Howard McEwen, CFA

This was nice. So Google alerts just caught up with Kentucky Monthly magazine and delivered this review I had missed back in October. It’s delivered as a PDF but the link is here. I typed up the text of it below.

It’s written by David Domine. David and I did a book event together. If you are in Kentucky and interested at all in ghosts, history or food then buy David’s books.

Kentucky Monthly magazine – October 2011

Death of  Governor

Belleview (sic) author Howard McEwen brings to life one of the state’s most intriguing and tragic political figures in his debut novel about the only sitting U.S. governor in history to die at the hand of an assassin.

William Goebel won many friends when he championed populist causes such as regulation of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. However, his abrasive personality made him high-ranking enemies as well. This only got worse after he was acquitted of murder for the 1895 dueling death of rival John Sanford and intensified during the 1899 Kentucky gubernatorial election. By then, Goebel, a Democrat, had divided his party with self-serving tactics at a time when state Republicans were gaining strength; this led to a close contest between Goebel and opponent William S. Taylor.

Goebel won the election, but was sworn in on his deathbed, the victim of an unknown assailant. The pursuit of his ideals and personal power brought Kentucky to the edge of civil war. McEwen weaves a tale using history and some conjecture in an entertaining and informative read.