The Lincoln Deception (A Fraser and Cook Historical Mystery, #1) by David O. Stewart

The Lincoln Deception (A Fraser and Cook Historical Mystery, #1) Reviews

• 
  Christine

  Crossposted at
  Booklikes
  
  I listen to the Virginia Historical Society Podcast. They tend to be pretty good. David O. Stewart was the speaker on two of the podcasts. The first was a talk about his book about Burr, and the second was about the Surratt’s (and in part to promote this book).
  David O. Stewart is a really great and funny talker. I put the Burr book on my wish list, but ended up buying this one after I listened. Then I couldn’t wait to download it (okay, I had to wait, but you know what I mean).
  Stewart usually writes non-fiction, and this is his first fictional work. There are some info dumps, sometimes a little too much telling.
  So why four stars you ask?
  Because unlike most writers who would take the premise and write a work of non-fiction (Cornwell on Jack the Ripper), Stewart writes his theory (if it is a theory and not simply a plot bunny) as fiction, but a fiction that is believable. The idea is based on a death bed comment about Mary Surratt. It is a mystery where two different men try to discover if the Lincoln assassination was more complex than first appeared.
  The two men are James Fraser, a white doctor who attended the dying man, and Speed Cook, a black man who wishes to start a newspaper.
  It is the interplay between the two characters as well as the believability of the plot that sells the book. Fraser is the tradition hero with the tragic past and the love interest. Cook is the interesting character, and in many ways, it seems as if Stewart put more thought in him. Based on a real person, Cook is a former ball-player, future newsman, and two time college graduate. He also is mad as hell at how blacks are being treated. He sees the mystery as a way to battle this. Cook works because Stewart does not go the route of everyone learning the wrongs of racism and holding hands at the end. Fraser has changed, and Cook has changed; they have become friends. But it is never an easy friendship, and it isn’t a simple look at race at the time. There are racial attacks and not because of what Cook is trying to do. The best passages are those that focus on Cook dealing with society. In some ways, it feels as Fraser was added because he had to be, because Cook couldn’t go everywhere. It is worth noting too, that while Fraser is the only with the tragic past and the predictable love story, Cook has a loving family – he and his wife are clearly a team.
  It is a historical mystery with a good dose of history and wonderful use of character and race.
  
• 
  Sandy

  Dr. Fraser is the man who hears Mr. Bingham's deathbed confession that Mary Surratt divulged a truth during the Lincoln assassination trial that would rock the foundation of the nation. So he partners with a colored newspaper man and sets out to find out who was really the person pulling the strings for the assassination.
  
  It sounds to me as though David Stewart found an interesting nugget during his research, but not enough to substantiate it for there to be a non-fiction book. To explore his option, it had to be a fictionalized account. I think in the hands of a fiction writer, this could have been a page turner. Instead it was rather flat and I found myself reading chunks more through force of will than because I had to know what happens next.
  
  All-in-all a bit disappointing.
• 
  Lisa Stelmack

  What a great tale of historical fiction, yet routed in a conspiracy that is very likely true. Engaging characters and excellent scene development. Just the right length to set the tone and the story line. I enjoyed the bond forged between the two main characters, as it showed loyalty and honor between races in a time when it likely rarely existed. I thought the "action" scenes and the intrigue was very real as you could see this actually be true. A very good book, a very good story.
• 
  Margaret Wilkening

  In The Lincoln Deception, David O. Stewart writes a credible historical mystery in which his characters are uncovering a historical mystery. On the cusp of the new 20th century, small town Ohio doctor Jamie Frasier listens to a deathbed confession revealing that John Wilkes Booth may not have been acting as a lone assassin when he killed Abraham Lincoln. Frasier becomes obsessed with tracking down what may be the true story of a multilayered conspiracy that had remained hidden for decades. Joined by Speed Cook, a Black college educated newspaperman who was one of the last black baseball players prior to the segregation of Major League Baseball. The two of them travel the East Coast, evading danger and digging in the past to unravel the truth. While the mystery itself is a bit transparent, The Lincoln Deception is worth the read.
  
