The Day Lincoln Lost
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
An inventive historical thriller that reimagines the tumultuous presidential election of 1860, capturing the people desperately trying to hold the nation together—and those trying to crack it apart.
Abby Kelley Foster arrived in Springfield, Illinois, with the fate of the nation on her mind. Her fame as an abolitionist speaker had spread west and she knew that her first speech in the city would make headlines. One of the residents reading those headlines would be none other than the likely next president of the United States.
Abraham Lincoln, lawyer and presidential candidate, knew his chances of winning were good. All he had to do was stay above the fray of the slavery debate and appear the voice of reason until the people cast their votes. The last thing he needed was a fiery abolitionist appearing in town. When her speech sparks violence, leading to her arrest and a high-profile trial, he suspects that his political rivals have conspired against him.
President James Buchanan is one such rival. As his term ends and his political power crumbles, he gathers his advisers at the White House to make one last move that might derail Lincoln’s campaign, steal the election and throw America into chaos.
A fascinating historical novel and fast-paced political thriller of a nation on the cusp of civil war, The Day Lincoln Lost offers an unexpected window into one of the most consequential elections in our country’s history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This thought-provoking alternate history from Rosenberg (The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington) centers on the 1860 presidential race. In August of that year, real-life abolitionist Abby Kelley Foster arrives in Springfield, Ill., Abraham Lincoln's hometown, where Lucy Battelle, an enslaved 12-year-old, is being held. The girl escaped from Kentucky a month earlier, was captured in Illinois, and now, pursuant to the Fugitive Slave Act, is about to be handed over to the man claiming her as his property. After a speech in which Abby encourages action to free Lucy, some of the townspeople do just that. President James Buchanan, who's opposed to Lincoln succeeding him, arranges for Abby to be charged with violating the Fugitive Slave Act in an effort to force Lincoln to take a stand on whether he'd pardon her if he wins the election. Whichever side he takes, Lincoln is sure to alienate a significant number of voters. Rosenberg keeps the suspense high as the results of Buchanan's scheming plausibly play out. This well-researched, character-driven page-turner deserves a wide readership.
