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The Day Lincoln Lost

ebook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available
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.
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    • Booklist

      May 1, 2020
      Lincoln as presidential candidate, lawyer, and friend is brought to life in Rosenberg's tale of an escaped slave and the race to succeed the commander in chief referred to here as that drunkard Buchanan. Opening the book is Lucy Battelle, a teenager who is enslaved on a Kentucky plantation and who escapes to Illinois, only to be tricked into recapture. Illinois is a free state, but still Battelle is slated to be returned to her cruel origins, a fate vehemently opposed by abolitionist Abby Kelley Foster. When Foster is accused of inciting a mob to free Battelle, the abolitionist is reluctantly represented by Lincoln, who is desperate to have her acquitted so that, as president, he is not faced with the question of pardoning her. Also in the mix are a Pinkerton Agency detective trying to find Battelle and a journalist chasing the story, all making this account of Lincoln's pre-presidential life an illuminating and unusual read. Give this to fans of courtroom drama and politics. Rosenberg is also the author of The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington (2018).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from June 8, 2020
      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. Agent: Erica Silverman, Trident Media Group.

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