  While Stewart is not a degreed historian, his extensive background in historical research for non-fiction books on the Constitutional Convention, Aaron Burr and Andrew Johnson are evident in the historical accuracy of The Lincoln Deception. Most students of Civil War history are aware that there were several assassins who attempted to kill several government figures the night Booth killed Lincoln. However, Stewart presents a credible argument that the conspiracy was more complex than just the conspirators who met at Mary Surratt’s boarding house. Even more interesting is the history presented through Speed Cook’s character. Most Americans have limited awareness of the social concerns facing African Americans in 1900. Speed Cook’s character is based on historic figures and he represents the multi-degreed, college educated, journalist activist of the time. As a man in Ohio facing the inequities of the failed promises of the Civil War and the growing stain of segregation, Speed voices the frustration of knowing the hope that was promised and the bitterness of a racist American society. Stewart does a nice job depicting these issues naturally.
  
• 
  Robin

  
  http://historicalreadings.blogspot.co...
  
  On his deathbed, John Bingham tells his doctor that during the trials of the Lincoln assassination, Mary Surratt confessed a secret to him which would have been so destructive to the Union that he and the only other man to know the secret swore to take it to their graves. After Bingham’s death, his doctor teams up with an aspiring newspaper entrepreneur to uncover the secret.
  
  This sounded a lot better than it turned out to be. I thought it would be a fun conspiracy theory thriller, not only about a historical event but also set in historical times too. Sadly, the historical setting didn’t really come to life, the dialogue was stilted, the character development was poor, and the plot was remarkably slow and dull for such a short thriller. Additionally, I felt like there were too many coincidences or things that happened conveniently just for the sake of the plot. The whole thing felt very contrived.
  
  From the very beginning, I didn’t understand why Bingham would confess that he held a secret about the Lincoln assassinations if he genuinely didn’t want anyone to uncover it. He seemed to honestly feel it would destroy the nation, so why even admit there is a secret to begin with? If you’re going to take something to your grave, you don’t tell people about it first! But of course the confession was necessary to get the ball rolling with the plot - how else was the main character going to learn about it and be inspired to dig deeper? But this kind of sacrifice of logic for the sake of the necessary plot was exactly the type of thing that made it feel contrived.
  
  Likewise, I didn't understand why a friend of Bingham's would go to such efforts to disrespect his dying wishes. His claims that the world deserved to know the truth fell short. If he truly believed that, it doesn't say much for his values in friendship.
  
  I also couldn't bring myself to believe that a doctor who claimed to be so busy that he didn't have time to sit down and read a book for pleasure could suddenly drop everything and go traveling around the nation looking for clues regarding something that he was never involved in. What about his patients who kept him so busy?
  
  The only reason I finished it was because it was short and I wanted to know what the conspiracy was. Unfortunately, in the end, it wasn't worth finding out. The secret was not so shocking and annoyingly, men went to extreme lengths to stop the secret from being revealed throughout the book even though in the end, they claimed their denial of it all would be enough to make people think it was just another crackpot theory. and therefore didn't even matter if the secret was revealed to the public. So lots of things didn't make sense and with the poor character development on top of that and stilted dialogue, it just didn't add up to a great read.
• 
  Julie

  The Lincoln Deception by David O Stewart is an August 2013 Kensington publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  
  It has been thirty-five years since Lincoln was assassinated. Now, Dr. Fraser, a small town country doctor from Cadiz, has heard a death bed confession from the lawyer that prosecuted the Booth conspirators, and a certain Mrs. Surratt. When asked by the man's daughters to put their father's professional papers in order, Fraser becomes obsessed by the confession and in uncovering a conspiracy.
  
  Along the way the doctor meets up with a black gentleman that runs a small newspaper. The two become partners attempting to unearth long kept and explosive political secrets. They travel the country, going wherever a lead might take them. They get into a few scrapes as someone attempts to warn them off. The good doctor also meets an enchanting woman and falls under her spell.
  The theories Cook and Fraser toss around include the involvement of the Catholic church, obviously the Southerners, the confederates and maybe even someone close to the president. In the end, the truth will cause a dilemma for Fraser and Cook. Will they tell what they know or will they decide to keep the secrets that could knock the nation off it's axis?
  
