The First Assassin

If historical novels strike you as boring--- and I do admit that is the case at times--- "The First Assassin" will change your mind about this genre. Set in the days just before the start of the American Civil War, it's about a plot to assassinate President Lincoln ... a plot hatched long before the tragic and fatal acts of John Wilkes Booth.

The novel is richly steeped in the environment of the times, from descriptions of Washington, D.C., to the surrounding countryside; the trains, the newspapers, the buildings, the streets, and above all the people and politics. The author's research is masterful and complete and it all makes for a great setting for a compelling tale. And on the storytelling front, there is no disappointment, with a well-crafted plot, plenty of action, and well-drawn characters.

Union Army officer Rook is the nominal hero of the story, but our hearts are stolen by the young slave girl, Portia, who plays a crucial role in the events of the book. Rook is a good enough character, but Portia is better; and the clever socialite villainess, Violet Grenier, is in her own right a compelling figure. Plenty of other interesting major and minor characters bring the book to life.

The political struggle over slavery, the dominant issue of the times, is shown from both sides, but the author's sympathies--- and ours--- are easily drawn to the Union side. The book makes no overt political statements; events and actions are allowed to speak for themselves, against the backdrop of the era.

If there is anything to criticize, it might be the fact that the mysteries are resolved some time before the book concludes, with the final chapters having lots of action but not as much suspense. But I really didn't mind this so much, and you won't either. This is a book to read in a couple of sittings at most, and anyone who tries to take it out of your hands should fear for his or her safety. I recommend this book with enthusiasm; and, as the author left an opening for a sequel, I'm hoping that comes to pass soon.

I love historical novels & I picked this one up because it seemed to fit. It was a very well done historical novel. However it also pleasantly surprised by being an excellent fast paced page turner of a spy thriller. A country on the verge of war, members of high society plotting against their own government, those in society with nothing, risking what little they have to preserve a dream of a better life, & bravery in light of doubt as characters find their courage. Excellent read whether it's set in 1861, 1961, or 2061. Well done.

The First Assassin, John J. Miller, the store Encore Publishing, 450 pp., 2010, $14.95.

Set in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Charleston, S.C., The First Assassin is a fast paced, tightly knit, speculative story of a murder attempt on Lincoln immediately after the Baltimore Plot of January and February 1861. South Carolinian planter Langston Bennett, hires the assassin. Mazorca, Latin American para-military sociopath, is aided by Violet Grenier, a Washington, D.C. socialite and Southern sympathizer.

In their way is Portia, a slave on Bennett's plantation and Rook, an aide to Winfield Scott, commander of all Federal forces. Portia's mission is to escape from Charleston and deliver the assassin's photograph to President Lincoln. Rook knowx that the Baltimore plot was the first attempt but may not be the last of the attempts that will be made on Lincoln.

Miller's novel is of two worlds. He has done his background reading in Lincoln's life, wartime Washington D.C., and slave plantations. He also appears to be quite immersed in the past decade's 'political thriller' and detective novels. The First Assassin's pace is fast and it's characters tend to be a bit over-the-top. Historic in details, thrilling in pace, and driven by a modern sensibility, The First Assassin will most likely be found in stores in the mystery-detection-thriller shelves and not on the historical fiction shelves.

---review by my friend anna--

The First Assassin is about Abraham Lincoln who has just become president, and the year is 1861. War is about to start between the North and the South, and people from the South are leaving Washington. Bennett, a plantation owner from South Carolina, wants to eliminate the union and kill Lincoln. A slave named Portia is on a quest from her grandfather, to go to Washington and warn Lincoln by giving him a photo of the killer. But it's a dangerous journey, and the question is if she will make it all the way there. Slave hunters are after her and her friend. And while all this is going on, Colonel Rook tries to protect the president because Rook feels there is a big treat, but Lincoln doesn't want protection or bodyguards. Rook gets some help from colleagues and tries to uncover this conspiracy.

The book is exciting, and it gives you some very colorful characters. But it has to be said that this is a novel and the author has mixed fact and fiction. The author wants to tell us what could have happened, and therefore it's important not to see the book as real. Still some of the people in the book are real, and some of the things being said are also real.

