What is the author's tone in The Fate of Liberty by Mark E. Neely, Jr.?

The Fate of Liberty is written in the third person past tense, for the most part in subject terms. In Chapter 8 and the Epilogue, Mark E. Neely, Jr., takes earlier scholars - who are far fewer than the subject matter deserves - to task for neglecting primary sources and relying on the myths of their particular eras. Lincoln and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus are understudied in Neely's eyes and a number of myths have been unfairly created and perpetuated by people who find Lincoln's legacy in this area inconvenient or uncomfortable. Neely is candid about how difficult his task is in compiling this book and how no better outcome than The Fate of Liberty is possible, given the fragmentary, disorganized, and flawed nature of the surviving records. He is subjective about the need for more professional scholarship in this area.