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duparker's review against another edition
3.0
Liked it, but not as much as the previous entries. I think part of the usual draw is the multiple eras portrayed. Here there was really just one, other than the present. I'm also not a huge fan of the overly sexy and thug like elements that have been introduced in this and to some degree the last book. Glad to be all caught up on the series, but also not worried about when the next one will come out.
jennkurrie's review against another edition
3.0
#42/2017 .. if you like National Treasure then this is right up your ally!
jennkurrie's review against another edition
3.0
#42/2017 .. if you like National Treasure then this is right up your ally!
leialocks's review against another edition
4.0
I've read this series completely out of order. Well, actually, I've only read 2 of the series, #3 (Lost Constitution) and #5, this book. However, I don't think it matters at all. The first book I read, I had no idea it was a series until I went to post a Goodreads review. This one, I only vaguely remembered Peter and Evangeline. Most of the main plot points were rehashed. So, you can easily read this book without reading the rest. The character development on the modern day characters may be a little skimpy for you without the full books. The modern story isn't my favorite part so I'm okay with glimpses.
So, this book sticks to the formula (I assume it is one) where there is an American artifact that Peter either finds or is on the path for it. I like that Peter's motives are normal. He finds these artifacts to sell. It makes sense and doesn't feel contrived like some of the other treasure hunt type books. In this one, he finds a lost letter of Lincoln that refers to a "something" that Lincoln has lost. The something is a secret diary that Lincoln kept during the Civil War. We're then transported to the War Department in Civil War Washington, DC where a telegraph operator gets in over his head with Democrat Senators, the Pinkertons, the Knights of the Gold Circle, and Confederate spies.
I really enjoyed the Civil War story line and the time period. It was a great to have various viewpoints of the war represented. I always like how Martin frames the 2 stories with the settings. As said, the modern portions are weaker but they serve their purpose. Definite recommend.
So, this book sticks to the formula (I assume it is one) where there is an American artifact that Peter either finds or is on the path for it. I like that Peter's motives are normal. He finds these artifacts to sell. It makes sense and doesn't feel contrived like some of the other treasure hunt type books. In this one, he finds a lost letter of Lincoln that refers to a "something" that Lincoln has lost. The something is a secret diary that Lincoln kept during the Civil War. We're then transported to the War Department in Civil War Washington, DC where a telegraph operator gets in over his head with Democrat Senators, the Pinkertons, the Knights of the Gold Circle, and Confederate spies.
I really enjoyed the Civil War story line and the time period. It was a great to have various viewpoints of the war represented. I always like how Martin frames the 2 stories with the settings. As said, the modern portions are weaker but they serve their purpose. Definite recommend.
kc1005us's review against another edition
4.0
I love all of William Martin's historical fiction,esp. the Peter Fallon series. Another great book--couldn't put it down! Highly recommend his books--start with Cape Cod & go from there :)
canada_matt's review against another edition
4.0
The Fallon series continues with another Martin classic, focussed on the US Civil War and its central character, Abraham Lincoln. When a letter surfaces, potentially the last he ever penned, in which Lincoln asks that a bureaucrat in the War Department return his personal date book, Fallon is pulled into the middle of the mystery and asked to locate the whereabouts of the original letter and the aforementioned piece of history to which it eludes. Alongside his girlfriend (yes, the wedding never took place), Evangeline Carrington, Fallon searches through numerous historical documents to give a more complete picture of the time and offer insight as to where this date book might have gone. The story alternates (in true Martin fashion) from the present to events during the War, in which the story of said date book and its robbery becomes central. However, Martin also offers numerous angles surrounding Lincoln's thinking throughout the War and the sentiment by African Americans during the event, in hopes of shining a light on where they saw themselves in the larger picture. Fallon must not only find the date book, but fend off politicians who hope to use Lincoln's decisions surrounding the War to fuel their own interests, all while pushing new and controversial ideas on the American people. What could Lincoln have included in that book and could it change the way modern America sees itself, both internally and on the world stage? A wonderful addition to Martin's work and hopefully not the final chapter in the Fallon series.
Martin touches on yet another collection of historically significant events to present a novel that piques the reader's interest from the outset. While all other novels in the series have used vast swaths of time to illustrate changes in mentality and how the specific historical item changed hands repeatedly, in this novel, the story focusses on wartime, and the nuanced shifts within that time period. Martin touches on the change in mentality surrounding the War's justification and how constitutional loopholes left secession open for any state that desired its option. However, Lincoln would not stop until the issue of slavery had been decided, even if he offered a murky and somewhat contradictory stance on the larger issue. History has always come to shape this debate and even a century later, politicians were still trying to sort things out, based on Lincoln's desires and Grant's victory.
I would like to take a moment to touch on the Peter Fallon series as a whole, if I might. I am not sure if there are more books to come from William Martin, so it seems useful to offer some general comments at this point. Martin has used the series not only to touch on various aspects of New England history, but also to discuss how that history is woven together over numerous generations. Some call him a modern Mitchener or a fellow Edward Rutherfurd in his multi-generational storytelling. I agree on both counts, as Martin grabs onto history and presents it to the reader in an interesting manner. Each of the five novels is steeped in history and should not be scoffed at, though attention to detail is a must. While each novel can and does stand on its own, reading the series in chronological order offers a more sensical way of digesting the overarching themes the characters present and makes things more enjoyable all about. I would highly recommend the series to anyone with patience and a hunger for New England history. You'll likely come away much better informed than when you arrived!
Kudos, Mr. Martin for such a wonderful book and series. I applaud you for all you've done to make history entertaining and educational at the same time.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Martin touches on yet another collection of historically significant events to present a novel that piques the reader's interest from the outset. While all other novels in the series have used vast swaths of time to illustrate changes in mentality and how the specific historical item changed hands repeatedly, in this novel, the story focusses on wartime, and the nuanced shifts within that time period. Martin touches on the change in mentality surrounding the War's justification and how constitutional loopholes left secession open for any state that desired its option. However, Lincoln would not stop until the issue of slavery had been decided, even if he offered a murky and somewhat contradictory stance on the larger issue. History has always come to shape this debate and even a century later, politicians were still trying to sort things out, based on Lincoln's desires and Grant's victory.
I would like to take a moment to touch on the Peter Fallon series as a whole, if I might. I am not sure if there are more books to come from William Martin, so it seems useful to offer some general comments at this point. Martin has used the series not only to touch on various aspects of New England history, but also to discuss how that history is woven together over numerous generations. Some call him a modern Mitchener or a fellow Edward Rutherfurd in his multi-generational storytelling. I agree on both counts, as Martin grabs onto history and presents it to the reader in an interesting manner. Each of the five novels is steeped in history and should not be scoffed at, though attention to detail is a must. While each novel can and does stand on its own, reading the series in chronological order offers a more sensical way of digesting the overarching themes the characters present and makes things more enjoyable all about. I would highly recommend the series to anyone with patience and a hunger for New England history. You'll likely come away much better informed than when you arrived!
Kudos, Mr. Martin for such a wonderful book and series. I applaud you for all you've done to make history entertaining and educational at the same time.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
bboerner's review
4.0
I received a free advance copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
This was my first William Martin book, and by default, my first Peter Fallon story. For someone coming new to the series, I realized there would be certain things that wouldn't make sense to me. However, there were relatively few moments where I felt like an "outsider" and didn't get what was going on between the characters. It was good to be able to jump into the series and follow along with the action.
This is probably something formulaic for Martin, but it was interesting to get a book with historical "flashbacks" alternating with the current narrative. How it was done was new to me and seemed to work pretty well. Both story lines advanced concurrently pretty well and it was neat to "know" something that each storyline's characters don't. Despite this knowledge, there were still enough surprises to keep me from getting bored.
My one major complaint was that it was tough to keep track of all the different players and their machinations in both timelines. I don't know if Martin normally tries to pull together so many different people and groups, but it became difficult to keep straight the motives and actions of characters at times.
Having recently visited Washington, D.C. with my family, I appreciated the attention to detail about the locations and places visited by both sets of characters.
Overall, this was an entertaining read and it managed to tie together some historical and modern politics and show how Lincoln can still have an impact on us today.
This was my first William Martin book, and by default, my first Peter Fallon story. For someone coming new to the series, I realized there would be certain things that wouldn't make sense to me. However, there were relatively few moments where I felt like an "outsider" and didn't get what was going on between the characters. It was good to be able to jump into the series and follow along with the action.
This is probably something formulaic for Martin, but it was interesting to get a book with historical "flashbacks" alternating with the current narrative. How it was done was new to me and seemed to work pretty well. Both story lines advanced concurrently pretty well and it was neat to "know" something that each storyline's characters don't. Despite this knowledge, there were still enough surprises to keep me from getting bored.
My one major complaint was that it was tough to keep track of all the different players and their machinations in both timelines. I don't know if Martin normally tries to pull together so many different people and groups, but it became difficult to keep straight the motives and actions of characters at times.
Having recently visited Washington, D.C. with my family, I appreciated the attention to detail about the locations and places visited by both sets of characters.
Overall, this was an entertaining read and it managed to tie together some historical and modern politics and show how Lincoln can still have an impact on us today.
terminatee's review
4.0
William Martin’s hybrid historical-fiction/thriller, THE LINCOLN LETTER, promised to be an interesting read, and I was not disappointed. The story revolves around a previously-unknown diary of Abraham Lincoln’s, a daybook that clearly shows the evolution of his thoughts on the emancipation of slaves. Modern-day historical sleuths Peter Fallon and Evangeline Carrington are racing to locate the diary before it is found by those who would use its controversial contents to further their nefarious political desires. Juxtaposed with the 21st century treasure-hunting story is the story of how Lincoln’s diary came to be lost during the Civil War, and the lengths to which Lincoln’s enemies would go to locate it. In order to track down the diary, Fallon and Carrington must – through careful research – reconstruct the Civil War story. They must also thread their way through a complex web of characters whose varied selfish aims place the sleuths in danger at every turn.
The novel was very interesting, but it also appealed to me on another level: it reminded me of my own research in reconstructing the Civil War career of my great-great-grandfather, a junior officer in Tennessee’s Confederate Cavalry who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the middle of the war, never to be seen again. Solving Lt. Andrew Lacy’s mystery does not have the potential impact of Lincoln’s diary in THE LINCOLN LETTER, and there is no race to elucidate this mystery. But just as seemingly minor details at the time of the Civil War provided important clues to the disappearance of Lincoln’s diary in THE LINCOLN LETTER, my hope is that minor details (many of which are found in the letters Lacy and his family wrote one another during the war) may lead to the discovery of my ancestor’s actual fate. This possibility is what keeps me searching, researching, and re-researching. It also makes for more extensive research than I realized I would need in order to tell Lt. Lacy’s story. That, in turn, has caused the writing of my story to take much longer than I had guessed. All I can ask for is patience from those who are waiting to read Lt. Lacy’s tale.
The novel was very interesting, but it also appealed to me on another level: it reminded me of my own research in reconstructing the Civil War career of my great-great-grandfather, a junior officer in Tennessee’s Confederate Cavalry who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the middle of the war, never to be seen again. Solving Lt. Andrew Lacy’s mystery does not have the potential impact of Lincoln’s diary in THE LINCOLN LETTER, and there is no race to elucidate this mystery. But just as seemingly minor details at the time of the Civil War provided important clues to the disappearance of Lincoln’s diary in THE LINCOLN LETTER, my hope is that minor details (many of which are found in the letters Lacy and his family wrote one another during the war) may lead to the discovery of my ancestor’s actual fate. This possibility is what keeps me searching, researching, and re-researching. It also makes for more extensive research than I realized I would need in order to tell Lt. Lacy’s story. That, in turn, has caused the writing of my story to take much longer than I had guessed. All I can ask for is patience from those who are waiting to read Lt. Lacy’s tale.
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