helped him escape across the Potomac set free? I know the heat of the time explains why someone who is in retrospect probably innocent can be convicted, by why was Jones set free? I'd love more details on those proceedings.The number of people involved in the story is large, and reading this over a couple weeks meant that by the time I got to the military tribunals at the end I couldn't even remember who everyone was. (I imagine if you read this over a shorter period of time this wouldn't be as much of a problem.) I wish there had been a cast of characters type page that gave a short, one- or two-sentence explanation of who each person was. There was also some extremely florid prose at parts, but I can forgive it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Title: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer
    Author: James L. Swanson (Read by Richard Thomas)
    Genre: Fiction
    Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Book Around the States Challenge, US Presidents Reading Project, Monthly Mixer Mele, Read and Review Challenge 2010, 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge, 100 Reading Challenge, Audio Book Challenge 2010, Pages Read 2010, American Civil War Challenge,
    Rating: 4/5
    No. of Pages: 367
    Published: 2006


    Back Cover: 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 April 26, 1865, the assassin let Union cavalry troops on a wild, twelve-day chase from the streets of Washington DC, across the swaps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.

    At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, America’s notorious villain. A confederate sympathizer and member of a celebrated acting family, Booth threw away his fame, wealth, and promise for a chance to avenge the South’s defeat. For almost two weeks, he confounded the man hunters, slipping away from their every move and denying the justice they sought.

    Manhunt is a fully documented work, but it is also a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you’ve never read it before.

    Mine: What an intriguing book, I’ve always been interested in anything Lincoln, but was a wonderful way to learn more about the background of JW Booth. Too learn he was a southern sympathizer and had plotted to try to kidnap Lincoln before he finally killed him. That he led them on such a long chase and the troops were so close several times. Fate helped Booth in that he actually went the wrong way up the river in the beginning and was able to hide out longer.
    The key player of the day - Seward ran the military and set the wheels in motion to have Booth captured. The Vice President was reluctant to take on the role of President and did let Seward go after Booth. There was a great plan to kill several other key officials, but the conspirators couldn’t go through with they assignments.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very easy to read - quick flowing - informative
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Well researched but absolutely tortuous book. The book is completely weighted down with details of mildly interesting minutiae. Assuming the details are accurate, the level of research is amazing. Swanson tends to glorify Booth, overselling his popularity as an actor, and comparing Booth to Shakespeare's Brutus which casts Lincoln as a tyrant. Swanson also makes the suggestion that it was Booth's act which elevated Lincoln's status as a Pressident. Swanson's writing is laborious. Many annoying aspects about this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent. Real interesting parts of the book I thought about long after I put it down: a celebrity struck teenager with the dying Booth, a poor man who turned down a fortune rather than turn him in, and other things. I'd write more, but I'm in complete agreement with the other reviewers.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Detailed account of the Lincoln assassination and the days after in the hunt for the conspirators. Well written and extremely interesting, the full story is all here. Best book on the topic out there.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I knew the basic story of course. But I learned so much more.The attack on William H. Seward and Lincoln moved me to tears.There was something so intimate about hearing it in a soft voice right in my ear.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This 2006 book is meticulously researched and most ably relates the events surrounding the assassination of Linclon and what Booth did after and how he was caught and killed. I read Ameican Brutus on Dec 20, 2004, and think this was a better book. This book's author is a lawyer and a specialist in Lincoln things. I liked the way he gave details on so many things of interest One of the best books I have read this year.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book reads like a novel, and although you know how it is going to turn out, your heart is beating in places when the pursuers are getting close. While the story of Lincoln's assassination has been told many times, and most people know that Booth did not live for long after his bloody deed, the story of the manhunt is comparatively unfamiliar, and as gripping as any fictional suspense scenario that could be created. Despite his perpetration of a dreadful and cowardly crime, the reader can only feel pity for the wretched Booth as his options evaporate. Swanson is even handed and non-judgmental, and even shows a sense of humour (Fords Theatre, converted to records storage, collapses when someone files one piece of paper too many: a purported account of the manhunt by a horse is a 'first hoof' account.) Recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I had to read Manhunt for a history class that I took in high school. I have always been interested in Lincoln and his assassination, but I was at first reluctant to start reading the book at all. Once I did, I couldn't put it down! It holds true to its claim of "reading like a novel". It was enjoyable learning facts that I never knew existed about the Lincoln assassination and John Wilkes Booth.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Manhunt by James L. Swanson is the story of Lincoln's assassination, the pursuit of John Wilkes Booth and the repersussions of those events. The books fly and several pages of quotes inside describe the book a as written as a can't-put -down mystery thriller. I would agree, I had a difficult time putting it down. Being a general reader with interest in the Civil War I cannot speak to the how rigorous the historical facts are, but the sense of the times and Booth's particular feelings were fairly reperesented I think. The book starts wit the plot already in effect to kidnap Lincoln, but with the surrender of Lee at Appomatox Courthouse the plans changed and multiple assassinations were inserted rather than kidnapping. These killings were to occur simulataneously on a single night. How Booth arranged his getaway, which was largely unplanned, thourgh Maryland to Virginia, reads like a modern day pursuit novel. The involvement of Dr.Mudd and others is made more clear than I knew. Why Mudd was punished and not others for their part in helping Booth escape and remaining at large after the assassination was not made clear. The trial, evidence and punishment meted out to Jons Wilkes Booth, Mary Surratt, Mudd and others was not described in any detail. The title of the book was fulfilled telling the story of the hunt for one man, the assassin of Lincoln.I found the book hard to put down, but felt the cursory description of plans, events and persons not what I expected. A good read, but left me with questions. I give this book a 3.5 stars. In general, this book fucussed on John Wilkes Booth with others described in a more peripheral manner. The pursuit and how it progressed over the twelve days he was at large was the primary line of the book and brought many poorly known facts unknown to me to light.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Manhunt is one of the best history books I've read. Swanson's writing is excellent and his pacing is on par with a good fiction novel. This book is an excellent look at a man who had delusions of heroism.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Well written story of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. Written very much in a fiction style, the story keeps you absorbed waiting to see how it all plays out. Makes me want to read some more about Lincoln.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A little dry sometimes but a fascinating book about the hunt for John Booth. I learned a lot of things I did not know.