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The Murder of Andrew Johnson: A Novel
The next John Hay historical thriller from award-winning political journalist Burt Solomon, this time focused on one of America's most controversial Andrew Johnson.
Andrew Johnson was called The Great Commoner, appealing to the masses, loathing the establishment and anyone he deemed elitist. Once Johnson made an enemy, you became his enemy for life. He saw insults where none were intended and personal loyalty meant everything…and his devoted fans would follow him into the depths of Hell. He was also the first U.S. president to be impeached.
Time however waits for no man and even the Famous (or Infamous) must leave this world eventually. But when a man has as many enemies as the Devil, what death could really be a natural one? From political opponents to most of his own family, the suspects are endless, and the truth not really wanted. John Hay, lawyer, sometimes governmental bureaucrat, and now journeyman investigative reporter, is set on finding that truth. And it may wind up killing him.
Andrew Johnson was called The Great Commoner, appealing to the masses, loathing the establishment and anyone he deemed elitist. Once Johnson made an enemy, you became his enemy for life. He saw insults where none were intended and personal loyalty meant everything…and his devoted fans would follow him into the depths of Hell. He was also the first U.S. president to be impeached.
Time however waits for no man and even the Famous (or Infamous) must leave this world eventually. But when a man has as many enemies as the Devil, what death could really be a natural one? From political opponents to most of his own family, the suspects are endless, and the truth not really wanted. John Hay, lawyer, sometimes governmental bureaucrat, and now journeyman investigative reporter, is set on finding that truth. And it may wind up killing him.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 3, 2023
10 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Burt Solomon
12 books24 followersI was born and raised around Baltimore, educated at Harvard College, and became a journalist in Boston and Washington, D.C. I was a prize-winning White House correspondent for National Journal and am currently a contributing editor at The Atlantic.
I've written three nonfiction books that read like fiction, and now three novels that stay close to nonfiction. My trilogy of John Hay mysteries showcases my detective at different stages of his life--the latest, "The Murder of Andrew Johnson," has Hay at age 36, recently a husband and newly a father, getting used to both.
I live in Arlington, Virginia, with my loving wife. I'm a proud father of two children who live nearby (lucky us!) and grandfather to three little guys (and a fourth on the way). I've started playing the violin of late, with more enthusiasm than talent.
I've written three nonfiction books that read like fiction, and now three novels that stay close to nonfiction. My trilogy of John Hay mysteries showcases my detective at different stages of his life--the latest, "The Murder of Andrew Johnson," has Hay at age 36, recently a husband and newly a father, getting used to both.
I live in Arlington, Virginia, with my loving wife. I'm a proud father of two children who live nearby (lucky us!) and grandfather to three little guys (and a fourth on the way). I've started playing the violin of late, with more enthusiasm than talent.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 30, 2023
Andrew Johnson was arguably a horrible man, though he tried to appeal to the masses, and he loathed the establishment and anyone he deemed elitist (despite being elite). He set the US back years during his presidency. He had more enemies than anyone could count. Could someone so hated really die a natural death? That is what John Hay, a lawyer and part time bureaucrat sets off to determine. Will he be able to get to the bottom of Johnson’s death before winding up dead himself?
This was an entertaining book and I 100% wish that history would have played out the way this book described. Alas, it was fiction, but the author’s note was great in laying out the true story. I always love when author’s notes dive into some history, or how the book was developed. It’s been a few years since I took history class, and I didn’t pay attention then, so I enlisted my friend @histernerd to explain to me why Andrew Johnson was a bad guy. Can I just say wow? It’s hard for me to wrap my head around how we ever treated people so poorly. The book did a good job of weaving real history into the lavish and outlandish plot the author has concocted. I did struggle a little with this book, but I really think it was a me issue. The plot was well paced and that did help hold my attention. I also appreciated that it wasn’t long and drawn out like some historical fiction.
If you are looking for an interesting historical thriller, then check this one out.
Thank you so much to Forge Books, @Forgereads, Tor Publishing Group, and Netgalley, @Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Additional links will be added once posted.
This was an entertaining book and I 100% wish that history would have played out the way this book described. Alas, it was fiction, but the author’s note was great in laying out the true story. I always love when author’s notes dive into some history, or how the book was developed. It’s been a few years since I took history class, and I didn’t pay attention then, so I enlisted my friend @histernerd to explain to me why Andrew Johnson was a bad guy. Can I just say wow? It’s hard for me to wrap my head around how we ever treated people so poorly. The book did a good job of weaving real history into the lavish and outlandish plot the author has concocted. I did struggle a little with this book, but I really think it was a me issue. The plot was well paced and that did help hold my attention. I also appreciated that it wasn’t long and drawn out like some historical fiction.
If you are looking for an interesting historical thriller, then check this one out.
Thank you so much to Forge Books, @Forgereads, Tor Publishing Group, and Netgalley, @Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Additional links will be added once posted.
November 1, 2023
DNF @ 31%. The concept of this book was FASCINATING and I wanted to get into it so badly, but every time I put it down I dreaded picking it back up, because the story dragged on. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.
