The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy

Plot

In 1910, Robert Todd Lincoln, a scientist and son of Abraham Lincoln, shows President William Howard Taft a pocket watch he found that belonged to his father. The watch has no visible power source, cannot be opened, and bears a Russian inscription reading "Made in America," leading Lincoln to theorize extraterrestrial beings are populating Alaska. He requests use of Taft's secret zeppelin, Airship One, to investigate. Meanwhile, a wireless telegraph conversation with Nikola Tesla intercepts a mysterious exchange among five anonymous men mining an unknown substance, who imply they have committed a mass murder and maintain operations in Belfast. Tesla is nearly assassinated but kills the attacker with one of his inventions.

Characters

William Howard Taft, the 27th President, is devoted to his wife Nellie and deeply affected by her illness. Though he desires to be Chief Justice, Nellie persuaded him to run for president to advance her political agenda. Taft is in surprisingly good shape despite his weight and is intelligent and deductive, though not knowledgeable in science or history. Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's only surviving son, is a respected scientist—a departure from his real-life profile—though his interest in astronomy is faithfully depicted.

His search for information about his father's assassination leads him to discover the watch. Archibald Butt, captain of Airship One and Taft's close friend, becomes Taft's personal aide after Charles Dyer Norton is fired. Butt is a talented strategist and commander, as shown during raids, and has a near-romantic relationship with Miss Knox. Theodore Roosevelt appears mostly disguised as Secret Service Chief John Wilkie.

His wartime experience makes him a strong leader, and his resourcefulness allows him to damage an android with a Molotov cocktail and short its power. He fools Taft for years, though Nellie Taft suspects Wilkie is a spy for Roosevelt.

Reception

The novel received very positive reviews, being named a Favorite Read of 2014 by The Maine Edge and one of the Best Comedy Books of 2014 by Splitsider. Kirkus Reviews called it "a good-fun entry point into the world of steampunk." Goodreads showed a four-star rating, with praise for the clever storyline. Criticism focused on incredibility; Charlotte Toledo of The Cauldron called the action "far-fetched" and "preposterous" but acknowledged it is an excellent novel. The Historical Novel Society noted that readers' knowledge of depicted events can end suspension of disbelief.