Murder on the Baltimore Express: The Plot to Keep Abraham Lincoln from Becoming President

Jurmain (Worst of Friends) returns with this suspenseful account of the Confederate plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln in Baltimore en route to his inauguration. Deeming it "important to give the American people a chance to see him in person," Lincoln embarked on a 70-stop tour to introduce himself, beginning in Springfield, Ill., and ending at the nation's capital. But Lincoln became a seemingly easy target for Southern secessionists when newspapers published his travel schedule in detail. The book's tension relies on Jurmain's intricate account of Lincoln's trip, as he gets closer and closer to Baltimore and as a small but dedicated group attempts to learn the particulars of the assassination plot in order to thwart it. Jurmain profiles a memorable cast of characters, especially Lincoln himself, unruffled in the face of threat; Allan Pinkerton, the famed detective obsessed with tracking down the conspirators; and Kate Warne, a "vivacious and clever" pioneering female detective and spy. Basing her narrative on numerous primary sources, Jurmain's nonfiction thriller resonates by touching upon contemporary concerns, particularly deep-seated political prejudice and racial division. Ages 10-14. Agent: Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis. (Apr.)

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Gr 5-8--Middle grade readers will certainly be aware of Abraham Lincoln's assassination at the hand of John Wilkes Booth in April 1865, but they might not know Lincoln was constantly dogged by assassination threats from the time he began running for president until his death. The narrative takes readers from just after Election Day in 1860 to when Lincoln was sworn in as president in March 1861. Unbeknownst to Lincoln, his death was being planned by pro-slavery fanatics. Fortunately, Lincoln had a group of people focused on keeping him safe. Through a series of spy missions to infiltrate the clandestine group meetings of Lincoln haters, his protectors outsmarted the antagonists and delivered Lincoln away from Baltimore where the assassination was to occur, to Washington, DC, for the swearing-in ceremony. The text uses dialogue (documented in the appendix) to create a nonfiction title that reads like an appealing work of historical fiction. Pictures from the events and places described are included to further enhance the story. VERDICT A perfect example of excellent narrative nonfiction and a must-have for any middle school library. This work will stand solidly beside books by James Swanson and Steve Sheinkin.--Kim Gardner, Fort Worth Country Day Sch., TX

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

An account of the dangerous days leading up to Abraham Lincoln's inauguration. Known for turning historical incidents into detailed, thought-provoking books, Jurmain here takes a plot to overthrow the government and assassinate Lincoln on the way to his inauguration-little-known because it failed-and uses it to shine a light on the tumult and violence of the days leading up to the Civil War. Lincoln, scheduled to be sworn in on March 4, 1861, left his home in Springfield, Illinois, on Feb. 11. He planned to spend 12 days traveling slowly to the Capitol by rail, with 75 stops to meet constituents. (Meanwhile, Jefferson Davis departed on the same day for his inauguration as president of the new Confederate states.) Lincoln, careful not to start a war before he was sworn in, gave deliberately vague, nonconfrontational speeches-but he'd already received bushels of death threats, lacked official protection, and sometimes faced rioting crowds. Oddly enough, it was activist Dorothea Dix who first warned authorities of a plot to kill Lincoln in Maryland, leading to famed detective Allan Pinkerton's taking the case. As Lincoln's train moved east, Pinkerton and his agents raced to uncover enough details to thwart the plot and save the president-elect. Jurmain shows the day-by-day unfolding of both storylines as they converge in a way that generates excitement even when the outcome is already known.

Interesting, well-researched, and very well done. (timeline, principal characters, appendix, endnotes, further reading, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-14)— "Kirkus Reviews"