May 9, 2024
Abraham Lincoln's former secretary John Hay, now married to a robber baron's daughter, is almost ready to quit his job as a newspaperman when he gets an assignment he doesn't want to refuse--to cover the funeral of Lincoln's successor, the much reviled Andrew Johnson. Various factors make him suspect that it wasn't natural causes that felled the Great Commoner, and he is pointed at ill feelings that linger from Johnson's unsuccessful impeachment. Hay heads off to Washington City, where he finds the city cleaner than it was during the War, but politics just as dirty as he finds old friends and old enemies, until he realizes that the roots of Johnson's death may be years back, in Lincoln's death. Hay's voice is modern in many ways, although he is a man of his times, and modern readers will be amused by the similarity of politicians of that time to more contemporary figures.
June 30, 2024
Burt Solomon is back with another great historical murder mystery. John Hay (Lincoln's onetime secretary) again dons his detective's hat to investigate the suspicious death in 1875 of Lincoln's successor as president, Andrew Johnson. As the author shows, there was no shortage of people who may have had motives--personal and political--to see our 17th president take his last breath. Readers will feel as though they are in the Washington, D. C. of the 1870s, as the attention to historical detail is superb. Solomon's wry sense of humor, as portrayed though Hay's words and observations, is a delight.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
July 15, 2025
Holy hell this book was so boring!!
To be fair, this is the third in a series and I did NOT know that haha (I just picked it up at the library because it looked interesting) but I dont think added context could make this book better.
To be fair, this is the third in a series and I did NOT know that haha (I just picked it up at the library because it looked interesting) but I dont think added context could make this book better.
February 29, 2024
It seamlessly weaves historical figures through a time period piece. Enjoyable.
March 16, 2024
So interesting.
Read
May 26, 2024Fascinating and fun story. Loved all of the historical details about post-Civil War era DC.
November 4, 2023
Many thanks to NetGalley and Forge Books for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review The Murder of Andrew Johnson. All opinions and comments are my own.
You might wish you’d paid a wee bit more attention in your American History class as you follow along in The Murder of Andrew Johnson, for what is here is a very complex tale about Mr. Johnson’s presidency as much as it is about the life (and death) of the ex-president. Burt Solomon, as in his previous novels, uses real people and real events to craft a plausible account of the suspicious passing of “the most hated man in America.” It’s little wonder that John Hay, our protagonist, thinks Mr. Johnson may have had help in his demise.
Mr. Hay is there in his capacity as reporter. But boy, this becomes more than just a search for a byline in the New-York Tribune. Luckily, readers get a fairly succinct description of the Johnson presidency, often described as a debacle, tearing down everything that Abraham Lincoln had started. And real soon we learn that are plenty of reasons why plenty of people may have wanted the man dead -- including some of the leading political “heavy hitters” of America -- Mr. Solomon doesn’t hesitate to name names. Then there’s the family -- some potential there, too. Very soon he knows he’s on to something, because he’s threatened, and eventually, attacked.
There are lots of history lessons to be learned here -- the book is as much a study of the times as it is an unrevealing of a mystery. Author Solomon also does a very credible job of describing his scenes and capturing the tenor of speech and social settings in the America of the 1870’s.
After crisscrossing the country, from Tennessee to the Potomac and points nearby, John Hay uncovers secrets that those in Washington City (as it was known then) would understand only too well, back then and perhaps, even to us of modern times. And for those who like their conspiracy theories and cover-ups -- oh, boy. The twists and turns in this one might have you pulling out a score card.
An Afterword explains how so much of this “implausible” story is based on fact. Truth is indeed, much stranger than fiction in this case, and used to full and entertaining effect, in The Murder of Andrew Johnson.
You might wish you’d paid a wee bit more attention in your American History class as you follow along in The Murder of Andrew Johnson, for what is here is a very complex tale about Mr. Johnson’s presidency as much as it is about the life (and death) of the ex-president. Burt Solomon, as in his previous novels, uses real people and real events to craft a plausible account of the suspicious passing of “the most hated man in America.” It’s little wonder that John Hay, our protagonist, thinks Mr. Johnson may have had help in his demise.
Mr. Hay is there in his capacity as reporter. But boy, this becomes more than just a search for a byline in the New-York Tribune. Luckily, readers get a fairly succinct description of the Johnson presidency, often described as a debacle, tearing down everything that Abraham Lincoln had started. And real soon we learn that are plenty of reasons why plenty of people may have wanted the man dead -- including some of the leading political “heavy hitters” of America -- Mr. Solomon doesn’t hesitate to name names. Then there’s the family -- some potential there, too. Very soon he knows he’s on to something, because he’s threatened, and eventually, attacked.
There are lots of history lessons to be learned here -- the book is as much a study of the times as it is an unrevealing of a mystery. Author Solomon also does a very credible job of describing his scenes and capturing the tenor of speech and social settings in the America of the 1870’s.
After crisscrossing the country, from Tennessee to the Potomac and points nearby, John Hay uncovers secrets that those in Washington City (as it was known then) would understand only too well, back then and perhaps, even to us of modern times. And for those who like their conspiracy theories and cover-ups -- oh, boy. The twists and turns in this one might have you pulling out a score card.
An Afterword explains how so much of this “implausible” story is based on fact. Truth is indeed, much stranger than fiction in this case, and used to full and entertaining effect, in The Murder of Andrew Johnson.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews