While I am not a Lincoln Scholar, I do keep up with the books and scholarly studies about him. The sense that I've always had of Lincoln's career as a lawyer was fairly benign. There was talk of the "joys" of being a circuit rider, which he actually enjoyed, yet often any role he had in meatier cases, and there is nothing meatier than murder, was always downplayed. He was second chair, he advised, etc. I never remember being treated to not only a murder trial in which he was first chair, but one in which we have so much of the transcripts left and transcripts were not often taken at the time.

This particular one, by Robert R. Hitt, a future congressman, didn't come to light until 1989 after being passed from relative to relative in a shoebox and often stored in less than stellar conditions.

In them and therefore the book, we see a Lincoln that we have never seen before. Not the good ole boy lawyer that has often been portrayed, but the shrewd jurist that can set aside his own feelings, friendships, and apathies, since it took place in his own hometown and outduel his opponent.

Reading or listening (via audiobook) to his words was fascinating and made me respect him on a whole new level. (move over Perry Mason)

However, did that case propel him to the Presidency? That is a huge stress that I just can't reach with Dan Abrams. There is no doubt that machinations were going on to have him run at the same time, but as to the case being the reason or its outcome being the linchpin is fantasy when you take into account in the speed of the press of 1859 alone.

Amazing book, with a title that shoots too high, luckily not to its detriment.

This book would be good for someone who likes legal thrillers or other fictional legal books and wants something with a little more history. If you are scholar or legal history buff this book is too light for getting much out of the book.

This is about the last big trial that Lincoln was involved in before he went on to become the 16th U.S. President. No, it wasn't his very last, but it was the last important and newsworthy trial. It took place in Springfield, Illinois defending Peachy Quinn Harrison who killed Greek Crafton. Was it self defense or pre-meditated? That was the question and the entire town had an opinion.

What stood out for me in this book was the stenographer Robert Hitt. His character and personality, and habits were perhaps embellished, but the underlying truth of what happened was based on facts. A shoebox containing the written transcript of the trial was found and became the basis for this book.

This is a non-fiction account with fictional moments of conversations. This made the book entirely more readable. It also makes for a book that you cannot count as hard facts on every aspect. The court documents and newspapers, among other evidence backs up the account, but some additions that are not know have seeped in.

Lincoln's Last Trial, is an engaging and well written account of an interesting trial and even more interesting time in our countries history. Fascinating characters at a formative point in the country's history populate a distant past version of Springfield IL..

Using the frame of Lincoln's last major courtroom appearance before he became president, Abrams gives insight not only into the future president, but also the milieu of "western" America in the 1850s and the development of the American legal system. The minute by minute tension of Lincoln's defense of the accused keeps suspense high in this excellent non-fiction title. My only criticism is Abrams hints at Lincoln's personal life but never rounds out those comments. But that's minor; I highly recommend this book to history buffs; good for high school students. Review based on an ARC from Netgalley.

As a person who has never heard of Lincoln's last murder case, I found this book very informative. Not only Abe Lincoln was yet again proven to be a great leader but he had an amazing ability to win a case that was set for failure from the beginning.

For those who do not know the case, Peachy Quinn Harrison had stabbed Greek Crafton during a fight. Days earlier the two had another clash during town's gathering and both made treats against each other. The night of the horrific incident, Peachy pulled the knife and stabbed Greek in self-defense. Well, that's what he's been repeating since that dreadful night. As new evidence regarding fight details came to light together with Greek Crafton's deathbed confession, Peachy Quinn Harrison was released and Abe Lincoln gained admiration, popularity, and well-deserved recognition.

The story was very well written, short and straight to the point. It was an easy and captivating read. I was lured into the pages of the book and could not get enough of the case. I even did a little research on this case online, and surprisingly, was not able to find any new facts that I have not read in the book. Thank you, Dan Abrams and David Fisher for this phenomenal book and story.

This is a fascinating read about a subject that is not well known: Lincoln's last trial before he became President. He had been a lawyer for a long time and was quite well known throughout the territory of being an accomplished attorney. The book is based on the manuscript of the scribe during the trial. Great story but you do get distracted by the diversions of Lincoln's other trials.

Lincoln's Last Trial is a well-written, compelling telling of Lincoln's last major case (a murder trial) prior to his election as the 16th President. Told through the point of view of Robert Hitt, scribe to the trial, whose handwritten manuscript of the trial discovered in 1989 is the basis of the book, we learn how well-respected Lincoln was as a lawyer and a man. His decades long law practice had spread his reputation far and wide in Illinois, and the recent Lincoln-Douglas debates had put him in the national spotlight. He was held in high esteem by his peers as well as townspeople as an honest man committed to the truth.

Abrams does a good job of describing the societal and political currents of the time. We are also reminded that "Lincoln was one of the giants who literally set the bar for the legal profession in America." and that he and his colleagues literally were "establishing precedents that future courts would come to rely on".

The trial itself took place in 1859, following the Lincoln-Douglas debates and only 9 months before the Republican convention. It was personally challenging for Lincoln. He was well acquainted with, and liked, both the defendant "Peachy" Quinn who Lincoln was representing, and the victim, Greek Crafton.

The trial itself was fascinating. To actually hear (via the trial transcript) Lincoln in action was amazing!

One thing that I didn't like was that Abrams would break up the momentum of the trial by inserting writings about prior cases Lincoln had been part of. I would have preferred the trial to continue uninterrupted.

Overall, an enjoyable and interesting read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Hanover Square Books for permitting me access to an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

There is no doubt that this book is rich in history. There were many new things I learned about Abraham Lincoln throughout this book making me like him even more. While well written, it was just a bit too dry for my taste.

BookFilter Review: Well, it wasn't his last trial and didn't really "propel" him to the Presidency. Nonetheless, "Lincoln's Last Trial" is an interesting look at one of Abraham Lincoln's last trials which undoubtedly added to the fame that already had him as an underdog choice for the Republican Presidential nomination if more likely candidates like William Henry Seward faltered. Authors Dan Abrams and David Fisher make full use of the written record, which in this case includes a detailed court transcript. That was very unusual for the time -- stenography was still a novelty. But thanks to Lincoln's growing fame a steno man was called in. Our hero in this history is that court recorder, Robert Hitts. He worked the Lincoln-Douglas Debates with scrupulous care and the actual record of the words from those debates proved revolutionary. People could read what they said, rather than someone's interpretation of their arguments or at best summary. Hitts became a very minor celebrity in his own right and Lincoln -- knowing how a good transcript widely circulated was key to his growing popularity -- was happy to see him. So with a combination of letters, diaries, biographies, newspaper accounts and most of all court transcripts, we see the trial through Hitts's eyes as a particularly compelling murder case unfolds. It happened to involve young men Lincoln knew well -- a man who had studied law and worked in Lincoln's firm and another young man from the area. A rough altercation led to a stabbing and now here was Lincoln defending the person who had killed a promising young talent. It was all too dramatic and interest was high. This isn't a glorified reprinting of the transcript -- the authors add context and color and useful legal analysis. But it's rather dry, straightforward nature is perhaps inevitable given the restrictions on what information they have available. Frankly, a play or film might be far more compelling. Luckily for us, all the lawyers involved were excellent and the back and forth reveals their sharp minds and the evolving trial system of the time. Remember, transcripts were a new idea...and so was a trial by a jury of one's peers and the idea of self-defense and so much more. Dedicated fans of Lincoln or the legal system will find a good deal to appreciate. -- Michael Giltz

What a fascinating book this is. Reading like a novel, it reveals the history of a murder case in which Abraham Lincoln defended an accused young man in Springfield, Illinois, in 1859. Due to the great good fortune of a transcript of the trial being found in the 1980’s, we are able to follow the trial almost verbatim from that hot summer so long ago.

Before the development of stenography, verbatim transcripts of trials simply didn’t exist. We are lucky that Robert Hitt, a steno man who was known to Abraham Lincoln, was invited to come to Springfield to cover the murder trial in which Lincoln was one of the defending attorneys. This could have been a dry, textbook-like book, but instead it draws the reader in with its immediacy.

Although most of the book is about the actual trial, the context in which the trial was set is beautifully explained. The Lincoln-Douglas debates (which Hitt had also covered) had recently taken place, elevating Abraham Lincoln to the national stage. It was clear that he was likely to make a try for the Republican candidacy for president, and the eyes of the nation were watching the trial to see what kind of man he was. Neither they, nor we, will be disappointed.

If you are a student of history, interested in Abraham Lincoln in particular, or just like legal thrillers, this is the book for you. It is a most interesting look at a time of Lincoln’s life which is less well-known than his early or later years, at a time when he was making his living as a lawyer in the growing Midwest. Here we see him as those who knew him best saw him, in his own time and place.

I am so glad I read this book, and I heartily recommend it

Despite my own personal goal of reading books about all the presidents besides Lincoln/Washington/Kennedy, I could not pass this one up. I have read so many books about Lincoln (hence the goal that I set for myself last year), but as our 16th president. I've read very little about his life before DC, before the Civil War, before he became the Great Emancipator. This book seemed perfect to remedy that, and though the title is a little misleading (this was not his last trial, though it was certainly the last of his major trials. And while it may not have 'propelled' him to the presidency, it surely could have hurt his chances had he lost the case). In in the end though, it was exactly what I wanted. In fact, in looking back over my notes on Goodreads, I discovered that I did not actually take any notes. This is both good and bad. It bodes well for the book usually, meaning that I was so into the book that I could not bother to stop to take notes. On the other hand, it becomes tricky when time comes to write the review, and I have ti flip back and forth through the book itself for exact quotes and anecdotes. Ah well, such is the life of a book dragon.

To say that Lincoln has had the most books dedicated to his life is not any stretch, by far. I saw some stats recently on this very subject and wish I could find the article again to share here. Something like over 100,000 books about him. Washington was in second place with around 80k and Kennedy around 60k. Again, see the need for my presidential reading goal? Yep, I am part of the problem. Anyway. Given the fact that there are SO MANY books about Lincoln, it is hard to find a fresh angle to approach his life story. And do we really need a fresh angle? Haven't we possibly said all there is to say? Well, in general I suppose that answer is a resounding yes. Unless long-lost diaries and documents are discovered, I think it is safe to say that Lincoln's life has been well-covered.

Specific incidents in his life though, that is another story entirely. It is THIS story, in fact. A high-profile case that became his final murder trial before moving on to run for the highest office in the land. Instead of the story coming to us from Lincoln's perspective, we are given the facts from Robert Hitt, a stenographer whom Lincoln had met while debating Douglas, and who was on-hand to record the trial. Hitt had been hired by the Illinois State Journal to transcribe the case for the paper's readers and thank goodness for that, because what a wealth of information they provide. This was not a common practice in the 1850s, unlike today where this is not even given second thought, because OF COURSE there will be court transcripts. Several pieces of the transcripts were used and I found it utterly fascinating - and to think, these documents had been lost until their discovery in 1989. We are "seeing Lincoln in action" so to speak, in a way so different from his words we have from his presidency. It is like another door has opened into his life and we are getting a new glimpse of him. An unfortunate side note to consider though - throughout the book Lincoln's ability to deliver a closing argument is referred to more than once. Yet you will not find those words transcribed, which was a disappointment. Closing arguments were not considered part of the trial testimony and thus, they are lost to us.

The book is fairly straight-forward, following the events from the feud between the victim and the defendant up to the end of the trial and Lincoln's victory. The lives of so many of the principal players were intricately entwined, as one would expect in a small town. The young man who died, Greek Crafton, had worked as a clerk in Lincoln's law office. Crafton's grandfather, Dixon Cartwright, makes several appearances - he and Lincoln were certainly not on the most friendly of terms, often butting heads in the political arena, though Cartwright was a preacher. The defendant was a young man named Quinn "Peachy" Harrison, who claimed to have stabbed Crafton in self defense. Lincoln knew Harrison well also, and was good friends with Harrison's father. I could not help but notice a parallel in this case to what Lincoln would deal with as our 16th president. Perhaps I am reading too much into it, or perhaps this is what Abrams intended, but hear me out. Springfield was a small town - around 10,000 at the time. Many people knew these young men and their families well. Lincoln had an unenviable role, his ultimate task was to try to bring closure to a painful episode for the community. Isn't that ultimately what he had to do during the Civil War? He had difficult decisions to make as our country tore itself apart, turning family members and friends against one another. The feud between the two men had been simmering for a while and ended in death for one of them. The raging debates over slavery had also been waged, simmering and eventually boiling over. I don't know, maybe I am looking too deeply, but that is the connection I made.

Despite my personal five star rating, the book is not without some flaws. There were certain aspects of the writing, such as conversations, thoughts, and feelings projected onto the men involved that we simply can't know for sure if they are accurate. There is a bit of conjecture, things Lincoln might have said based on what is known of his previous trials that would have been applicable here, and I am never a fan of that practice. However, so much of the book is based on Hitt's records, that it is a little bit easier to handle this conjecture than in other books that might be lacking contemporary sources and direct quotes. It is sometimes easy to get caught up in the narrative and forget, so just keep that in mind.

Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. To see Lincoln the Lawyer instead of Lincoln the President was something I really liked. Lincoln clearly excelled in his profession and I wonder what his life, and our nation, would have been like had he remained a successful attorney and not sought the presidency. It is an interesting thought to ponder. A readable and engaging look into his life, highly recommended.

The coverage of Lincoln's career prior to this murder trial is very interesting and readable. His anecdotes and stories make fascinating reading. The book relies heavily on the stenographer Hitt's work throughout his relationship with Lincoln. Hitt was not required to be at the trial but knew Lincoln was on the verge of gaining the nomination for President of the United States. No one wanted to miss this trial. Hitt's word by word transcription gives a poignant insight into trial proceedings. However, he was not required to be as concise during the summative arguments and we lose all of Lincoln's famous courtroom presence. from an historical perspective this is a good book but unfortunately rather dry in places.

Abraham Lincoln, our much honored 16th president, comes alive in this captivating tale of an intriguing murder trial. How do you draw the fine line between self-defense and murder between two men who had previous and obvious enmity toward each other? That is what the trial attempts to clarify and where we see Lincoln at his best. Coming during the time period at the very beginning of his run for the presidency, makes the stakes of this trial just that much higher, as Lincoln attempts to show the nation just who he really is. This is a well written, captivating, and interesting historical book that I would highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy and for the opportunity to read this highly informative and enjoyable historical account.

It was a very interesting book about Lincoln as well as about the growth/development of shorthand being used to record important events, i.e. trials, debates, etc. The other thing that interested me was the number of individuals from Illinois (Springfield in particular) who became national political figures. It's quite well written although occasionally the author went into more 'side-track information' than I would have chosen. But, I do love history and I really like non-fiction history so this book filled the bill for me.

A fascinating read on pre-Presidential Lincoln! Highly recommend to fellow history buffs.

An enjoyable read although it was a bit too technical. You can tell it was written by an attorney well versed in the process.