Authors add twist to history in ‘Lincoln’s Sword’

What do Mary Todd Lincoln and outlaw Cole Younger have in common?

In the new alternate history novel “Lincoln’s Sword,” these two unlikely figures in history cross paths again and again as the United States is torn apart by Civil War, and unless they are able to recover a mysterious weapon, the war might not turn out as the history books of today relate.

Authors Debra Doyle and James O. Macdonald create a fascinating alternative look at history with this fast-paced story of psychics, “touchers” and soldiers.

Mary Todd Lincoln can foresee events, and only her friend Mercy understands the distress that it causes, because Mercy has the gift of “sight” as well. But will their warnings be heeded by those in charge in time to make a difference in the rift between the states?

Confederate Capt. Cole Younger is approached by a mysterious man named Thomas and is taught how to travel through time. He is charged with the responsibility to use that gift to help save the United States from total destruction.

And at the heart of the story lies a sword, belonging to the Butler family, that holds the key to the destiny of the nation. As Cole and Mercy work together to obtain the weapon, they must endure tragedy, pain and years of waiting to achieve their goals.

Doyle and Macdonald take their readers to the battlefields of Shiloh and Pea Ridge, to that ill-fated bank in Minnesota, and to the private presidential quarters of the White House with a story that sets imaginations on fire. This is a well-done and extremely satisfying novel.