In 1864, a 41-year-old woman named Mary Surratt was running a boarding house in Washington, D.C. One of the most famous actors in the country began visiting her – which led to her becoming known as the woman who “kept the nest that hatched the egg." Kate Clifford Larson’s book is The Assassin’s Accomplice . Join our newsletter by 2/28/26 to be entered to win a free year of Criminal Plus: ⁠thisiscriminal.com/newsletter⁠ . (Additional rules apply.) Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery . Artwork by Julienne Alexander . Check out our online shop . Episode transcripts are posted on our website . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices