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The novel is inspired by the true story of John Harrison Surratt, son of Mary Surratt, the first woman executed in America after being convicted of conspiracy against President Abraham Lincoln. John was a friend of Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, and after the assassination on the evening of April 14, 1865, he fled to Montreal, Canada, where he found refuge with some priests. Malcolm Robertson, a young journalist who wrote an article announcing the president's death on the night of the assassination, was tasked with tracking down the fugitive. However, the mission proved difficult because Surratt, a Confederate spy, was skilled at blending in and changing his identity, thanks to the many disguises provided by shadowy figures. His escape from Canada continued in England, in Liverpool and London, then Paris and other parts of France, until he reached Rome, the capital of the Papal States. Once in Rome, the Catholic Surratt believed he was finally safe and enlisted in the Papal Zouaves, the Pope's foreign legion. Discovered and recognized by a Canadian comrade-in-arms, his capture turned into a complex game of diplomatic chess. Malcolm followed the events closely with the help of Annabelle, the beautiful daughter of the US consul in Rome, with whom he fell in love. The novel tells the extraordinary and incredible story of John Surratt's sixteen-month flight, America's most wanted criminal, full of unexpected twists and turns. It is a compelling tale of conspirators and spies, woven together with the romantic story of Malcolm and Annabelle.
