Includes a special preview chapter of Jackie & Me, coming June 14 from Louis Bayard "Riveting . . . Enticing." -The Washington Post "Exquisite." -People "A triumph of a novel." -Bookreporter.com "Rich, fascinating, and romantic." -Newsday A Washington Post Bestseller * An Indie Next Pick * An Apple Books Best of the Month for April * A People Magazine Best Book of the Week When Mary Todd meets Abraham Lincoln in Springfield in the winter of 1840, he is on no one's short list to be president. Mary, a quick, self-possessed debutante with an interest in debates and elections, at first finds this awkward country lawyer an enigma. "I can only hope," she tells his roommate, the handsome, charming Joshua Speed, "that his waters being so very still, they also run deep." It's not long, though, before she sees the Lincoln that Speed knows: an amiable, profound man with a gentle wit to match his genius, who respects her keen political mind. But as her relationship with Lincoln deepens, she must confront his inseparable friendship with Speed, who has taught his roommate how to dance, dress, and navigate polite society. Told in the alternating voices of Mary Todd and Joshua Speed, and inspired by historical events, Courting Mr. Lincoln creates a sympathetic and complex portrait of Mary unlike any that has come before; a moving portrayal of the deep and very real connection between the two men; and most of all, an evocation of the unformed man who would grow into one of the nation's most beloved presidents. Louis Bayard is a New York Times Notable Book author and has been shortlisted for both the Edgar and Dagger awards for his historical thrillers, which include The Pale Blue Eye and Mr. Timothy. His most recent novel was the critically acclaimed young-adult title Lucky Strikes. He lives in Washington, DC, and teaches at George Washington University. Visit him online at www.louisbayard.com. An Amazon Best of the Month for April A May Indie Next Pick "An exquisite historical reimagining of a love acknowledged-and a longing denied." -People (Book of the Week) "Bayard has written eight other novels, and he's extraordinarily gifted at blending provocative fiction with history. The details of [Mary Todd and Lincoln's] courtship are lovely to read, but Lincoln's time with Speed is much more riveting. At book's end, who's courting Lincoln remains an enticing mystery." -Washington Post "A house divided against itself cannot stand, Abraham Lincoln warned us. But a book divided against itself stands up quite nicely in Louis Bayard's wonderful Courting Mr. Lincoln . . . Suspenseful and revealing . . . It's a tribute to Bayard's entertaining novel that he has imagined a love story for Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln that embroiders the truth but that also fits perfectly with what we know about these very famous figures." -Minneapolis Star-Tribune "Courting Mr. Lincoln is a fascinating (and partly fictional) exploration of not only the 16th president, but those enamored by him." -Advocate.com "A rich, fascinating and romantic union of fact and imagination about young Lincoln, the woman he would marry and his beloved best friend. Bayard's compelling take on this question is not academic, nor is it a polemic; Courting Mr. Lincoln is intimate, warm and, above all, compassionate. Bayard is concerned with the possibilities of the human heart, and he presents an enigmatic Lincoln seen-and loved-from two other points of a romantic triangle . . . the greatest triumph of Courting Mr. Lincoln is how effectively Bayard creates suspense, even when we know how the story ends. Love is love is love, after all, and he invests us deeply in the moving journey of three extraordinary people." -Newsday "Bayard's masterful command of language enchants and thrill