  This was a compelling mystery that begs the answers to some obvious questions concerning Booth as the brain behind the assassination. Too many holes were left open, but the case was closed and as far as most were concerned the right man was killed for the crime and his cohorts were hanged. The End... but maybe not.
  
  I loved the characters in the book. Cook was a real tell it like it is fellow and pulled no punches. Fraser was a bit more diplomatic. However, when all was said and done the two men had forged a life long friendship despite their differences of opinion. Fraser, a widower, who had lost his wife and child in childbirth, had a hole in his life he was at a loss how to fill, until he met Eliza, a friend of the Booth family. It looks as if the two might be headed for marriage until Fraser discovers Eliza's darkest secret. Will he be able to accept her once he knows the truth?
  
  The theories, like most conspiracy theories, ranged from plausible to ridiculous. The "truth" could really have been more accurate than people would want to believe. But, all of this is pure conjecture and it made for a great little mystery. The thing that tipped this one over to a four star rating for me was the character development and the bonds that grew from the most unlikely of situations. There was a little something for everyone in this one. For those of you that are interested in this type of thing - the language was very mild, there was no sexual content, or graphic violence. Overall, I would give this one an B+
• 
  Marsha Hubbell

  I was fortunate to attend a book signing with noted historian and author David O. Stewart a few weeks ago. I left totally intrigued with the premise of The Lincoln Deception, the amount of research he put into it, and the real life characters possibly involved interwoven throughout. Mr. Stewart offers a plausible narrative for the mysteries and questions surrounding the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and it's made me want to pull out my college history book. How did I not know some of this? The Lincoln Deception is a first rate historical thriller and glimpse into our past, and I hope, as he hinted at the signing, that we will have the opportunity to meet up again with Dr. Jamie Fraser and Speed Cook.
• 
  Joyce Ziebell

  The Lincoln Deception is a great what if concept... a what if the truth were different than what we've heard, read or learned from an historical event. Was John Wilkes Booth the lone mastermind and assassin in the killing of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, or was it a conspiracy by unknowns?
  
  I liked how author David Stewart based the story on a true deathbed statement from John Bingham, the lead prosecutor of the Booth assassins... and away we traveled to learn what really happened. He created believable characters in Fraser and Cook... and had me fearful for them when they faced danger.
  
  I can pretty much spot the ending a mile away. But that doesn't matter. I don't read these books for the ending, I read them for the journey. This was one of the best “what if” mysteries I've read.
  
• 
  Eric Kent

  Book 10. The opening line sets the direction – but ultimately the book fails to deliver on that promise, I think. While the book sort of centered around Surratt and Booth and such – the fact that she was a she-lion never really came back into play. I guess it sort of did once…but that was all. So – this is historical fiction revolving around a deathbed utterance from the prosecutor in Mary Surratt’s trial. He indicated that she told him something – something that Mrs. Surratt confessed to him that was “so terrible” they had to keep it a secret. So the book is a quest by the doctor to find out what the secret is.
  SPOILERS AHEAD
  
  Opening Lines: “’I’ve been recalling Mrs. Surratt,’ the old man said.” A perfect she-lion, she was.
  
  Ending Lines: “Fraser grinned and put his arm around Cook’s shoulder. ‘Come on, now. You feeling brave enough to say hello to my wife?”
  
  The big reveal comes in General Longstreet’s house – and General James Longstreet fills in all the gaps.
  Samuel Barstow was a former confederate officer and the wizard behind the cotton exchange in NY. He claimed the scheme had support all through the North – senators and congressmen, governors and mayors, bankers and railroad men. And cotton men. So I guess that’s the real danger there – the part that the North had something to do with it. Seems pretty weak. Especially since the main character keeps secret because “Northerners also were behind the killing of Abe Lincoln.
  So – Barstow was the mastermind….I guess. His name was the one scrawled on the paper of the crazy guy – who was one of the minor Booth accomplices. I don’t know that they actually built a strong enough case that there was a Northern element to the conspiracy. All in all, not that impressed.
  
  QUOTES
  “A man’s got to choose what matters to him. I made my choice. This matters.”
  “I don’t like it when really smart people do things that seem dumb. Makes me think I’m figuring something wrong.”
• 
  Linda C

  On his deathbed, former Ohio Congressman and prosecutor of the Lincoln assassination conspirators, John Bingham, tells his doctor Jamie Fraser, that Mary Surratt divulged a secret to him that, if known, would shatter the republic. He took that secret to the grave. The idea of this secret peeked Fraser's curiosity. It is 1900 and 35 years after the assassination. As he is helping Bingham's family sort his papers, he finds a large collection of materials related to the assassination and begins to read up on it. When he is called to attend a colored woman who has had an accident and finds out that she was Mary Surratt's help he can't help asking a few questions. Speed Cook, colored hotel owner, ex ball-player and would be newspaper publisher is at first upset about Fraser's questioning of Rachel Lemus, but then also becomes intrigued when Fraser tells his story. The two decide to spend some time researching and trying to discover the secret. So begins a tale that takes them to IN, NY, MD, and DC. It soon becomes apparent that somebody does not want the secret discovered leading to several violent episodes. Both Fraser and Cook discover a lot about themselves on this search that will effect their future. Stewart has taken a paragraph entry from an obscure biography of Bingham and several unanswered questions about the conspiracy and formed an interesting what if story.
• 
  Vicki

  This book obviously digs into one of the big tragedies of our country, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It's been 35 yrs since his death and the prosecutor in the trial, Mr. Bingham, is dying. His young Dr, Dr. Frazier, comes to check on him daily. During his last visit he leaves a clue about the assassination plot told to him by Mrs. Surratt. He is taking her confession to his death bed. When he passes his daughters ask Dr. Frazier to go through his voluminous paperwork from the trial and his personal papers. This leads Dr. Frazier to become obsessed with the truth of the Lincoln Conspiracy. He starts seeking out people around when the trial took place.
  I actually learned tidbits I had no clue about and yes, even googled to verify them. A lot of good historical information along with the fictional story. I absolutely loved this book and the history. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 was I didn't feel the author was very thorough in the characteristics of the players in his fiction part. This may have been intentional to make them seem more real as far as history goes but it just made me feel I didn't know a lot about the main characters.
  But I do highly recommend this book if for nothing more than a good rehashing of our history books!!!!
  
• 
  Kathleen

  I was really looking forward to reading The Lincoln Deception and I was disappointed. The premise was excellent...Young Dr Fraser cares for John Bingham, who was the prosecutor in the Lincoln assassination trials. On his deathbed, Bingham tells Dr. Fraser of a confession told to him by Mary Surratt. This confession would have changed history and challenged our way of government so Bingham was taking the confession to his death. Dr. Fraser goes on a search to find the truth about Surratt....Booth....the assassination...and who really was the mastermind of this horrific crime. So this book should have been fascinating....instead it just wasn't. I have read other books on Lincoln and it is a compelling topic...but this book...the characters came in and out if the storyline...the plot did not move quickly...the "romance" (yes, romance...did not understand that either) was weak. It was an overall disappointing book.
• 
  Naomi

  Read my full review:
  http://bit.ly/1dMzIJh
  
  My opinion: I found this to be a really creative and fun story about a potential conspiracy to the Lincoln assassination. Loved the mixture of true events with "fake characters". Gave a new fictional "twist" to the non-fiction books I have read on the event without being too far-fetched. As there have been numerous conspiracy theories into the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, one could actually see this occurring.
  
  I loved the slow release of the mystery of this book and the "realness" of Dr. Jaime Fraser, a simple physician, thrust into the mystery.
  
  Lincoln enthusiasts, such as myself, will eat this up!
  
