The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War Audiobook

Quotes

• “The world’s most famous private eye saves Abraham Lincoln’s life—and perhaps the Union itself? Sounds like fiction, but in Daniel Stashower’s riveting new book, it’s all true. It’s history that reads like a race-against-the-clock thriller.”

  — Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author

• “Lively writing and lively reading make The Hour of Peril worth hearing…Narrator Edoardo Ballerini's performance fits well with the author's thriller-style approach to the story. Ballerini does an excellent job of using inflection to differentiate between Stashower's writing and quotes from other documents, such as books and newspapers.

  — Audiofile Magazine

• Nicely read by Edoardo Ballerini, both story and voice steadily build to a suspenseful denouement.

  — The Star-Ledger

• [Ballerini] keeps a light foot on the pedal, skillfully maintaining a quick pace and a sustainable level of suspense…This historical account surprises at every turn, and Ballerini's fine reading maintains listener interest in a well-researched book.

  — Booklist

• “Reads like a first-class detective novel…Pinkerton’s tireless energy prevented a tragedy that might have destroyed the republic.”

  — James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author

• “Swift and detailed…This account of the little known Baltimore-based plot to assassinate Lincoln before his March 4, 1861, inaugural hurtles across a landscape of conspirators, heroes. and politicos in hotel suites, ladies’ parlors, and railway depots along Lincoln’s train route from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington…We can be grateful…that Old Abe survived the first attempt on his life. And now we have the chance to relish the story of the clever and determined characters who were dedicated to his safety and to the cause for which, on April 15, 1865, he would ultimately surrender his life.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “Stashower, a novelist, smartly uses the train’s journey as a narrative arc, allowing him to tell the broader story of prewar America and providing insight into the traits that would make Lincoln such a great leader—his sense of humor, calm demeanor, and courage. The chugging train also injects the book with momentum and suspense as it nears Baltimore…A key goal for an author of history is to persuade his or her readers to forget what they know and to relive the world as it unfolded for characters of the time—with outcomes uncertain. For the most part, Stashower accomplishes that objective, and readers will be cheering for Pinkerton and pleading for Lincoln to heed the private eye’s advice.”

  — Washington Post

• “Some of President Lincoln’s associates and some historians have questioned if the supposed conspiracy to assassinate him upon his arrival in Baltimore was serious. Stashower has no doubt that the plot was real, and he has written a convincing and well-researched chronicle of it and the successful effort to thwart it. His story has the necessary elements of a successful historical thriller…The story has a built-in urgency and excitement. The detective, the soon-to-be-famous Allan Pinkerton, is a relentless and clever sleuth, and the chief conspirator, a Baltimore barber named Ferrandini, is a formidable adversary. Despite some slow moments, the book generally succeeds as both a historical inquiry and a detective story.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

• “The tale builds methodically before shifting into dramatic mode as Pinkerton, in fewer than two weeks, uncovers and quashes the would-be assassins’ designs, assisted by agent Kate Warne, the leader of Pinkerton’s female undercover unit. Verdict: Stashower’s character-driven narrative and lively writing style reveal the finely honed skills of an accomplished mystery writer. Recommended.”

  — Library Journal