He writes a compelling chase narrative

The American Civil-War era remains captivating to many people.  I have met few people who show little interest.  No person commands the field in this area more than our 16th President.  Released in 2011, author James L. Swanson's Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis, narrates two disparate journeys, doing so in a well-written, fast-paced, manner.  The facts and theories surrounding Lincoln's assassination are well-known.  Less so is the story of his funeral procession on a designated train from Washington, D.C., to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois.  The description of the stops en route and the respect and reverence exhibited along the way support Swanson's central thesis that this uniquely American period of national mourning transformed Lincoln from a President who was loathed by some, underestimated and underappreciated by many, and grudgingly accepted by most, into a national icon and, perhaps, our greatest leader.  Far less well-known is the dogged effort of Jefferson Davis to keep the Confederate States of America alive to fight another day after the surrender of General Lee and the evacuation of its capitol, Richmond, Virginia.  Swanson humanizes Davis in the narrative.  In so doing, support is found for General Lee's post-war assessment that Davis was the best person to serve as the President of the Confederacy at the time, and that no other person could have done as good or better as he did in this role.  Davis is in charge of a lost cause, on a train bound for his eventual capture and trial.  Side-by-side, these twin narratives tell very different, if interconnected, stories making for a quick read.  For an excellent account of the flight and capture of Lincoln's assassin, read Swanson's CManhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, published in 2009.