  
• 
  Grace

  At the turn of the twentieth century, a white doctor and a black athlete get some information that leads them to suspect that there is more to Lincoln's death than the public has been led to believe. There are a few people involved with the plot who are still alive, and they begin to track the long-covered trail. Stewart, a historian, used historical materials to get the idea for this book, but because there is no hard proof, he wisely fictionalized his theory rather than try to publish a very speculative non-fiction account. That said, history and mystery are the strengths of this book, characterization and subtlety its weaknesses.
• 
  Olivia

  I've never read anything by David O. Stewart before though from what I've gathered, he seems to be more of a non-fiction writer. Stewart had a good idea, perhaps it was something he stumbled across during research for another non-fiction? But, it doesn't seem he had enough to support his theory so...let's write a fiction novel! Sadly though, the story never came across as...exciting? I found myself staring at the page in boredom more than once. I think in the hands of a really good historical fiction writer, this could have been a real page turner. For me though, it fell flat.
• 
  Kathy

  Quotable:
  As they recrossed Broadway, he felt her hand on the crook of his arm. He placed his hand over hers. Their fingers intertwined. Long-dormant feelings surfaced as she looked into his eyes. Something clenched inside him. Was he being disloyal? Eliza was so different from Ginny, but his longing was the same, the ache for warmth and absolution that only a lover can grant. Could he find that with this poised and worldly woman? Could he give her back the same?
• 
  Susan

  Although well-written and on a fascinating topic, The Lincoln Deception was sadly disappointing. James, Speed and Eliza were all implausible characters. They rode mules or rode in carriages, to and fro, from Cadiz, Ohio to New York City, then to Washington and Baltimore, but the activity was misleading, these were not real people taking these journeys or trying to solve the mystery of Lincoln's assassination.
• 
  Paul

  Okay, I read this one because I read an interesting review of the second book in the series, so I decided to start at the beginning. Interesting story, well written, easy to read. Takes place in 1900, two men investigating the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The history part itself - who was still alive in 1900 who was a part of this, including members of the Booth and Surratt family, and even Mrs. U.S. Grant. Can't wait to read the next one.
  
• 
  Holly

  The premise of this book is so promising - digging into historical records to try to solve the bigger picture behind President Lincoln's assassination - but the execution is lacking, unfortunately. The writing felt clunky to me and the characters were flat. If you're interested in the idea, read Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time instead.
• 
  Pam

  After 100 pages I just couldn't get into this book. I was hoping for more on the actual Lincoln assassination and the players behind it, but it just was mostly about two men and their individual backgrounds. I was disappointed.
• 
  Megan

  Really interesting premise for a novel. It's a quick read but sometimes easy to get lost in the plot and theories of conspiracy. Loved the idea of revisiting Lincoln's death though!
• 
  Debbie

  An interesting look into the Lincoln assassination. Does not quite deliver a punch though. Found the similarities between the assassination of Lincoln and that of Kennedy interesting as well
• 
  Erin

  Usually I love historic fiction but this one never managed to breathe life into its characters. Slow moving and didn't give me a strong sense of place. The conspiracy was hum-ho.
• 
  Christy

  It just ended!
  
  
• 
  Yvonne

  
  Dr. Jamie Fraser is a small town doctor that heard a death bed confession of Mr. John Bingham (a former congressman and ambassador to Japan) that he heard from a dying woman. Mr. Bingham had tried the people involved in the Abraham Lincoln assassination and on her death bed a woman gave up a secret that could have rocked the country at that time and he choose to take it to his death bed. Dr. Fraser gets interested in the hint at the secret and is letting the curiosity get the better of him. Mr. Bingham’s family asks Dr. Fraser to help go through their father’s papers. He uses that time to collect information about what went on. He runs into Speed Cook at Mr. Bingham’s funeral and they later get together and try to solve the mystery of the assignation. The rest of the book is an adventure as they travel to find out more about the mystery. There are several times when the adventure turns dangerous. Most of the time the information they learn on their journey just brings up more questions than answers.
  This book started out a little slow for me. It took a while to pick up for me. Good thing is I never guessed the surprises. Definitely had some interesting information in it.
  I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own.