The American Civil War is entering the last bloody years of conflict. With peace slowly emerging out of the fog on the historical horizon, a daily butcher's bill still has to be paid by so many.
For young Samuel Everdine, an orphaned boy adopted by an elderly couple newly arrived in the capital, a journey of guilt and innocence, of sins of omission and commission, of good and evil has just begun.
Samuel is taken under wing by his neighbor, a devout Catholic boardinghouse owner and widow Mrs. Mary Surratt. Mrs. Surratt becomes like a mother to him, teaching him his catechism, instructing him in great literature and languages, and setting in place a moral compass to point true north and not towards sin and evil.
By a twist of fortune, Samuel also becomes playmate and best friend of Tad Lincoln, still grieving the loss of his older brother Willie. Tad’s loving and indulgent father, Abraham Lincoln, also takes to Samuel and becomes like a new father.
Drawn into the dark secrets and mysterious visitors in the Surratt Boardinghouse, Samuel becomes an unwitting conduit for information about the activities, itineraries and travels of the President of the United States.
Written as the memoirs of a grizzled veteran during the 1930s, The Hanging Boy reveals an old man on the threshold of eternity, questioning his actions as a boy and wondering if he helped the woman he loved like a mother kill the man he loved like a father.
Part coming of age story and part mystery, The Hanging Boy is compelling historical fiction that lays bare the heart of a boy recalling the love he had for the man who became the heart of his nation.
