Mask For Treason

[Gene C]

Written by Vaughan Shelton in 1965. About 450 pages to long.

This book has some redeeming qualities, just not enough that made me want to read the entire book. Such as, the conspirators did not get a fair trial. He does a fair job of stating his case on this point, but considering the time and circumstances of Lincoln's death, and the nature of the crime, that shouldn't come as a big surprise. Unfortunately, that revelation was not enough to keep me reading.

Rarely do I not finish a book once I start it, and this is one of those rare occasions. I made it to page 92 before I quit. Maybe I'll pick it up later and read a chapter or two more. For now, there are just too many better books out there to read.

One of Mr. Vaughan's theories is that the wrong man, Louis Payne, was arrested, intentionaly misidentified by the government authorities, tried, and hung for the assassination attempt on Secretary Seward. Mr. Vaughan tries to prove his point by ignoring or heavily discounting certain facts, taking other incidents out of context and twisting events to try and prove his theory. I did not find his arguments or theories credible or convincing.

Unless you are looking for the "unusual" history and theory of the Lincoln assassination, skip this book. If that's what you enjoy or are looking for, you might like this one. Otherwise do what I did. Cut your losses, quit, and move on to something more worthy of your time. Like Betty Ownsbey's book, Alias "Paine".