"The Lincoln Deception": One step closer!

I just received a few “advanced reader copies” (i.e., copies for reviewers) of my forthcoming novel, The Lincoln Deception.  It’s a great pleasure to see them, though the book doesn’t go on sale until August 27.  You can reserve a copy by pre-0rder from Amazon. I dedicated this one — a historical mystery that tries to unravel the secrets of the…

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Are You Ready for Some Sesquicentennial?

It may end up seeming as long as the Civil War itself.  We are warming up for the extended observance of the 150th anniversary of the War Between the States. (“Celebration” seems the wrong word when talking of an event that killed 600,000 Americans.)  Today my gastroenterologist — yes, I have one, don’t you? — engaged me in…

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New Perspectives on New Orleans and Jefferson

I treasure books that help me look at familiar things in a new way, and have just finished two that do that:  Ned Sublette’s The World the Made New Orleans, and Roger Kennedy’s Mr. Jefferson’s Lost Cause.  Though neither book is quite new, they were new to me. Sublette is one of those appalling people…

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Reconstruction, Andrew Johnson and the South

In the last several weeks, I have talked about my book, Impeached, before several groups in the South:  Altanta, Lexington (KY), Nashville, Memphis. I was somewhat anxious about these appearances.  After all, The book (and my talks) are highly critical of Southern policies towards the freed slaves.immediately after the Civil War. I also take a…

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