A gripping historical novel based on the often advanced

theory that Lincoln's assassin was

not killed in the barn in Virginia but escaped to

a second life in the Wild West. Barnaby Conrad

was told the plot in 1947 by Sinclair Lewis,

while serving as personal secretary to the

Nobel-Prize winning author. They agreed to

co-author the book, but only one of them lived

to tell the tale.

Conrad follows Booth as he secretly makes his way to Robert E. Lee's headquarters,

expecting to be received as a hero. Instead Lee believes him an impostor and drives him

away. The penniless Booth flees on a riverboat up the Missouri River to Montana Territory

and assumes a new identity in a rough frontier town. Just as Booth falls in love with a kind

woman, a bloodhound-like reporter appears, the truth is revealed and justice is delivered a

la Greek tragedy.

Making the provocative purposeful, this analysis spotlights the most exciting--or potentially embarrassing--story element: the obligatory sex scene. This sensibly suggestive guide demonstrates how to advance plots and reveal truths about characters through their romantic tableaus. Each scene is accompanied by insight into its authors' intentions, how they accomplished them, and their thoughts on romance, love, and sex. The featured passages include men such as William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck and women from Margaret Mitchell to Toni Morrison and Danielle Steel.

Barnaby Conrad follows up his acclaimed "101 Best Scenes Ever Written" with "101 Best Beginnings Ever Written." Readers will continue their delightful romp through literature guided and instructed by Conrad's insights and annotations. For writers and readers, the first part of every story is the most important. Conrad has identified twelve types of beginnings, providing captivating examples such as Ambrose Bierce's opening sentence to his short story "An Imperfect Conflagration": Early one June morning in 1872 I murdered my father--an act which made a deep impression on me at the time. Writers will learn how to start their stories with forceful, compelling prose that hooks readers from page one; casual readers will delight in the cleverness of the various authors' opening lines and in Conrad's insightful comments.

Readers will delight at the best scenes ever written. They will find old favorites and savor scenes new to them. With each scene, Barnaby Conrad provides insights as to what the author wishes to accomplish with this passage and the literary devices he or she employs. Any avid reader will enjoy Conrad's "101 Best Scenes Ever Written," but countless fledgling and established writers will benefit enormously by sampling and studying these gems from the masters of the written word.