The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson In The Demon of Unrest, bestselling author Erik Larson delivers a gripping and meticulously researched narrative about the chaotic five-month period between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and the start of the American Civil War with the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861.

With his signature blend of history and storytelling, Larson paints a vivid picture of a nation on the brink. He focuses on key players—President Lincoln, the conflicted Union commander Robert Anderson, radical secessionist Edmund Ruffin, and newly inaugurated Confederate President Jefferson Davis—each playing a role in the political theater and miscommunications that led to war.

Set against the looming threat of national collapse, the book explores themes of hubris, idealism, fear, and tragic miscalculation. Larson also brings to life the everyday tension in Charleston, South Carolina, where hostility grew and diplomacy failed.

A masterclass in historical suspense, The Demon of Unrest captures how a series of small moments, human flaws, and unchecked passions tipped the United States into its bloodiest conflict.