Book Review: Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Find it at the Chandler Public Library

I’m sure may people have heard about this novel from the O’Reily Factor, and trust me, it does not disappoint. This book is one of the most well-written historic novels that I have ever read. If anybody is struggling to find a history book that doesn’t put them to sleep instantly, you’ve found your savior. The novel is an account of the assassination of Lincoln, the flight of John Wilkes Booth, and the furious search to find him. I had to write a report on the assassination of Lincoln for one of my classes during the school year, and I struggled to comprehend any of the information I was reading, because it was just lines and lines and lines of seemingly endless reading for me. Then I found this book, and everything changed. The one defining factor about this book is that it does not read like a history textbook. It reads like a thriller, because it tells the story of how the assassination came about, not just listing the facts. You can feel the entertaining of tale of the flight of John Wilkes Booth in your mind; O’Reily really does a phenomenal job of making the novel vividly describe his escape from the law. On top of that, it provides much historical insight on the actual manhunt, and the people involved in it. The author really gives you an insight on the eccentric actions of all the people involved. I would surely recommend this novel to someone else, as it makes historic reading interesting again. - Kshitiz (Sunset Teen)