I recommended the book to everyone that is interesting in historical novels. You get a good idea what life was like in the middle of the 19th century in the US. On top of that it's a good thriller. It's very exciting and even a bit frightening in places.

The author has written non-fiction books but this is his first fiction book. And the First Assassin is a strong debut.

I admit to a bias against historical fiction. Something bothers me about a story where I know the outlines... Lincoln dies on a certain day, at a certain time. The Union won the war. How exciting can a thriller be?

Very.

This is a grand book, because the writing is crisp, and the plot is excellent. The author captures the events of the day, with a deep historical understanding and a love of details, enough to make a Civil War buff swoon. But this is a backdrop for a thriller with good characters and crisp, interesting writing.

As a result, I picked the book up expecting to be bored, and found it to be very good, engrossing. I would buy another book by this author.

Exciting and surprising. I had to constantly remind myself that it was fiction. I gave it 5 stars because it was interesting and suspenseful. As I am not an American history expert, it made me want to learn more about that period, and it gave life to an era in a way I haven't encountered before. The only thing I didn't like was the story was slow at times, but the suspense definitely balanced that out. I would recommend this book to those who may be interested in this era but aren't excited about history in general.

"The First Assassin" is a very interesting bit of "history" fictionalised by a writer of more or less mundane abilities. It has been compared to "The Day of the Jackal" which is fair in comparing its theme and thrust, although the Forsyth book is far more exciting and infinitely better written. Nonetheless, this story of an earlier (i.e. pre-Booth) attempt to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, seems to get its history correct and its story decently told. Having said all that, one must be wary of some of the other reviews of the book. It seems author John J Miller is a very well-known columnist/journalist for several (highly) Conservative publications. This, perhaps, explains a number of "reviews" which, depending, apparently, on the REVIEWER"S politics, either hails this as the GREATAMERICANNOVEL or, conversely, a malign plot to undermine the country. It is neither. Having never heard of Mr Miller before reading the book, I came to it, I believe, fairly, on it's own merits. As such, I say, as I did in the opening. The story is good, the writing is flat, the book is, well, a 3 star experience.

This is a good piece of fiction woven throughout with historical facts and venues. You get a feel for what it was like during the opening days of the US Civil War in Washington DC. The characters are believable and interesting. The action continues pretty steadily throughout the pages. Makes you wish for a follow-up for some of the characters at the end.

I found myself really enjoying this book. The author does a wonderful job of storytelling and building up the plot, but I thought he could have done a little bit more to bring it to life by describing the sights and sounds a bit more to bring them to life. The characters are interesting and enjoyable. The pace is a bit slow but that just helps to bring the story to the forefront.

While story was a little “ far fetched” the possibilities are reasonable , did many slaves know how to read and write, was the box big enough to survive in for two days? While not as polished as I would like, for a first novel it certainly kept me interested enough to try more of this author’s efforts.

I quite enjoyed this book, from the military perspective to that of the daily thoughts and lives of slaves during that time. It was easy to follow and keep track of the characters, which were quite likeable or villainous. And, I do love historical stories and the descriptions were easily visualize. With that said it was not a deep book or too in-depth of a history lesson, but a great story and and an enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

I don't understand how some people found this book boring. I couldn't put it down and read it in two days. I usually like writing with a little more depth and eloquence, but sometimes there's no replacement for a ripping read, especially when you can learn a little history in the meantime. The characters are well-developed and the pacing keeps you on the edge of your seat. I also think it's awesome that the author self-published this through the store. Glad he did!

A mildly exciting historical fiction novel... overall I am on the fence about this one. It's got solid writing and a good representation of this vintage era and I feel like the author, John Miller, did his homework with respect to the accuracy of the historical aspect. However, for pleasure reading this fell a little lower than the middle of the road as far as other books in its class. Some of the writing is uninspiring and the fairly uncomplex plot keeps going and going.

Overall 4 stars.

As someone who loves a good story with intrigue, I was instantly drawn to John J. Miller's THE FIRS ASSASSIN. The characters actuall breath and lift off the page in front of you,causing you to see and experience what they are going through. Miller's love of history and the unexpected is seen throughout the book as we become part of what could have been a national tragedy that was twarted because of everyday men and women. The author shows us what makes this country great as well as when we are at our best.

The First Assassin will give you that literary fix that you crave in a novel with enough truth to please lovers of history as well. Definitely a first rate novel by someone who I believe is only beginning to show us what he is capable of doing.

At first I was skeptical about reading this. The author however does a good job of telling just enough about the characters to keep you involved. I thought the storyline was very well thought out and adding historical figures added to the intrigue. The reader was easily able to piece everything together and finally come in parallel with the characters. Mazorca was a great villan, the author provided just enough on him to make you want more. I am glad I read this.

this was a very interesting story with well developed characters. I enjoyed reading about the people and times leading up to the Civil War. While it is a fiction book, you could really imagine similar things actually happening. I would have liked knowing more about what happened to several of the characters after they left the story.

Miller has written a well-researched story of what could have happened and makes it into a story that reads as what did happen. His characters are totally believable and the facts are used to drape the fiction on a frame that builds a tale that draws the reader into a world that seems to real to not have actually happened in 1861.

I have totally enjoyed the history and intrigue of this book. It tells how the President's Secret Service "began" (whether true or not I don't know) and laid out the "bare bones" of slavery, the underground railroad, patriotism, and most of all, North vs. South. It's a light read rather then the normally very heavy read of the majority of these type of books.

I thought the book had a very interesting plot, loved the historical setting and details, the characters were well developed and the pace of the book while a little slow at times was never so slow that I wanted to put it down and not pick it up again.
The historical descriptions in the book helped to set the scene and make you feel drawn in as opposed to trying to beat you over the head with a history lesson as some historical novels I've read before have done and I really appreciated that.
Overall, it was a very interesting and informative book that is enjoyable to read and quite impressive for a first novel I thought.

A well fashioned thriller that was entertaining to read and gave some interesting descriptions of the times. While the outcome was not a big surprise, I enjoyed it none the less. A nice nod to Frederic Forsythe in the name of the Bookbinder, Charles Calthrop, the Red Herring from Day of the Jackal.

This book has been a great surprise. I rarely find historical novels to have much in the way of real fact. This author has done an excellent job of using fact and combining it with fast paced intrique. I have loved reading this and couldn't put it down! The story is richly detailed, adventurous, the characters are well fleshed out and the historical aspects are accurate.

This is a very intriguing store. It makes you wonder if some thing like this might have been possible in the early days of the American Civil War. I am sure there were lots of talk and planning but I wonder how many where ever brave brought to try to act them out?

I occasionally get the urge to read historical fiction and I struggle to get to the end of the book. This one was very well written and I finished it in less than four days. I will definitely be checking for additional books by this author.

the concept is interesting, but for me, this book failed to grab, then hold my interest - even though i am physically familiar with many of the settings and locations... perhaps i was expecting too much from this genre, but to my imagination the prose fell flat and the plot didn't pique more than a passing interest; others, such as re-enactors or role players may find this novel more to their liking - i wish the author well...

Although this was no scholarly treatise there was a lot of information about living conditions in Washington, DC and pre Civil War history to make this good reading. The plot was a little thin, but kept me reading.

Really enjoyed the story the historical seems so accurate to me and the idea was perfect. The fact that they got so close to the president and everything was so well thought out made it a very interesting book

John Miller's "The First Assassin" has an interesting concept and since I'm a student of the Civil War I was intrigued. Vince Flynn wrote "An excellent book -- it's like Day of the Jackal set in 1861 Washington." I like Vince Flynn and have read all his books so I ordered The First Assassin with great anticipation. When it arrived I read it through completely. I was so disappointed!! This is no thriller. I found the language of the characters stilted, the constant bouncing back and forth between short segments distracting, the plot predictable, some of the scenes and actions simply not credible, and frankly by the end instead of on the edge of my seat I was forcing myself to finish this tedious book. This book is very descriptive and frankly there are some mistakes. I am a stickler for details so as an example on page 216 the author writes "It was a Colt Model 1860 Army Revolver, a .36-caliber gun with an octagonal barrel nearly eight inches long. Rook opened the chamber to make sure it was fully loaded." As a Civil War buff the author should know a Colt 1860 Army Revolver is actually a .44-caliber gun with a round barrel. (Perhaps he meant to say a Colt 1851 Navy Revolver) Also this is a cap and ball revolver - you can't open up the chamber! You can tilt the revolver up to look in the chambers or take out the cylinder and look at the chambers. I suggest the author actually pick up a Colt 1860 Army Revolver so he can accurately describe it.

Bottom line - this is no Day of the Jackal and John Miller is no Frederick Forsyth. However, since this is the author's first non-fiction so I'll cut him some slack giving him two stars instead of one. I expect much better from him.

I picked this book up expecting to somewhat enjoy it because I'm familiar with John J. Miller as a writer. What was unexpected was just how engrossing the plot is and how 1861 Washington, D.C. comes to life. The city really is another delightful character in the book.

Also in the unexpected category is the building tension throughout the book. Even though the ultimate ending is well known (***spoiler alert: Lincoln isn't assassinated in 1861) this truly is a page-turning thriller. I finished it in one day because I simply couldn't stop reading. It really is that good.

It's clear that the reviews that give this book one star are doing so because Miller is a conservative journalist. They have an axe to grind and have unfortunately chosen this forum to grind it.

This is simply great historical fiction without a hint of ideology. Enjoy!

This "Day of the Jackal" style novel about an attempt to assassinate President Lincoln in the opening days of the Civil War is not as suspenseful as it might be. After all, we know that Lincoln was actually killed four years later. But the depth of historical detail makes "The First Assassin" a worthy read nevertheless.

I very much enjoyed the historical aspects of this book. Some of the "coincidences" were just a little too coincidental to my taste but overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to another from this author.

At first I was fascinated by the description of slave life in the South...that got my attention. When the story line moved to Washington my imagination left me. The patrols through the streets looking for "bad guys" lost me. I could not make any sense of what was happening.

If you enjoy historical fiction, murder mysteries and crime novels, all rolled into one then this is the book for you! It grabbed my interest from the start and only got more gripping as the novel proceeded. Great read.

The book had lulls,however it did hold my attention. I didn't like that it kept jumping around and the title seemed to indicate the characters would be real. I discussed it with my son who likes historical novels and decided that he probably wouldn't like it.

My credentials: long-time National Review subscriber; regular reader, and enthusiastic fan, of Mr. Miller's excellent non-fiction. On one level I bought this to support a guy whose prose, and work, I admire. But I should not have bothered. No ad hominem assault here; I read the whole thing, including the many typos.

I examined the first few paragraphs on his web site, and thought them lame. Bad writers string adjectives together to emulate fiction, but opening a thesaurus does not make literature. Yet I bought the book anyway, not expecting much. And even then, I got less.

Historical fiction is doubly tricky, because the author has to show the reader we are in a different time and place. But few of the details demonstrating Miller's extensive research are necessary. And because they are told in the same flashback style, we get sentences like: "If it was Mazorca, it meant he as in the large room where the Supreme Court met. It was sometimes called the Old Senate Room because senators had used it before moving into their more spacious chamber at the north end of the building." If you think that sentence adds to a narrative about a wounded man chasing his assailant, then read The First Assassin. If you find the details jarringly unnecessary, then you probably won't much care for this novel.

Bad prose clunks, with every failed sentence hitting the floor like a shoe. This prose just kind of plops, like stones settling into water. I'll not drone on and on about the weakness of the writing. Trust me on this one; it's not very good. "Show me, don't tell me", is my mantra as a reader. I want the story to be told in such a way that I learn the vital details by plot, conversation, and small asides. But in this book, partially because he has chosen a very linear framework for his narrative, we have tedious and grandiose flashbacks to provide important details. "So-and-so thought back to the time when x, y and z happened, all of which we need to know so now I'm telling you." Plop, plop, plop.

Too much trivia, too many unnecessary and unhelpful adjectives, sentences that fall over themselves with endless prepositional phrases, stilted and forced conversations (read them aloud to see if they sound like humans conversing--I did, they don't), weird intrusions, historical details as if we are reading an 8th grade history text book, and a mysterious, repeatedly unnamed, villain whose unmasking was so predictable that I couldn't believe it really was him, all make this a decidedly forgettable tale. I wanted it to work, but it does not even come close. Which is a shame, because the plot could have made this a success.