Hanged! Mary Surratt and the Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln by Sarah Miller

 

 Hanged! Mary Surratt and the Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln by Sarah Miller. Random House Studio, 2022. Nonfiction.

Among those hanged for the murder of President Abraham Lincoln was a Catholic widow who ran a boarding house. Was she guilty of harboring and inciting others involved in the plot? Or was she innocent of naively trusting her own sons and others who believed in John Wilkes Booth's plan to help the South rise again? Liberally utilizing quotes from documents, trial transcripts, and other historical records, Sarah Miller recreates the life and times of Mary Surratt. The hysteria following the assassination of the President and the manhunt for his killers are recreated here.

Miller, author of the excellent The Borden Murders as well as the fascinating The Miracle and Tragedy of the  Dionne Quintuplets adds this one to her nonfiction writings. While the first two make great reading, this one, while steeped in research, may not make the best addition to a summer beach bag. One of the most interesting tidbits is that Wok and Roll, a long time Chinese restaurant in Washington, D.C. is on the site of the former Surratt boarding house. The address changed from 541 to 604 H Street after renumbering was done in the area. Excellent resource listings are included in the back of the book. Photographs from the times add to the narrative.