The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln

Is putting Lincoln on the stand just a sham? Remember, Lincoln???s successor, Andrew Johnson, WAS impeached by the House of Representatives. Lincoln had VERY limited support in his own government. He DID suspend Habeas Corpus. I assumed I would be reading a story with a strong opinion on Lincoln laced with modern preaching. I was dead wrong. I dare say there is some genius in this novel. Mr. Carter???s book is actually stunning in its scope and I never once felt a single moment of authorial intrusion. Thank God! The characters are independent and the course of the novel is driven by their actions. The author never shies away from allowing the actual members of the U.S. government to become fully engaged in this conflict. There are senators, congressmen, chief justices, and Civil War generals buzzing about Washington like angry hornets. Racism had bloody teeth back then and Abigail, an educated ???colored??? woman gives us an excellent lead character. She???s very real, very vulnerable, and very motivated to push to the dark center of a conspiracy. I LOVED the book???s portrayal of the capital city. Washington D.C. is a half-constructed labyrinth of Byzantine politics, skullduggery, and even murder. I was there. I was surrounded. I did not give the book 5 stars because it is very slow moving and takes quite some time for the effects of the tale to take hold of you. The plot lines are heavily dialogue-driven. So, instead of FOX News fireworks, you???ll get something more akin to C-SPAN. That said, if you can weather the chatter of lawyers and politicians, you will be pleased to find yourself submerged into the deep waters of a fully imagined era. In the end, Mr. Carter???s novel explores the phenomenon of a moral debate when it enters the arena of power politics. A moral position can be massacred by legal sharpshooters who serve powerful people. However, time is a courtroom with a jury of generations. History always issues the final verdict.

I was expecting to have more face time with Lincoln in this novel, unfortunately the double murder of an attorney and a black woman take center stage and the impeachment becomes more of a side show for most of the book. I think the idea behind this book was creative, but it just didn\’t hit the mark for me. As far as the conspiracy theory and the mystery behind the murders, it did keep my attention as a mystery, but I found myself relatively detached from Lincoln\’s impeachment as a result. Someone familiar with the language of the law world may enjoy this book more than I did, since the author is an attorney, but I just found it overwhelming.

This long novel tells a story about what might have happened had Lincoln survived the assassination attempt. The main character is an African American woman, Abigail Canner, who gets hired as a clerk by the law firm defending Lincoln at his impeachment. She encounters issues of gender and race in Washington DC in the 1860\’s. She is a very smart and strong character. I liked her. This book has many great parts, but it is too much at times. There are so many minor characters and details regarding conspiracies against Lincoln. I was overwhelmed at times and struggled to keep details straight. Stephen Carter does a great job at transporting me back to this place and time. I loved the politics and politicians, and found the trial engaging and interesting. This novel is a legal thriller, a mystery, a love story, and a political drama. It took on too much for me, and some parts dragged, while other parts were quite good. I am glad that I put in the 22 hours into it. Even though it is fiction, I feel I learned a lot. The author is a scholar who clearly did his homework. The only other Carter book I have read, Back Channel, was a much better novel.

A story based on the premise President Lincoln survived being shot by John Wilkes Booth sounded ridiculous. On the other hand I have always wondered what would of happened if Mr. Lincoln had survived. In spite of a bit of a slow start not listening to this book never crossed my mind and not long into it I realized I really was hooked. I feel I know post civil war American better thanks to this book. Paul Boehmer does a great narration!

If like historical fiction, this one should be at the top of your list. You forget that he actually died and none of this happened. It seemed so real.

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