Manhunt

The acclaimed and thrilling account of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the twelve-day chase for John Wilkes Booth, winner of the Edgar Award and adapted into an acclaimed Apple TV+ Series

“A terrific narrative of the hunt for Lincoln’s killers that will mesmerize the reader from start to finish.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin

The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history—the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry troops on a wild, 12-day chase from the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.

Based on rare archival materials, obscure trial transcripts, and Lincoln’s own blood relics Manhunt is a fully documented, fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, it is history as it’s never been read before.

Author Biography

James L. Swanson (1959-2025) is the author of the New York Times bestseller Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, which won an Edgar Award and was adapted into an acclaimed Apple TV+ series. His other books include Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis. Swanson served on the advisory council of the Ford’s Theatre Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Campaign and was a member of the advisory committee of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.