Hanging Mary

Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham   400 pages

If you aren’t an Abraham Lincoln history buff, the name Mary Surratt won’t mean anything. Mary was the boarding house owner where John Wilkes Booth met with his fellow conspirators. She is also the first woman executed by the U. S. government.

A lot is known about Mary, biographical information mainly. But the truth of her role, or non-role, in Lincoln’s assassination is mystery to this day. In this first historical fiction work about Mary, which I know of, author Susan Higginbotham weaves an interesting story about Mary, John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Atzerodt,  and the others who played major roles in killing Lincoln. One of the questions that has haunted historians is what role did John Surratt, Mary’s son, play in the assassination and why did he never return to defend his mother after she was arrested?

Billed as the “The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Assassination,” Higginbotham tells the story from two viewpoints. First is Mary, then one of her boarders, Miss Nora Fitzpartick. Of course, Nora’s appearance, which I knew nothing of, sent me scouring Google to determine if she was a real character, or a plot device. She is real, although not much is known about her.

The story begins in August 1864 and ends on July 7, 1865, immediately after the hangings. There is an Epilogue for Nora that in June 1869.

I liked the back and forth of the narrative between Mary and Nora. It provides a realistic look at the time and at the players, especially the charming Mr. Booth. I didn’t get swept up in the story like I had hoped. That’s why I give Hanging Mary 4 out of 5 stars.