The Lincoln Letter    by William Martin Order:  USA  Can Forge, 2013 (2012) Hardcover, Paperback, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson William Martin (author of The Lost Constitution, City of Dreams etc.) takes readers on another historical magical mystery tour in The Lincoln Letter. The treasure that Peter Fallon and Evangeline Carrington seek this time is President Lincoln's daybook (diary) lost in 1862. Though their relationship is becalmed (she's working in New York while he is in Boston) they still manage to get into plenty of hot water together, as always. And, as always, there are others in pursuit of the treasure, for nefarious ends, in particular the Knights of the Golden Circle. While these adversaries clash in the present, readers get to follow the past adventures of Union Lieutenant Halsey Hutchinson, who works for the War Department, close to Lincoln. He ends up with Lincoln's daybook, which he intends to return - but his attempts to do so fail. He also meets John Wilkes Booth and courts a young woman, Abolitionist Constance Wood, niece of a rabidly anti-Lincoln congressman. After the daybook is stolen from Hutchinson, he seeks help from a black friend, Noah who shines shoes for a living. He's blackmailed by a Pinkerton man into spying for the agency. His love life gets very complicated. And then he's accused of four murders. Hutchinson remains free with his friends' help, and keeps looking for the daybook - he still hopes to return it to the President, but Booth gets there first. Gradually, Peter and Evangeline learn parts of Hutchinson's story, and eventually they discover how it ended. The Lincoln Letter is an entertaining and thought provoking read, in which I found myself even more engrossed by the historical story than the modern one. Don't miss it. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews