Book Review - The Man Who Killed Lincoln

In my book reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I read. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. I could go into detail about what the book is about, but a lot of people have already done that. You can read their descriptions of the book, plus the official description on Amazon.

The Man Who Killed Lincoln, by Philip Van Doren Stern, 1939.

Philip Van Doren Stern
Source: http://goo.gl/zRaxHg

I bought this book several years ago due to my interest in the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, along with my love of the feel, smell and look of old books. 

I also love the movie, It's a Wonderful Life, so it was a wonderful surprise for me when I realized that the book was written by Philip Van Doren Stern. He also who wrote "The Greatest Gift," which was the short story that eventually was made into It's a Wonderful Life. 

The Man Who Killed Lincoln is a very fast read, covering days leading up to the murder of Abraham Lincoln, the actual murder, and Booth's attempt to escape to the south. It is historical fiction, but all of Booths movements and activities have historical reference and are accurate.

Stern created the discussions in order to write this book, but otherwise it is an accurate account of historical fiction.

Stern was born on this day (Sept. 10) in 1900. If he was alive today, he would be 115.

My copy of The Man Who Killed Lincoln, by Philip Van Doren Stern, dated 1939.
I purchased this book because of the Lincoln connection and my interest in
the Civil War. It wasn't until years later that I realized it was written by Stern.