Layers

Some secrets are worth killing for.

The discovery of a journal hidden for over a century could change history forever in this gripping dual-timeline novel

Virginia 2017 (and Boston 1869)

From two-time winner of the Manuel Barkan Memorial Publishing Award, Paul E. Bolin's most recent book, Layers introduces a young museum intern who discovers two mysterious trunks containing Civil War-era artifacts. The plot takes a sharp and dangerous turn when she pries open a secret compartment hiding four old books, one of which is a handwritten confession.

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On the afternoon of Wednesday, June 16, 1869, thousands stood cheering as President Ulysses S. Grant strode down the center aisle of what was then the largest covered wooden structure in the United States. His presence here was the highlight of a grand event known as the National Peace Jubilee and Great Musical Festival, held June 15-19, 1869, in Boston, Massachusetts, conducted to celebrate peace for the nation after the conclusion of the United States Civil War.

But does the story of what happened in the life of President Grant at the Musical Festival that afternoon hold more shocking suspense than what history books record? This question drives the page-turning dramatic revelations made by a 23-year-old graduate student of Civil War history, when in 2017 she discovers a 19th-century handwritten diary telling of an attempt to assassinate President Grant at the musical jubilee in Boston. Along the way she uncovers a vast cache of Confederate treasure, sending her on a precarious cross-country road trip in search of seclusion and safety from her pursuers. This captivating personal account takes you on a thrilling multi-layered journey through murder, mystery, and unexpected museum surprises, while pondering the words of Mark Twain: "It may have happened, it may not have happened, but it could have happened." Immerse yourself in the pages of Layers, and decide this for yourself!