Assassin's Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln »

Kate Clifford Larson holds a doctorate from the University of New Hampshire and currently teaches history at Simmons College. She is the author of Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero. She lives in Winchester, Massachusetts.

The true story of Mary Surratt, a shadowy figure behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln-and the first woman executed by the federal government

Publishers Weekly

Mary Surratt was a Washington, D.C. tavern operator who was hanged for her role in the Abraham Lincoln assassination conspiracy. At the time of her speedy military tribunal and swift execution, Surratt's predicament generated considerable public debate about Southern resistance, Northern vengeance, and gender. History buffs will be enlightened by Larson's findings about the scope and scale of Confederate covert activity in the waning days of the Civil Wars. Laural Merlington does not get the opportunity to sink her teeth into the complicated human drama until rather late in the proceedings. Her portrayal of the emotionally-charged interactions between Surratt and her fragile young-adult daughter demonstrates her range as a performer, but such interludes prove rather fleeting. Larson's narrative remains tied to documentation and court transcripts, so listeners hoping for a full-blown 19th Century soap opera will need to turn elsewhere. A Basic Books hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 7).
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Ch. 1 "Devoted Body and Soul to the Cause" 1

Ch. 2 Creating a Life, Building the Nest 11

Ch. 3 Rebels, Spies, and Couriers 27

Ch. 4 Keeper of the Nest 43

Ch. 5 The Assassin's Accomplice 69

Ch. 6 A Shrewd Witness 97

Ch. 7 The "Materfamilias" of the Criminals 117

Ch. 8 The Case for the Defense 149

Ch. 9 The Verdict: Swift and Deadly 169

Ch. 10 Scenes at the Scaffold 195

Epilogue American Tragedy or American Justice? 223

Acknowledgments 231

Notes 235

Index 255