Perseus Academic: The Assassin's Accomplice by Kate Clifford Larson

Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, The Assassin’s Accomplice tells the intricate story of the Lincoln conspiracy through the eyes of its only female participant, Mary Surratt, a Confederate sympathizer who ran the boarding house in Washington where the conspirators—-including her rebel son, John Surratt—-met to plan the assassination. Based on long-lost interviews, confessions, and court testimony, the text explores how Mary’s actions defied nineteenth-century norms of femininity, piety, and motherhood, leaving her vulnerable to deadly punishment historically reserved for men.

A riveting narrative account of sex, espionage, and murder cloaked in the enchantments of Southern womanhood, The Assassin’s Accomplice offers a fresh perspective on America’s most famous murder.

KATE CLIFFORD LARSON teaches history at Simmons College. Her fist book, Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, was described as “brilliant” (Smithsonian Magazine), “astonishingly good, a better debut than any author has the right to wish for” (Dallas Morning News), and “and extraordinary achievement” (Baltimore Sun). Larson lives in Winchester, Massachusetts.

Kate Clifford Larson teaches history at Simmons College. Her first book, Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, was described as brilliant (Smithsonian Magazine), astonishingly good, a better debut than any author has the right to wish for (Dallas Morning News), and an extraordinary achievement (Baltimore Sun). Larson lives in Winchester, Massachusetts.