“Putnam's third period mystery is gracefully written, nicely balancing sleuthing with courtroom drama, and should especially please history buffs.”  —Kirkus Reviews

“Entertaining… [Putnam] demonstrate[s] his expertise as a Lincoln scholar.” —Bookliston Perish from the Earth

 “One of the most enjoyable works of fiction I have read in a long time." —Doris Kearns Goodwin on These Honored Dead

Former trial lawyer Jonathan F. Putnam continues to impress fans of the Civil War era and historical mysteries with his expertise on Abraham Lincoln. The young Lincoln spent many years running from the embarrassments of his impoverished childhood.  Now, in Putnam’s third mystery, FINAL RESTING PLACE (Crooked Lane Books/July 10, 2018/$26.99), Lincoln’s past is coming back to haunt him. 

It is the summer of 1838, and Springfield is embroiled in a tumultuous, violent political season. All of Springfield’s elite have gathered at a grand party to celebrate the Fourth of July. Spirits are high―until a prominent local politician is assassinated in the midst of fireworks. When his political rival is arrested, young lawyer Lincoln and his best friend Joshua Speed are back on the case to investigate. 

It’s no ordinary trial, however, as Lincoln and Speed soon face unwelcome complications. Lincoln’s ne’er-do-well father and stepbrother appear in town and threaten Lincoln’s good name and political future. And before long, anonymous letters start appearing in the local newspapers, with ominous threats that make Lincoln fear for himself and his loved ones. As the day of reckoning arrives, the threats against Lincoln continue to escalate. Lincoln and Speed must identify the culprit and fast, before Lincoln loses the race to outrun his past.

Jonathan F. Putnam is a writer and attorney. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he is a nationally renowned trial lawyer and recognized Lincoln scholar. He currently lives with his family in London, England. This is his third Lincoln and Speed mystery.