I love Erik Larson, but this book needed a stronger editor to keep the story focused more tightly on the standoff at Sumter and Moultrie. Instead, the narrative sprawls out to include Lincoln’s election, his journey to Washington, various Southern characters who kept detailed diaries, and other side stories and characters that, while interesting, made the story feel too long and cluttered. The U.S. Civil War is a sprawling topic, and one book can’t cover all aspects of it, so authors do best when they rigorously focus on one particular aspect, which Larson could have done more effectively. Still an interesting read.