Description

From the critically acclaimed author of The Borden Murders comes the thrilling story of Mary Surrattthe first woman to be executed by the US government for her alleged involvement in the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln

A dubious distinction belongs to Mary Surratt on July 7 1865 she became the first woman to be executed by the United States government accused of conspiring in the plot to assassinate not only President Abraham Lincoln but also the vice president the secretary of state and General Grant

Mary Surratt was a widow a Catholic a businesswoman a slave owner a Union resident and the mother of a Confederate Secret Service courier As the proprietor of the boardinghouse where John Wilkes Booth and his allies are known to have gathered Mary Surratt was widely believed as President Andrew Johnson famously put it to have kept the nest that hatched the egg But did Mrs Surratt truly commit treason by aiding and abetting Booth in his plot to murder the president Or was she the victim of a spectacularly cruel coincidence Here is YA nonfiction at its bestgripping thoughtprovoking and unputdownable