A true crime thriller--the first book for teens to tell the nearly
unknown tale of the brazen attempt to steal Abraham Lincoln's body!
The action begins in October of 1875, as Secret Service agents raid the
Fulton, Illinois, workshop of master counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Soon after
Boyd is hauled off to prison, members of his counterfeiting ring gather
in the back room of a smoky Chicago saloon to discuss how to spring
their ringleader. Their plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield
tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a
ransom, the release of Ben Boyd--and $200,000 in cash. From here, the
action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service agents on
their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the
two groups. Along the way listeners get glimpses into the inner workings
of counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work, and the early days of
the Secret Service. The plot moves toward a wild climax as robbers and
lawmen converge at Lincoln's tomb on election night: November 7, 1876.