Much better and different than I expected.
Reads like a great Turow or King novel....and brings out parts of the stories that are never taught in school.
Can hardly wait to ready Killing Kennedy now.

Another fascinating historical account by the team of Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. At a time of great turmoil and division in American history, Abraham Lincoln was actually the proverbial glue that held a nation at war with itself tenuously together. When John Wilkes Booth came along and snuffed that beacon of hope out, it could have been easy for the country to slide back into war and fragment itself even more, but it didn't. That was a testament to the leader and the man that President Lincoln was. Instead, his tragic assassination started a rebuilding process that eventually made the country stronger and more unified than ever.

I have never been a person who enjoyed reading about the Civil War or really imagined reading a book about Lincoln, however when I saw this audiobook I figured that I would take a chance on it. I didn’t know what to expect going into reading it – it is co-authored by Bill O’Reilly and I know that he is known for his impassioned political commentary and I’m not typically his biggest fan. I was quite surprised by how well written this book was and even more so by how much I enjoyed it.

The book, although a work of non-fiction, reads like a thriller (a style of writing that I do enjoy). While sticking to the facts of what happened in the 14 days prior to Lincoln’s assassination and the roundup of the suspects afterward the narrative style sucks you in. There is not a moment where it feels like you are reading a stuffy, dry history text. This would be a great book for someone who doesn’t read history because of the tendency to be tedious. I really didn’t want to put the book down.

All of the well known historical characters come to vivid life in the pages of this book. They become real – not just historical caricatures of good and bad. Through the writing you “get” why John Wilkes Booth did what he did, you feel the resignation of Lincoln that he will at some point be assassinated, and you get the general frenzy of Unionists and Confederates as the great Civil War draws to a close. Booth and Lincoln are given fair treatments in this book. Contrary to my concerns, the political views of the author/narrator do not affect the text.

The only part that I thought was a little overdone was the portion of the book dedicated to the last few days of the Civil War and the movements of Generals Grant and Lee. This constituted approximately ¼ of the book and I felt like it took away from the “killing Lincoln” feel. I understand that it was used to set up what was to come, but maybe a little less would have ultimately been more. It still kept me riveted though.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book. If you are unfamiliar with the time period and want something to whet your appetite this would be the book. From that point you can delve into deeper, heavier fare.

The book is narrated by the author, Bill O’Reilly, who I thought was an excellent choice for narrator. His tone of voice lent to the feel of the thriller as well as to a news commentary of the days. It sort of felt like you were hearing an account of what happened. He had great pacing and enunciation which really contributed to the overall feel.

This book was received for review from the publisher - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.

I really liked how O'Reilly wrote this. It was factual, but written in a format less textbook and more novel-like. He didn't jump off the fact train, but speculated a bit as to what the different characters where thinking. None of it went beyond believable and it did not lean to one side or the other.

I truly enjoyed this book. it has a nice story telling writing style. learned some new things that kept me reading and reading.

Well-written, intriguing, and informative read. If you're naive about the Lincoln assassination, I highly recommend investing some time in this. It's nice to know some history about our country!

Surprisingly apolitical. A fantastic approach; riveting with many details and facts synthesized into a chronological thriller-style novel.

I love history. I love history well written even more. This is one of those books. I didn't know Bill O'Reilly was a history teacher before he became the political pundit we know him to be, but this first book in his "Killing" series is a real page turner. Written in a 'thriller' format, he and his coauther masterfully present the evens leading up to and after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. I found it to be a real page turner, or ear-turner. I downloaded the book before a quick trip this week and ended up listening to it every waking moment I had free.

Read by O'Reilly, he lends his now famous voice and style to the prose to make it come alive. He covers all the important facts around the assassination with skill, revealing important back stories and related facts at appropriate times so as to not bog the story down. The events keep the pace moving relentlessly toward the inevitable conclusions we all know.

Most infamous stories have their conspiracy theories. Lincoln's is no different. I appreciate how O'Reilly presented the popular theories, dismissing the implausible, but explaining why there may be some merit to the conjectures. He even chases a few of themThe ones that are possible and not crazy are presented well, leaving the answer hanging to make our own decision without trying to influence us into become conspirators ourselves. Did Secretary of War Stanton have a role in the assassination? We will never know, of course, but the information presented will make at least one eyebrow go up in curiosity. However, in the end, O'Reilly doesn't run down the road and presents this probably as they are - sometimes a murder is just a murder.