Book Review -The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation

The mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis, of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition, has been hotly debated for many decades. Most historians have believed that Lewis committed suicide while traveling along the infamous Natchez Trace in 1809. However, this book, The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation by James E. Starrs and Kira Gale, presents compelling evidence as to why his death might have been murder instead. It demonstrates that the much of the evidence used for the suicide theory is questionable and why there were possible motives for his assassination.

This book is divided into three parts. The first part, and the most interesting to me, is the transcript of a Coroner's Inquest that took place in 1996 in Holdenwald, Tennessee. This inquest was held to determine if more evidence was needed to resolve the case of Lewis' death with many leading experts and forensic scientists testifying to the circumstances surrounding it. Several descendants of the Lewis family were also in attendance. The second part is a reprint and explanation of several important documents related to Lewis' last days. The third part makes the case for murder by describing events that took place after the expedition up to the time of his death.

The Good: This book is incredibly similar to a crime drama! It really does make a compelling case for why the death of Meriwether Lewis could well have been murder and not suicide. The testimony of the various forensic scientists at the inquest, including firearms experts and psychologists, shows that more evidence is needed if this case is ever to be solved. I also found the last part about the political circumstances around his death very informative. I had not heard many of those details before, not knowing much about the controversy. It is safe to say that not many of these details are widely known because many historians assume suicide as the cause of death.

The Bad: I dove into this book not knowing much about the murder or suicide question, so when I started reading the transcript of the Coroner's Inquest, I was somewhat confused. It would have been helpful to know more about the theories beforehand. Because of that, I would recommend this book for those who already know much about this subject. For those just beginning to get their feet wet in researching the death of Meriwether Lewis, I would recommend reading another book to get a more general idea before reading this one. Also, some of the testimonies and documents are a bit tedious to read.

The Ugly: None to mention

Conclusion: I really enjoyed this book because of it's similarity to a crime novel. The subject of Meriwether Lewis' death is fascinating! It has perplexed historians for years and remains the object of intense debate. It piqued my interest for sure, and I hope to read more books about his death in the next few months. Furthermore, as a result of the inquest, the jury ruled that there is little evidence to determine murder or suicide and an exhumation of the remains of Meriwether Lewis is needed to bring closure. The Lewis family descendants and others are currently fighting for this to take place. I am interested to see what happens!

Links to Learn More:

• The Death of Meriwether Lewis
• The Death of Meriwether Lewis at Amazon.com