The Plot, A Kentucky Civil War Novel by Ed Ford
Paperback, 240 pages, plus 8-page photo insert, Historical Fiction, A/E Press, ISBN-13: 9780990608608
Will they hang a woman?
"Hang a woman?" Miles questioned. "That won't happen."
"Never," John added.
"There's not enough evidence to warrant that," Barnes declared.
"Most of the evidence against her is circumstantial," Lewis commented.
"I agree," Clay said. "What do you say, Hill?"
The head Marshal leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
"Don't forget what I said earlier. Someone's really going to pay. Who better than Mary Surratt? Hang her and you really underscore the seriousness of the crime."
***
"The Plot, a Kentucky Civil War novel, features U.S. Marshal Clay McDowell who's haunted by a recurring dream about the Civil War. It's a continuing story in which he's an active participant in attempting to prevent a kidnapping of President Lincoln or members of his family. That effort is part of a Confederate plot to end the Civil War as McDowell deals with spies, a counterfeiting ring, and, finally, the participants in Lincoln's assassination.
Along the way, McDowell falls in love with an actress he has recruited to spy on John Wilkes Booth and his compatriots. The Marshal is involved in a number of armed conflicts with the conspirators and is a witness at their trials as four, including Mary Surratt, are executed.