What if Willie Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln didn't die in 1862 because of illness? What if he was murdered instead? Who would kill a child? And why? Could it be that someone hated his father enough to kill the son? Lincoln asks his trusted aid John Hay, to investigate Willie's death, to find out if the boy's death could have been brought on by someone in the White House.

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One can only imagine.

Death and its aftermath visit Abraham Lincoln hour after hour and day after day. The horrendous loss of life on the battlefield weighs heavy on his soul. He wears it like a second skin close to his heart.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, catches in his breath like a continuous sob that never leaves. The loss of his beloved son, Willie, is just too much to bear. Eyes brimming with tears, Lincoln turns within and tries to right this ship. A country torn apart with hatred and he, Lincoln, visualizes only love. Love for a wee boy taken in innocence.

It's February of 1862 and the city of Washington has been embraced by war and covered in the miasma of swampy water, poor drainage, and the fumes of stagnation surrounding the Potomac area. It's the perfect breeding ground for typhoid, typhus, and a multitude of transferrable diseases. And so young Willie succombs to typhoid fever within days.

Burt Solomon surrounds you, within this White House, with the notables of the day. Mary Todd Lincoln (also known as Hell-Cat), Robert and Tad, Seward, Alan Pinkerton, and a vast cast of advisors and staff. We come to know John Hay, Lincoln's assistant private secretary. Hay has been influenced by the notoriety of Vidocq, a prior criminal himself and the founder of the Surete Nationale of France. Vidocq believes in precise investigation and research. "Start at the edge and work your way in."

With peaked interest and a questioning nature, John Hay visits Lincoln and presents the ultimate scenario: what if Willie did not die a victim of typhoid but of murder instead? In addition, Hay has received threatening letters left in his satchel in his office. Strange Bible verses and peculiar messages. Lincoln, in his deep grief, allows Hay to investigate further.

Solomon sets the stage for deep inquiries into motive and opportunity. Would it have been a staff member of the White House? Could it have been the conspiracy of secessionists in the Executive Mansion? Was it the dosage of arsenic or mercury that could mimic the symptoms of typhoid? What better way to strike at Lincoln and inflict the ultimate pain?

Burt Solomon presents a remarkable storyline of historical fiction surrounding the Lincoln White House of the time period. His research is impeccable and his ability "to take you there" is uncanny. You will be well-taken with the character presentation of John Hay and his relationship with Lincoln. Solomon's Lincoln is wrapped in loss and tragedy. But he also injects the famous Lincoln humor. Watch for the "Dranesville" story that Lincoln shares here.

This is quite the read that allows us the liberty of questioning what we once believed. Although a work of fiction, Burt Solomon heightens the degree of inquiry. In modern times, we are painfully aware that not all is what it appears to be. Well done, Mr. Solomon. Well done.

I received a copy of The Murder of Willie Lincoln through NetGalley. My thanks to Forge Books and to Burt Solomon for the opportunity.

Thanks Macmillan-Tor/Forge and netgalley for this ARC.

Loved the personal touch and closeness the author gives us to the Lincolns and the white house. This is a superb mystery that will leave you guessing til the end.

A totally engrossing, fascinating work of historical fiction which puts you right in Washington in 1862. The sense of time and place is total and the book completely humanizes Abraham Lincoln and the people around him. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction and all admirers of Abraham Lincoln.