Chasing Lincoln's Killer Analysis

The description of the setting is crucial to the mood the author intends to achieve. James L. Swanson, the author of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, describes the setting is a way that creates a foreboding mood by foreshadowing and decreases the tension of the mood by using descriptive sensory details.
The setting works to create a foreboding mood in Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by using descriptive sensory details. An example of this is when the author says, “Terrible winds and thunderstorms had swept through Washington early that morning, dissolving the dirt streets into a sticky muck of soil and garbage.” This creates a foreboding mood because it foreshadows something bad is going to happen from the turbulent storm brewing. This allows the reader

to feel apprehensive because of how the storm changes the normal “dirt streets” to the “sticky muck of soil and garbage”.
The setting also works to decrease the tension with descriptive sensory details. For example, the author says, “Six magnificent white horses drawing a carriage carrying Abraham Lincoln’s coffin made their way up the avenue.” This decreases the tension of the mood to majestic as it describes how angelic Lincoln’s funeral was with “magnificent white horses” as if they were escorting him to heaven. This makes the reader feel less anxious and less worried as it describes how serenely Lincoln’s coffin makes its way up the avenue.
By using vivid details, the setting description of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer increases the drama of the mood and decreases the tension of the mood. From the irregular change in weather to the stately funeral, the setting plays a significant role in creating the mood.