You must know some of the little discussed history of Andrew Johnson—the 17th president of the United States - Abraham Lincoln’s vice president and subsequent President after that fateful night at the Ford Theater. His other claim to fame or notoriety were all the parallel events and dates that ran alongside Lyndon Johnson’s historical path after the death of JFK. Solomon writes a fascinating novel about Andrew Johnson’s death. A death he posits as a murder and not just a stroke.

Johnson was only vice president for six weeks and president for four years. And doing some brief research reveals Johnson left behind a decent political legacy.

However in Solomon’s novel, he was seen as brusque and bull-headed. Solomon establishes him as intractable about his decisions; and not a man whose temper you crossed. So, when he died Solomon comes up with a string of events and people that may have led to his death as being a murder. The characters surrounding Johnson are led by John Hay; a lawyer who worked with Lincoln as his private secretary and is currently a roving reporter for the New York Tribune. His assignment is to do a story about Johnson’s last days, surrounded by his loving family.

We get a picture of politics in August 1875. Washington D.C was simply known as Washington City. Solomon’s descriptive ability gives us a hot and dusty view of the capital, the humidity and insects, the architecture and the constant political machinations, including dealing with the current President Ulysses Grant.

Hay has a tough time tracking down people who might have had reason enough to kill Johnson. And even Hay himself gets shot at as he tries to untangle the skein of facts false leads and those that had a grudge against Johnson. But, nevertheless Hay pulls apart the clues and the conclusion takes on an interesting resolution. ~~ Sue Martin