Other editions of book An Acquaintance With Darkness

A teenage orphan is caught up in President Lincoln’s assassination—and another macabre plot—in this “fast-paced and dramatic” historical novel (Publishers Weekly). Emily’s mother always told her that she should avoid Uncle Valentine, a doctor, that he was involved in things she shouldn’t know about. But after Emily is orphaned—as Washington, DC, is in chaos due to the end of the Civil War—she has nowhere else to go. Now, in addition to coping with the loss of her mother, the fourteen-year-old finds herself involved in two mysteries. First, she wonders about her best friend, Annie Surratt, and the Surratt family. Annie has a signed picture of the handsome actor John Wilkes Booth in her room—but there seems to be more of a connection between Booth and the Surratt family than Emily thought…possibly including the plot to kill Lincoln. At the same time, Uncle Valentine’s odd behavior leads Emily to suspect that he is involved with body-snatching. As dark secrets swirl around her, Emily must figure out who she can trust, in this suspenseful tale “with a wealth of interesting background information” (Publishers Weekly). “Rinaldi has woven two interesting plots here into a fine coming-of-age historical novel....Makes readers feel as if they are living in history.”—Booklist “A vivid account of the moral ambiguities surrounding body snatching—for medical research—at the close of the Civil War.”—Publishers Weekly

Chaos reigns in Washington, D.C., after President Lincoln’s assassination. But for fourteen-year-old Emily Pigbush, the Union’s turmoil is nothing compared to her own struggle. Sent to live with her uncle Valentine after her mother’s untimely death, Emily realizes that her best friend’s mother was one of John Wilkes Booth’s accomplices. And even worse, she suspects that her uncle is breaking the law.

In Washington, D.C., President Lincoln has just been assassinated & the city is reeling with suspicion, fear, & confusion. But for fourteen-year-old Emily, the Union's turmoil is nothing compared to her own dire struggles. Sent to live with her uncle Valentine after her mother's untimely death, Emily discovers that one of her best friend's parents was an accomplice of John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's murderer. Worse yet, on the night of her mother's burial, Emily realizes her uncle is involved in what may be an even uglier business, one that she cannot ignore if she is to be true to herself & her mother's memory. WARNING: This is a historical novel. Read at your own risk. The writer feels it necessary to alert you to the fact that you might actually enjoy it! Grades 7-9.

When her mother dies, fourteen-year-old Emily Pigbush is forced to go live with her uncle Valentine. She is immediately suspicious of her uncle’s unusual late-night activities and fears he may be involved with body-snatching, but every time she resolves to confront him, she is thrown off balance by something good he has done. When she stumbles upon the truth, the betrayal is more than she can bear. But when forced to put her emotions aside, Emily discovers that although her uncle is breaking the law, the risk he takes ultimately benefits mankind.