Today we talked with James L. Swanson, author of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, about John Wilkes Booth, Confederate plots, revisionist history, the trustworthiness of actors, the upcoming movie based on the book, featuring Harrison Ford, and much more.

Helen didn’t think she’d find this one interesting, but once she started reading the book she was hooked. It was about a narcissistic killer — her specialty!

You can listen to the podcast directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking here, or you can subscribe on iTunes — and we wish you would, as apparently that’s what got us into the top 10 “talk radio” podcasts.

The end music is by Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere, off the CD Heartbreak and Duct Tape. Lead vocals by Kat Brock of Dixie Dirt, with former Judybat Paul Noe on bass. I love the song, and thus let it run a bit longer than usual. John Wilkes Booth really “should’ve grown up while he had the chance.”

Meanwhile, as always, the lovely and talented Insta-Wife is looking for comments and suggestions. Hope you like this!

UPDATE: For those with dialup connections, a slim, trim 16 kbps version can be found here. I’ve put up some of the earlier episodes in that format, too.

And there’s an archive of all our podcasts that can be accessed by clicking the “podcasts” tab on the navbar at the top of the screen, or by clicking here.