The Sixth Conspirator: A Novel

by Max Byrd

“From its brilliant and devastating opening scene to its surprising and breakneck conclusion, The Sixth Conspirator takes the last tendril of the Lincoln assassination and weaves it into a compelling, erudite, witty, and wise novel that should secure Max Byrd's place among the premier writers of historical fiction working today. Not to be missed!” —John Lescroart, bestselling author of The Thirteenth Juror and Betrayal


The assassination of Abraham Lincoln set off a hysterical burst of international conspiracy theories, with all eyes turning first to Canada—once a hotbed of Confederate plots—and then, as evidence mounted, to the Catholic Church and Rome.


Now from bestselling author, Max Byrd, comes a long forgotten true a confidential mission to track down and capture any Europeans (and fugitive Confederates) who may have aided John Wilkes Booth.


Drawn from State Department archives and personal letters and diaries, The Sixth Conspirator recounts the dramatic journey of George H. Sharpe, General Ulysses S. Grant’s real-life spymaster, to three European capitals. Three people travel with him—calculating banker Daniel Keach, Sharpe’s Civil War protegé Quintus Oakes, and former Pinkerton agent Maggie Lawton.


One step ahead of them is a mysterious Confederate courier, Sarah Slater, known during the war as “the Veiled Lady,” who may or may not have been Booth’s lover. Behind Sharpe’s team, breathing grimly over their shoulders, are Secretary of State William Seward, brutally mutilated by the knife of one of Booth’s henchmen, and the perversely vengeful, guilt-ridden Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.


Along the way Byrd creates a panorama of wonderfully-realized characters, great and small, fictional and real. In deeply researched, fascinating historical detail, he carries us back to another reality—the far away mid-nineteenth century world from which our America slowly emerged.


“Taking us through the hideaways and haunts of European capitals in the mid-nineteenth century, this intriguing historical mystery –the search for Lincoln’s “Sixth Conspirator” -- keeps us guessing right up to the last page. As in his highly acclaimed novels, Jefferson, Jackson and Grant, Max Byrd tells the tale with witty and fast-paced writing that kept me turning pages--eager to know more about the “real” men and women of the era along with the fictional characters of his creation.”—Cokie Roberts, Emmy-winning political commentator and author of Capital Dames, The Civil War and the Women of Washington

Genres: Historical Fiction

327 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2019

About the author

May Byrd is the author of a number of scholarly books on 18th century English literature, including Visits to Bedlam and London Transformed. Winner of the Shamus Award for best paperback private detective novel, his oeuvre of detective novels include the Book-of-the-Month Club selection Target of Opportunity. Byrd is also the author of four historical novels: Grant: A Novel, Jefferson: A Novel, Jackson: A Novel, and Shooting the Sun. He currently serves as the president of the board of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.

Max Byrd has taught English at Yale and UC Davis, has been a visiting professor at Stanford, and has lectured at UC Berkeley, Warwick University, the Sorbonne, and Monticello. Among the many publications featuring Byrd’s articles and book reviews are the Yale Review, New York Times Book Review, New Republic, and Woodrow Wilson Quarterly. He has served as editor of the scholarly journal Eighteenth-Century Studies.

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting historical fiction based on the Lincoln assassination. Five conspirators were captured for providing assistance to Booth in the crime. It was generally acknowledged by the government that he could not have acted alone. Four of the five, including one woman, were tried and hanged; the fifth was awaiting trial, when a contingent from the United States was sent abroad to locate a sixth person - a woman - thought to be a conspirator or at least a courier who was involved in transporting funds from England to the South during the Civil War. Trying to locate this woman was difficult, as she never allowed her picture to be made. Only one member of the contingent knew what she looked like. The overarching question: would he do what was right and moral for the country and identify the woman, or would he indulge himself and help her to disappear, covering her tracks? A crisis of character has opportunity to present itself along the way.
The novel presents many lesser-known facts about the inner workings of the Confederacy, as well as information about other assassination plots (there were many). Fictional characters work alongside actual people involved in the hunt for the sixth person, who really did exist. The story takes some turns that hold the reader's interest nicely. Alas, the ending can easily be predicted and it is a little too abrupt for this reader, considering the effort the author put into the rest of the story. Still, not an unpleasant read.

[James Lurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a an enthusiastic reader of historical novels, and this one was very good. Only two months after the Lincoln assassination, four conspirators were hanged including Mary Surratt. The suspected fifth conspirator was her son John Surratt. However he fled to Canada and from there to Europe and Africa, where he was eventually captured. The basis of the story is that John was a broke ne're-do-well who could not have made his escape without the financial backing and active assistance of an additional sixth conspirator. The story focuses on the search for that posited party. Won't say any more to avoid killing the story. Characters and writing are very good and generally accurate. Highly recommend. BTW - not available on Kindle. I got my copy as an e-book through the public library.

[Yasmina · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the murder of Abraham Lincoln, conspiracy theories thrived. Theories flourished about John Wilkes Booth's accomplices and what happened to the gold missing from the treasury of the Confederacy. With these questions in mind, the government of the United States hires General Sharpe and his assistants in 1867. Their job is to try to answer these questions. The search begins in Canada, continues to England, Italy and France. Although this novel is billed as mystery, the strength of this novel lies in the historical information Byrd details as the investigators track former Confederate allies, spies and traitors.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the true story of a hunt for an alleged sixth conspirator in the assassination of Lincoln, this takes the searchers from Montreal to Europe. Quintus Oakes is the well-bred spy for the real-life General Sharpe and, with young Keach and Maggie Lawton, they focus on Sarah Slater, a former close friend of Oakes. The background, the life of the time and some great historical asides compensate for the rather unbelievable love story, particularly its conclusion. Characters, even minor ones, are very well-drawn though. 3.5 stars

[Linda Edmonds Cerullo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not recommend. Dull and pointless. About the race to find the sixth conspirator involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Historically accurate, but slow moving and not historically important enough to have changed history or even influenced it much. This book should have been much shorter. There are many excellent historical fiction books about the Lincoln conspirators. This isn't one of them.

[Lawanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook read by Shawn Compton
The story didn’t catch my fancy or interest

[Florence Primrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story of the search for other collaborators in the killing of President Lincoln. Many did not believe Booth alone killed Lincoln. A group went to Canada, England, and Rome looking for others who may have been involved.

[John Wintersteen]

Tom Nolan writes up this book in Sept 1, 2019 wsj

[Oneleggoalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Star Read


A rather entertaining journey in time.
1867 Europe, Washington, New York, Liverpool, London, Lincoln assassination, Maggie Dialogue, banter, investigations, conspiracy, Sarah, Mrs.Benjamin, Sharpe,Grant, Sheridan, Sherman, Seward, Stanton, Paris, end.

[Lori Byersdorfer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy historical fiction, but I just could not get into this book.

[CAROL · Rating 4 out of 5]

searching Europe for more people tied to the plot to kill Lincoln. Characters so real. Mostly based on true happenings.

Writes beautifully.