National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin (Bomb) starts his latest nonfiction odyssey with Pete McCartney's great train escape in 1864 western Pennsylvania. A counterfeiter who'd bribed his way out of many a jam, McCartney thought it might be harder to buy his way out of Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C., and instead decided to leap from a moving train.
McCartney's brother-in-law, Benjamin Boyd, was an even more gifted counterfeiter. Boyd was so good that the guys in his ring plotted to steal President Lincoln's corpse and hold it for ransom: Boyd's freedom from prison in exchange for the 16th president's body restored to his sarcophagus. Sheinkin begins with a true crime set-up, then fills in details about the logistics of counterfeiting and the original mission of the Secret Service (to catch the counterfeiters). He spices up the account with delicious slang. "Shovers" moved the "coney" (counterfeit money) around; "ropers" informed on their pals; and "body snatchers" or "ghouls" plucked newly buried corpses from the graves, often for good pay from the medical profession. The author sticks to the facts and never speculates.
For budding history buffs and fans of detective stories, this tale of a thieving crew will keep readers riveted from start to finish. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness