September 6 will mark the 110th anniversary of one of the most tragic days in our nation's history - an event that unfolded right here in Buffalo.

Local historian John Koerner has crafted a dramatic recasting of the assassination of President William McKinley. He presents the first ever case for a conspiracy to execute our nation's 25th chief executive. This landmark book uncovers an extensive plot that reaches far beyond assassin Leon Czolgosz.

In exploring this riveting saga, Koerner also reveals the chilling supernatural footprint that the assassination has left on Western New York.

In part one of The Secret Plot to Kill McKinley: Conspiracy, Curses and Ghosts in Western New York, Koerner explains how Czolgosz was trained and funded by a ring of conspirators who possessed a maniacal dedication to accomplish their goal of murder. Nothing was left to chance when the young anarchist shot McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.

In part two, the book focuses on the persistent curses, strange deaths and ghostly stories that hang over more than a dozen Buffalo-area sites that are connected to the assassination. The venues range from the Electric Tower and the Buffalo Museum of Science, to the Market Arcade and the Buffalo Club.

The author of The Mysteries of Father Baker, and The Father Baker Code, has produced yet another meticulously researched book. The Secret Plot to Kill McKinley is grounded in material from the National Archives and a range of primary sources. Readers can expect a captivating ride into the world of secrets and the previously unexplained.

Highlights from part one of The Secret Plot to Kill McKinley include:

* Evidence of at least one co-conspirator at the crime scene.

* A trail of money leading to a ring of wealthy backers of assassin Czolgosz.

* A stunning confession made years after the assassination by one of the plotters.

Highlights from part two include:

* A strange pattern of deaths at sites constructed by the architectural firm who built the assassination site

* Premonitions of the assassination that went unheeded

* How the assassination could have been prevented, but fate stepped in each time

"If you look at the compiled evidence, the only logical conclusion is a conspiracy," said Koerner. "It is time to reveal the real history of this assassination and bring truth and closure to perhaps the worst event in Western New York history."