The First Assassin, John J. Miller
The First Assassin, John J. Miller
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The First Assassin

Author: John J. Miller

Narrator: Kevin Stillwell

Unabridged: 13 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/11/2012

Synopsis

Winter 1861: the United States teeters on the brink of civil war. In Washington, D.C., Colonel Charles P. Rook is tapped to organize the district’s security and to protect president-elect Abraham Lincoln from the death threats pouring in to the White House. He surrounds the president with bodyguards and fills the city’s rooftops with sharpshooters, diligently investigating the conspiracies being fomented with increasing intensity by Southern secessionists. Yet amidst the chaos and confusion, a foreigner slips unnoticed into the teeming city. Hired by a wealthy Southern planter to eliminate President Lincoln and destroy the Union once and for all, the assassin catches Rook’s attention by cutting down anyone who gets in his way. As the bodies begin to pile up, Rook realizes he is caught in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with a cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing to complete his mission. Rook’s only hope is Portia, a runaway slave who holds the key to the assassin’s identity—if she can stay alive long enough to deliver it. Packed with dynamic characters, rich period detail, and a chillingly sinister villain, The First Assassin is a riveting thriller for fans of historical fiction.

About John J. Miller

John J. Miller is a journalist who writes for the National Review, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. He is the author of several books of nonfiction, including The Unmaking of Americans: How Multiculturalism Has Undermined America’s Assimilation Ethic; Our Oldest Enemy: A History of America’s Disastrous Relationship with France; and A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America. The First Assassin is his debut novel. A native of Detroit, he lives with his family in Prince William County, Virginia.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Curtis

Usually, people say that thrillers are "taut," which is an odd sort of metaphor. You want your sheets to be taut, if you care about that sort of thing. You want your sails to be taut, if you want the wind to take you anywhere. But why does a book have to be taut? The only thing I can figure out is t......more

Goodreads review by Ron

Well, as the stars indicate, I thought it was OK - - Its a rather long and somewhat tedious story of an assassin picked by two conservative Southerners to go to Washington and kill Abraham Lincoln. The book describes life in the United States just prior to the start of the Civil War. It covers both......more

Goodreads review by Nick

Well-researched and entertaining but something about the writing style - particularly the dialogue and over-explaining every character's action (failing to "show, don't tell") - didn't connect with me. At times, the dialogue reminded me more of corny '80s action movies, taking me away from the Civil......more

Goodreads review by R.Z.

At first one might think "ho hum," another presidential assassin story, but once you are into it, you just might not be able to put it down. This is told primarily from the point of view of the Colonel who is in charge of keeping President Abraham Lincoln generally safe when nobody but himself belie......more

Goodreads review by Kim

“The First Assassin” was a well written historical novel. The events portrayed were realistic, as were the various characters in the story. The story is about Abraham Lincoln's first days in office, and the growing conflict between the north and south. The south has just attacked Fort Sumter, and ha......more

Quotes

“An excellent book—it’s like The Day of the Jackal set in 1861 Washington.” —Vince Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pursuit of Honor“The First Assassin is one of the most exciting thrillers I have read in a long, long time. This is historical fiction at its best and John J. Miller is the hot new author everyone will be talking about.” —Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Apostle“The story moves with swift suspense, but Miller’s real achievement is to take us inside a mindset nearly lost to time.” —Andrew Klavan, author of Empire of Lies

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