Diane Levero

Bright Star Falling Diane Levero

Americans have always been fascinated by the dramatic tale of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. But what is generally known about his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, is sketchy at best and often simply not true. Booth is often portrayed by historians as a second-rate actor who assassinated Lincoln in a desperate attempt to gain fame, an extreme Southern fanatic who acted on his own. BRIGHT STAR FALLING, based on three years of exhaustive, eye-opening research, shows an entirely different Booth. It tells his story through the eyes of Kate Thompson, who becomes friends with him and his colorful family and eventually falls passionately in love with him - as did legions of ladies who knew the handsome, talented and charming young actor. Kate follows Booth through his highly successful acting career, his failed attempt to kidnap the President, and finally, the assassination, his desperate escape, and his death by gunfire at the Garrett farm in Virginia. Booth was impetuous, passionate and hot-tempered, as well as a very naughty rake with the ladies. But he was not the despicable fiend from hell portrayed by many historians. He was loved and respected by many, both men and women. Recent scholarly research gives compelling evidence that Booth's plan to capture Lincoln had the backing of the Confederate government - and that he killed the President only after a failed assassination attempt by other Confederate agents. BRIGHT STAR FALLING tells his story in a fictional format that is poignant, gripping, occasionally funny, more often heart-wrenching - and ultimately more truthful than most "historical" accounts of this tragic fallen star.