The acclaimed and thrilling account of Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the twelve-day chase for John Wilkes Booth, winner of the Edgar Award and adapted into an acclaimed Apple TV+ Series “A terrific narrative of the hunt for Lincoln’s killers that will mesmerize the reader from start to finish.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history--the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry troops on a wild, 12-day chase from the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness. Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln’s own blood relics Manhunt is a fully documented, fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, it is history as it’s never been read before. “This riveting hour-by-hour account of Lincoln’s assassination, Booth’s escape, and the pursuit that finally ran down and killed him is a truly remarkable narrative. Even those familiar with the story will find fascinating new details here.” - James McPherson “Extraordinary . . . Brilliant . . . As gripping as any tightly scripted crime drama” - Boston Globe “Brilliant! Absolutely haunting. . . . This historical book is almost impossible to put down.” - Patricia Cornwell “A rousing good read . . . a fresh angle . . . Booth’s flawed, flamboyant characters pushes the tale along. . . . [Booth is] diabolically fascinating . . . Manhunt is a rattling good read. And it’s a surprisingly suspenseful one.” - USA Today “Vividly rendered . . . plenty of drama and tantalizing what-ifs . . . Manhunt makes for a gripping read, all the more so because the events really happened. Even the most knowledgeable reader will feel the suspense of it.” - Washington Times “James Swanson has written a terrific narrative . . . a triumphant book.” - Doris Kearns Goodwin “Brilliant! Absolutely haunting. . . . This historical book is almost impossible to put down.” - Patricia Cornwell “An action-adventure . . . infuse[d] with high drama. . . . A multifaceted chronicle.” - New York Times “Vividly readable example of the you-are-there genre . . . managed with ‘CSI’ immediacy.” - Washington Post “Told expertly . . . Swanson’s moment by moment account of the 12-day chase is compulsively readable.” - Wall Street Journal “As gripping a page-turner as anything you’ll find on the mystery shelf . . . Riviting . . . Swanson makes the characters in this great American tragedy actually seem human. Even Booth comes across as viscerally real.” - Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A) “A gripping page-turner . . . Riviting . . . Booth comes across as viscerally real.” - Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A) The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin, John Wilkes Booth, led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness. James L. Swanson's Manhunt is a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before. James L. Swanson (1959-2025) is the author of the New York Times bestseller Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, which won an Edgar Award and was adapted into an acclaimed Apple TV+ series. His other books include Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis . Swanson served on the advisory council of the Ford's Theatre Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign and was a member of the advisory committee of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Manhunt The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer By James Swanson HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2007 James Swanson All right reserved. ISBN: 9780060518509 Chapter One "I Had This Strange Dream Again Last Night" John Wilkes Booth awoke Good Friday morning, April 14, 1865, hungover and depressed. The Confederacy was dead. His cause was lost and his dreams of glory over. He did not know that this day, after enduring more than a week of bad news and bitter disappointments, he would enjoy a stunning reversal of fortune. No, all he knew this morning when he crawled out of bed in room 228 at the National Hotel, one of Washington's finest and naturally his favorite, was that he could not stand another day of Union victory celebrations. Booth assumed that April 14 would unfold as the latest in a blur of eleven bad days that began on April 3 when Richmond, the Confederacy's citade