A Hand in History

It has been said that "the Internet is word of mouth writ large."  (Why yes, it was first said by yours truly.  Thank you for asking.)

And so it was on the Internet that I “heard” about Lincoln’s Hand, a new mystery by Joel Fox.

Recently published by Echelon Press, the novel introduces series hero Zane Rigby, an FBI agent with more baggage than will fit under the seat in front of him.  “Zane is… not so much the macho studly type we often see in FBI roles, but a man, a good man who takes his job seriously.”  ( Book Suite Reviews)

But Zane has just bungled a case, and let a dangerous terrorist escape capture.  Although the bad guy is still on the loose, Zane is assigned to a follow up on an entirely different matter:  The FBI has just received what appears to be the dismembered hand of Abraham Lincoln, and Zane is sent to find the body that matches the hand and the person who kidnapped the body.  As horrifying as it may be to think of Honest Abe’s tomb being desecrated, it’s not a threat to anyone living, and Zane feels the sting of the demotion.  As in all good mysteries, though, complications quickly arise, beginning almost the moment Zane lands in Springfield, Illinois.  The historian for the local Lincoln museum is his own long-lost true love, Claire, now married and the mother of a paraplegic son.  Claire blames herself for the accident that put her son in a wheelchair and is subjecting him to dubious experimental treatment, secure in her faith that a doctor who is at least half mad scientist will restore the use of his legs.

Then there’s the half-mad Congressman McClavity, a man obsessed with Lincoln, and the unfortunate teen runaway who gets caught in the crossfire.  We also get to follow the unknown terrorist whom Zane let get away as the former closes in on his next target.

 As in any good mystery, most things are not as they seem.  And as in any good novel, Lincoln’s Hand is about more than its plot.  It’s a story of midlife redemption, which Zane achieves through his own relentless pursuit of the truth behind these disparate puzzle pieces.

As author Kelli Stanley says, “Lincoln’s Hand will make you look twice the next time you take out a five dollar bill.”