A House Divided is a historical mystery that intertwines fiction with real-life events. It is the fourth book in the series and if you have not read the first three books, you should.

We find Mary Todd in 1839 in the dead of winter causing havoc amongst Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed as a local man accuses his two brothers of murder. Abraham and Joshua take on the case and must work together if they are going to solve the mystery. Interesting plot and well-crafted characters.

I was provided with this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. In my personal, I enjoyed Putnam's first three books much more than book 4. Still the writing was excellent and the story was easy to follow.

Great read, had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. A true page turner, that I was able to get my hands on thanks to NetGalley. You will not be disappointed if you pick up this book.

This book takes place in December 1839 with the financial condition of Illinois shaky at best. Construction on a canal has been stopped as the State Bank has almost no funds with which to pay the workers. One of the reasons the bank is facing insolvency is due to the fact that Mr. Fisher was able to bilk the bank of a good deal of money. Soon the talk around Springfield is that Fisher is dead and the Trailor brothers are brought in for questioning as Henry Tailor has been spending a good deal of money that he claims he had inherited from Fisher. Later, he claims that his brothers, Archibald and William, killed him describes the area where it happened. Archibald and William are put on trial for the reported murder and Lincoln will defending Archibald.

A well-written entertaining story.

A House Divided

by Jonathan F. Putnam

I was surprised to find myself trudging through A House Divided by Jonathan F. Putnam, an author with an outstanding legal and historical background. This is the fourth book in this series, but I did not feel that my not having read the previous books was a hindrance. There just seemed to be a disjoint between the history and fiction of the tale. None of the characters were fleshed out with emotion for me, and so I did not identify with any of them. I really wanted to like this book, but it was difficult when the characters’ motives were rarely disclosed. Lincoln and his friend Speed are competitors for the affections of Mary Todd, but even Mary’s character holds no depth.

The mystery was interesting and based somewhat on history, although the narrator Speed, a major actor in the story, was actually not a part of the real events of the crime and trial. Perhaps that alteration of the facts added to the difficulty of creating an interesting work of historical fiction. Perhaps the problem lies in timidity in assigning thoughts and feelings to major historical figures. Authors may find that easier to do when the main character is either a minor figure on the historical stage or the creation by the author of a composite character based on what a person in that role at that time of history would be like.

I did appreciate the author’s efforts to include the plight of Irish workers and their families. They were caught in the middle of a web of corruption and greed on the part of politicians and bankers. Another positive of the book is the writer’s style which is appropriate to the period.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

Category: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Notes: #4 in the Lincoln and Speed Mystery Series

Publication: July 9, 2019—Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

The Globe…As a feeding station for hungry village residents or residence for travelers, it was inferior in every respect to the sparkling new American House. Its only advantage at this point was familiarity, like a pair of shoes that slipped on easily despite worn-away soles.

Springfield…But citizens hoping to find entertainment that did not arrive in a bottle or cask were destined to be disappointed. Except when the circuit court was in session to adjudicate the county’s legal disputes. Then, the entire human condition, comedy and tragedy alike, was on display and free for all to watch.

Every turn in the road, every little rise of the prairie, might reveal a clutch of deadly and determined men, ready to hazard their own lives and reckless to mine.

A House divided is the first book I've read by this author and I must say that I didn't know what to expect.
The title of course is a reference to Lincoln's 1858 speech, a house divided ("a house divided against itself cannot stand") that kicked off his campaign for the US senate.
The book however is set much earlier (1841) when he was still working as a solicitor and is a work of fiction, a historical mystery, loosely based on a couple of things that really did happen in his live.

I must say that I rather liked the genre, and that it is easy to follow even though it turned out to be the fourth episode in a series. I had no difficulties following the story and history even though being born and bred in Europe I am no expert on American history.

I think the author did a good job and I was pleasantly surprised that much of the story was based on real facts, that the author has woven into his fiction.

A house divided is the story about a murder trial where one brother accuses his two other brothers of murder. In that sense the title is well chosen, because this also is a house divided. Although there is no body found the trial starts and some strange things come to light.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy a well written historical mystery and this series is at the top of my list of favorites. So far there are four books covering the early years of Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed using the real life of these two friends. It's now 1839 in Springfield, Illinois and things are not going well for the citizens and the local bank. With a canal being built the bank finds that it can't meet its obligations and workers are not being paid and the lives of many may end up in the poor house. Soon it is discovered that Mr. Fisher has had his hand in the till. When he is found dead and Henry Trailor is seen to be spending more money than he should have he turns the focus on his two brothers, Archibald and William. When they are put on trial for the crime, Lincoln defends him and investigates the crime with the help of Speed.
As they are trying to find the killer and get the brothers freed, tension grows between these friends when a young woman comes to town to visit her cousin and her uncle, one of Springfield's leading citizens. The young woman is Mary Todd and both Abraham and Joshua are very taken with her. So is Stephen Douglas. As they say, the rest is history.
The writing style flows very well, the historical facts are well researched and when the author takes some artistic license he has good reason and explains the changes he made at the end of the book in historical notes. Lincoln and Speed were close friends and shared a room in Springfield from 1837 to 1841. To keep the pair together the fact that Speed was not in town at the time of this case has been changed. None of the changes took anything away from the story and the setting. Besides getting to know Lincoln and Speed the reader learns much about daily life in Springfield. I found it to be a very satisfying mystery.

"A House Divided" is set in the days when Abraham Lincoln was working as a lawyer in the new state capital of Springfield. Assisted by his friend Joshua Speed, he conducts a lively sideline in solving mysteries. With cameo appearances by Mary Todd, and Stephen Douglas, this historical mystery series wonderfully evokes the open prairies and wild western towns of the day. Banking, canal building, and education for women all form themes in this close-to-history mystery yarn.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

1839 and Mary Todd has arrived in Springfield to stay with her sister Elizabeth Edwards. Which causes trouble between Lincoln and Speed and they both via for her attentions. But Lincoln is distracted by a new case. Henry Trailor has accused his two brothers, William and Archibald, of murder.
An entertaining story, which is well-written. I like the writing style of this series and the characters are a delight to read about. Although this is the fourth in the series it can easily be read as a standalone story but I would recommend reading the first three as they are all enjoyable reads.

Fans of historical mysteries (or fiction for that matter) based on fact should try this series for a chance to read not only about Abraham Lincoln as a young man but also his friend Joshua Speed, who figured more in Lincoln's life than is usually acknowledged. This time out, Lincoln is intrigued when one brother = Henry - accuses his other two brothers - Archibald and William- of murder. Things are already not good in Springfield Illinois this winter of 1939 so when Joshua is convinced that Archibald is not guilty, Lincoln agrees to take the case. The investigation is entertaining, the reasons for the murder etc a little but not too twisty. Throw in there the arrival of Mary Todd and there's some friction between the two friends. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

A House Divided in the fourth book in the Lincoln and Speed Mystery series.

I love historical mysteries and with the Lincoln and Speed series, I also get a generous helping of Historical Fiction. The series follows Lincoln and Speed through the 1830-40s while they were living in Springfield, IL., with Lincoln starting his law career.

This book place in December 1839 the with financial condition of Illinois shaky at best. Construction on a canal has been stopped as the State Bank has almost no funds with which to pay the workers. One of the reasons the bank is facing insolvency is due to the fact that Mr. Fisher was able to bilk the bank of a good deal of money. Soon the talk around Springfield is that Fisher is dead and the Trailor brothers are brought in for questioning as Henry Tailor has been spending a good deal of money that he claims he had inherited from Fisher. Later, he claims that his brothers, Archibald and William, killed him describes the area where it happened. Archibald and William are put on trial for the reported murder and Lincoln will defending Archibald.

The book is well-written and plotted and has a cast of interesting characters. One of the characters introduced is Mary Todd. She is somewhat smitten with Abe and proves helpful in Lincoln’s defense of Archibald. The author has taken liberties with the case but explains in the Author’s Note what they are and why he had taken them.

I will definitely be watching for the next book in this exciting and informative series.

What an amazing tale! And the most interesting part is how much of it is true! Part way through I googled Lincoln and Trailor. I found this article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...
which gave the true story. (I'd advise the reader not to read this until the book is completed).

Putnam did deviate a bit from the truth. He has Lincoln defending a different brother. Lincoln's real life friend Speed who appears in the book as the narrator of the story was not actually present. There is a large amount of gold which is a temptation for robbery.

But the main thing is that, even with Lincoln's first hand account of this incident and trial, there exists to this day mystery! Reading this is like watching a magican. You see everything that was done, but how was it done?

Great book! I definitely need to read more by this author!

A well written, engrossing and entertaining historical mystery.
I appreciated the well written characters, the detailed historical setting and the plot.
The mystery was engaging, full of twists and turns.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author Jonathan F Putnam, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of A House Divided in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
How have I not come across this author before? I will definitely be going back and reading the other books in the Lincoln/Speed series.
This book provided a really good read. The storyline was well thought out and written with intriguing characters. The scenery was rich in its description and provides an insight as to the beauty and harshness of life in America in the 1830's.
Well worth a read.

A House Divided is the fourth mystery in Jonathan Putnam's Lincoln & Speed series. I must confess I haven't read the others yet, but after reading this I would enjoy reading more of them. The author is coming to our library for an author talk this summer, and all the other books are constantly checked out, so who knows when I'll get a chance at them!

The mystery was interesting, well written, and the historical setting in 1840 Illinois was very interesting. Springfield back then was apparently quite the Wild-West sort of town. Lincoln and Speed were real-life friends and roommates in Springfield at the time. Mary Todd appears frequently, along with Stephen Douglas and many other historical characters. So if you like historical mysteries, this is a good choice. The cases are even taken from history, though the solving of the mysteries are pure invention.

Winter. Springfield, Illinois. 1839. Sounds boring! But not when Abe Lincoln and Joshua Speed are around. A mysterious disappearance leads Lincoln and Speed on a chase against the clock to find who is innocent and who isn’t. This was my first read of a Jonathan Putnam book, but I will be reading more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC.

With thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc.
Description:
"In the winter of 1839, a sensational disappearance rocks Springfield, Illinois, as headlines announce a local man has accused his two brothers of murder. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Abraham Lincoln takes up the case of the accused with the assistance of his best friend Joshua Speed to search for evidence of innocence."
This really is a romping good read! This is my first book by this author and it's such fun, I loved it. The writing style conjures images of the period with ease and the character development flows from the story rather than as a descriptive aside, I found all of the characters very real and likeable. The plot is full of twists and red herrings, with a huge feelgood factor, it bounces along to a satisfying end for all the heroes, heroines and baddies! I would highly recommend this book and will be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I love this series! This is the fourth installment in the Lincoln and Speed mysteries. This story involves stolen gold sent to save the Springfield banks. So many exciting things happen along the way! These books are so well researched. Even though these books are historical fiction, the author includes as many real events as possible. I just think these books are fantastic-I love the writing style and the historical details!

In the winter of 1839, a sensational disappearance rocks Springfield, Illinois, as headlines announce a local man has accused his two brothers of murder. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Abraham Lincoln takes up the case of the accused with the assistance of his best friend Joshua Speed to search for evidence of innocence.


Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience

Johnathan Putnam has added another glorious mystery to his series on Lincoln and Speed. This one centers on a questionable murder, a thrilling bank heist, and a new tension between Lincoln and Speed over the hand of a woman, Mary Todd. As in previous volumes Putnam mixes historical events with fictional events to create an excellent mystery set in early Illinois and Lincoln’s early days as a budding lawyer.