The Eye That Never Sleeps

Book excerpt: This wonderfully illustrated children’s biography of the great nineteenth-century detective “evokes a mysterious and exciting old-fashioned tale of espionage” (School Library Journal). Everyone knows the story of Abraham Lincoln, but few know anything about the spy who saved his life on the way to his 1861 inauguration! In The Eye That Never Sleeps, award-winning author and illustrator Marissa Moss reveals the true story of Allen Pinkerton. A poor Scottish immigrant, Pinkerton became the first police detective in Chicago before opening the country’s most successful detective agency. He solved more than 300 murders and recover millions of dollars in stolen money. However, his greatest contribution was foiling an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln. The Eye That Never Sleeps is illustrated with a contemporary cartoon style, mixing art and text in a way that appeals to readers of all ages. The book also includes a bibliography and a timeline.