“Michael J. Kline's tense telling of Lincoln's journey through the secessionist hotbed of Baltimore en route to his 1861 inauguration reads like a detective thriller. Meticulously researched and exceptionally written, Kline
offers convincing evidence from famed detective Allan Pinkerton and others that the Baltimore plotters' threat was real. A must-have for Lincoln readers.”—Kate Hannigan, author of The Flour Girls

“Kline details an alleged plot to which most Lincoln books only allude. Comparing favorably with Harold Holzer's Lincoln President-Elect, this book demonstrates the use of archival sources beyond the usual standard and is
recommended for specialists and general readers.”—Library Journal

“Gathering information, arguing its value, and re-creating the tension of the secession crisis, Kline's narrative absorbs readers....He does not hide behind generalizations or best guesses.”—Civil War Librarian On February 11, 1861, Abraham Lincoln's private train began its journey from Springfield, Illinois, to the City of Washington, carrying the president-elect to his first inauguration. As Lincoln made his way east, private detective Allan Pinkerton and a separate sting operation by New York City detectives uncovered evidence of a conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln during his stop in Baltimore. The largest city of a border state with secessionist sympathies, Baltimore had been infiltrated by paramilitary groups bent on killing Lincoln, the “Black Republican.” In The Baltimore Plot: The First Conspiracy to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln, Michael J. Kline turns his legal expertise to evaluating primary sources in order to discover the extent of the conspiracy and culpability of the many suspects surrounding the case. Full of memorable characters, including Kate Warne, the first female undercover agent, and intriguing plot twists, the story is written as an unfolding criminal proceeding in which the author allows the reader to determine whether
there was a true conspiracy to kill Lincoln in 1861.