Lincoln's Grave Robbers

Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

Amazon summary to get my bearings: "The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon after Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to spring their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd --and $200,000 in cash. From here, the action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service agents on their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups. Along the way readers get glimpses into the inner workings of counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work, and the early days of the Secret Service. The plot moves toward a wild climax as robbers and lawmen converge at Lincoln's tomb on election night: November 7, 1876." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

I'm not much of a person that has the patience for history as I find the writing of it to be dull, boring, and a bunch of facts. Usually when I've had to deal with history it has been in the classroom setting and only a handful of times have I picked up a historical fiction or non-fiction book.

Lincoln's Grave Robbers is a historical non-fiction book that portrays the events of men who make counterfeit money, specifically when their best engraver Ben Boyd is sent to jail. They hatch a plan to steal Abraham Lincoln's body and ransom it for the release of Ben Boyd and a fair amount of money.

It was amazing.

For the entire time I read the book, I did not want to put it down. The writing captures the moments with flourish, there are images scattered through out the book that only emphasizes the details, and the mettle of men are portrayed in subtle ways that still give a complete picture.

I learned about the secret service, the different ways that people used to get counterfeit money into circulation, and what they had to do to get detective work done.

I learned about history, AND I DIDN'T MIND.

Basically, because of this book I feel strongly encouraged to start trying more historical fiction/non-fiction books.

Maybe learning about history can be fun. Hmmm....

Happy reading!