Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham

 Hanging Mary vividly reimagines the life of Mary Surratt who could have changed the course of history, but something stopped her from intervening in the plans leading to the assassination of President Lincoln.

1864, in Washington, Mary Surratt takes boarders to help with the debt occurred by her late husband. The Surratts are Southern sympathizers and you have to be careful with voicing your opinion in regards to secession. Mary’s son, John, becomes acquainted with John Wilkes Booth, a charismatic actor. A concern is being raised by one of the boarders in regards to her son’s deteriorating character. It is being dismissed as pure jealousy as both men used to be close friends and now both Johns, the son and the actor, are very close. There are other concerns being raised such as guns being seen at the house, but that is brushed aside as for protection as John rides regularly into the country.

As the backgrounds of the characters are revealed, the storyline builds up interestingly and holds a reader in suspense. The aftermath is tragic and continues to hold the mystery of how it will unfold implicating Mary.

Beautifully written with depth, giving a sense of closeness to characters and intimate atmosphere, the events leading to the assassination of President Lincoln progress quickly, giving the story a fast pace. This is one of those stories that we all know the ending, and yet the vivid imagination breaths lives into the historical figures and conjures engrossing and poignant story.

P.S. Also highly recommend recently released book by this author – John Brown’s Women

Released in 2016

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark