Sidebar Saturdays contributor Jonathan F. Putnam’s latest Lincoln & Speed historical mystery, Perish from the Earth was published by Crooked Lane Books in July, 2017
A murder aboard a steamboat forces Abraham Lincoln to make a fateful choiceâone on which the future of the nation may hang, if his own client doesnât hang firstâin this gripping follow-up to the  âmasterfully craftedâ (Alex Grecian), “splendid” (Doris Kearns Goodwin) debut, These Honored Dead.
Newly minted trial lawyer Abraham Lincoln is riding the circuit, traveling by carriage with other lawyers and a judge to bring justice to the remote parts of Illinois. Meanwhile, Lincolnâs close friend Joshua Speed steams up the Mississippi River aboard a steamboat owned by Speedâs father. Suddenly, his journey is interrupted when a rigged card game ends in murder.
Speed enlists Lincoln to defend the accused, but soon they come to discover that more than just the card games are crooked aboard the Speed familyâs ship. As the day of judgment hurtles toward them, Lincoln must fight to save the life of his client while also preserving the cause he holds so dear.
Meticulously researched and deftly plotted, Jonathan F. Putnamâs second Lincoln and Speed mystery, Perish from the Earth, revolves around a true historical murder that, while nearly forgotten today, was one of the most infamous crimes of the nineteenth century and played a key role in driving the nation toward civil war.
For more information on Jonathan and the Lincoln & Speed mystery series, visit his website at www.jonathanfputnam.com.
