This book can only be termed as a sleeper. I was flying back from the UK, suffering from jet lag and the onset of what I found out later to be an upper respiratory infection, but this story kept me turning the pages. And I thought it was going to put me to sleep.
I only bought it on the recommendation of one of my doctors. After my examination that day, we somehow got started on reading, starting off with Nelson Demille and one of the main characters in his books, John Corey. John has a way with smart ass remarks that I love, but the doc was not enamored of him. Anyway, it morphed into his favorite genre–history. While I do like some history, I like it best when it’s married into a bigger story, like Dead Wake, which chronicles the sinking of the Lusitania–great book, by the way.
So, I felt like I had to give one of his recommendations a shot, and am I glad I did. Destiny of the Republic is quite a thriller. I know, your eyes just glassed over. But bear with me–it has a fantastic medical undercurrent that will keep you shaking your head in disbelief.
I knew about Garfield and his assassination while enduring the most boring of scholastic studies–history. Wow–why didn’t they touch on the rest of the story? I would have paid more attention in high school.
I will be reading more books by Candice Millard.