Lincoln's Last Days

TV commentator and author Bill O'Reilly's narration consists of a prefatory note to listeners--an enticement to heed this story of "courage, cowardice, and betrayal." Based on O'Reilly's book KILLING LINCOLN, this version, intended for ages 10 and up, may not capture young listeners due to its plodding nature. It opens with the "beginning of the end" of the Civil War and carries listeners through Booth's plotting, Lincoln's assassination, and Booth's escape and capture. Battle scenes that should be intense are deliberately read, and even when tension mounts, such as the moment when Lincoln is shot, information is piled on, which slows the pace. Herrmann does not attempt characterizations of the famous and infamous figures whose varying perspectives are used to tell the story. D.P.D. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine