Book Description
Acclaimed as the definitive illustrated history of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Lincoln's Assassins, by James L. Swanson and Daniel R. Weinberg, follows the shocking events from the tragic scene at Ford's Theatre to the trial and execution of Booth's co-conspirators. For twelve days after the president was shot, the nation waited breathlessly as manhunters tracked down John Wilkes Booth—the story that was brilliantly told in Swanson's New York Times bestseller, Manhunt. Then, during the spring and summer of 1865, a military commission tried eight people as conspirators in Booth's plot to murder Lincoln and other high officials, including the secretary of state and vice president. Few remember them today, but once the names Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Atzerodt, Edman Spangler, Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlin, and Dr. Samuel Mudd were the most reviled and notorious in America.
In Lincoln's Assassins, Swanson and Weinberg resurrect these events by presenting an unprecedented visual record of almost 300 contemporary photographs, letters, documents, prints, woodcuts, newspapers, pamphlets, books, and artifacts, many hitherto unpublished. These rare materials, which took the authors decades to collect, evoke the popular culture of the time, record the origins of the Lincoln myth, take the reader into the courtroom and the cells of the accused, document the beginning of American photojournalism, and memorialize the fates of the eight conspirators.
Lincoln's Assassins is a unique work that will appeal to anyone interested in American history, Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, law, crime, assassination, nineteenth-century photographic portraiture, and the history of American photojournalism.
Customer Reviews:
Certainly worthwhile........2007-06-29
Although I detest Mr. Swanson's attitude toward the assassination & "scholarship", I am very pleased with my copy of this book. It has a great deal of fine photographs, and makes a very enjoyable purchase for that reason only. Unfortunately, the authors titled the book very oddly -- as those who went on trial were not Lincoln's assassins, and some of them were not even privy to the plan at all, and equally unfortunately, the actual assassin is given only 2 or 3 photographs out of the many included. There was also an sickening decision made when there are pages and pages of essentially identical photos of the hanging, which are not only revolting but very repetative, and could have been greatly reduced to make room for more interesting & varied photographs. That aside, I found the painting by Lew Wallace, given an honorary spot in the front of the book, to be perhaps my favorite assassination-related picture to date. I am very grateful for this book.
P.S. Reprinting the cover to look more like Manhunt? Bad idea. The 1st edition was so much prettier.
Don't miss Manhunt! .......2007-06-27
This is an incredible hour by hour account of the death of President Abraham Lincoln and the search for his killer, John Wilkes Booth. Swanson includes historical accounts taken from the achieves,various testimonies from the people who lived this horrific event along with many other resources. There is a lot about this terrible time in our history that I didn't know, and James Swanson has numerous notes that can take you easily into even deeper research. It completely held my attention on every page of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a difficult time putting it down. There is so much information I plan to read it again. His 2nd book, Lincoln's Assassins, is a great follow up to this book. If you love history, Manhunt is a must!
Worth It Just For The Photos.......2007-06-26
This is a wonderful addition to the book collection of any reader of Lincoln or civil war history. I have studied the story of the Lincoln conspirators for nearly 20 years, and have read a lot of fine material on the subject, but this book contains amazing photos I did not know existed. Where one may have seen a single picture of the conspirators or their July 1865 hanging.......this book contains pages and pages of photos of them, taken shortly before their execution, often from the original glass negatives. Of course, it also contains a vivid narrative of their trial and last moments. Others have written superb accounts of these events. This book is "worth it just for the photos."
An excellent book.......2007-03-26
In this fascinating book, an accomplished author teams up with an avid Lincoln-ologist to produce an excellent work. This book has a fascinating account of the capture, trial and (in some cases) execution of John Wilkes Booth's fellow "conspirators," and an excellent collection of pictures and reproductions of important documents.
Overall, I found this to be an excellent book. It has just enough text to be highly informative on the conspirators, without getting bogged down in minutiae. Also, it keeps a level-headed approach to the assassination throughout, eschewing the kind of theorizing that marks too many books on the subject. Yep, I highly enjoyed this colorful and highly readable book, and give it my highest recommendations!
Excellent and Rare.......2007-02-22
This is a truly excllent monograpraph with some intriguing photographs and commentary not available before this account. This is a beautiful treatment of what happened to the almost mystical and undeniably lunaticical cadre of villains responsible for one of America's most horrifying and haunting domestic events. Like everything else that this dark chapter in US history provokes, these pictures catapult the reader back onto the streets of Washington D.C. where you stand as witness to this shocking tale.
Customer Reviews:
Grace and courage under fire!.......2007-07-09
Now, maybe some people aren't interested in Mr. Garrison's point of view - but I am. And so are many others who repeatedly give On The Trail Of The Assassins a deservedly high mark. He was there in New Orleans and KNEW PERSONALLY most of the major players. How many investigators can say that? His overall conclusion of conspiracy is the same as many, many other independent researchers and the conclusion of 75 percent of the general public - only he was way ahead of his time. Had he known nothing of the truth surrounding the assassination, the CIA would never have bothered to smear his character or try ruin his investigation of JFK's murder by stealing his files for the trial of Clay Shaw. And yet it is Garrison who is accused of not playing fair. That's right... black is white, and white is black.
This book is one of my favorites in the assassination canon. It is brilliantly written, soulful, human, and full of observations about gov't and how it sometimes changes without the people being invited to the party. He knew of Oswald (murdered by Ruby), Ferrie ("suicide"), Bannister ("heart attack" in 1964) and Shaw (no autopsy ever done) - and had most of them not died under conspicuously strange circumstances, Garrison would never have been placed in the position of being the Lone-Nut scape goat for their lack of honesty and insight into this murder investigation - an investigation that is still continuing, though with little help from some of the people who should have known better after all these years.
Garrison's investigation and the trial of Clay Shaw were the inevitable result of the corrupt Warren Commission cover-up. Had the Warren Commission done its job and followed up leads in the first place, Garrison would never have ended up in the position of being the whipping boy for the Oswald as Lone-nut contingent. It was only through the efforts of Garrison that the Zapruder film ("back, and to the left") was viewed for the first time and the public began to see how dishonest the Warren Commision and the CIA were in lying to the American people about at least one more shooter.
Recent revelations about secret CIA assassinations plots can no longer be denied and now are out in the open in recent news events. It's your country. You might think of the 40-year tailspin the country has been in since our president was killed and the efforts of private citizens who've tried to expose the CIA skullduggery during the Kennedy years and beyond. Garrison took on these covert agencies in the name of justice, and had not Clay Shaw lied his head off under oath during his trial, it's conceivable that Garrison would have won and Shaw end up on a chain-gang where he belonged. In a conversation with Oliver Stone, Judge Haggarty, who presided over the Shaw trial, said that he himself never believed a word Shaw said. (This is discussed on the JFK special features dvd.)
The people of the country know all too well that Oswald didn't act alone - that is, if he shot anyone at all - and they're not about to let this conspiracy investigation end until the Federal gov't comes clean with what it knows. Every year more is being found out about certain participants, such as H. Howard Hunt's involvement, or David Morales, who was quoted as saying he was involved with the assassination of both JFK and RFK. Such revelations farther vindicate Garrision's conclusion that the CIA was involved in the murder of Kennedy. Hunt and Morales (a man Hunt mentions) were both CIA. Gee, there seems to be a pattern here unless one has been playing ostrich with these recent CIA revelations.
In the meantime, those who continue to smear Garrison are only making themselves small in comparison. They're not worthy to shine the shoes of this great man - a hero in every sense of the word in this sordid tale of political corruption, murder and media cover-up. Ten stars for On The Trail Of The Assassins and Jim Garrision. ZERO stars for the now documented CIA interference of Garrison's investigation and the perjury on the witness-stand of Clay Shaw. Even certain pro-conspiracy researchers wrongly denegrate Garrison and they should be ashamed of themselves now that Garrison's conclusions are being vindicated. They haven't half the courage of a Garrison, and no one other than he and Mark Lane have ever had the balls to take any of these politically criminal bastards to trial (H. Howard Hunt by Lane) for lying about their complicity in the murder and cover-up of Kennedy's assassination. And I'm not the only citizen who feels this way. For more information on the coup d'etat in Dallas, read District Attorney Garrison's revealing book and witness courage under fire.
Oh. Grow up, America!
Edit
Not a rehash of "A Heritage of Stone.".......2007-01-27
I avoided reading this book when it was first published thinking it was but a mere rehash of Garrison's earlier book "A Heritage of Stone." However, thirty years on, I have pleasantly discovered that I was greatly mistaken. "On the Trail of the Assassins" is not a rehash, but stands quite sufficiently on its own.
More than anything else, it is first a devastating critique of the Warren Commission's Report; perhaps the best there is so far. Second, it is written by a first-class legal mind. And whatever else one might say about Jim Garrison, it is difficult to ignore the fact that he has one of the best legal minds in this nation. Third, it is a summary report of the Garrison investigation, which again, it is difficult to ignore that Garrison, on a shoe string budget, and with a handful of mostly volunteers, did a much better job investigating the JFK assassination than all of the nation's institutional police and intelligence machinery combined. And finally, the book is Garrison's own defense of the case he lost against the only man ever to be charged with JFK's assassination, Clay Shaw.
As a critique, Garrison attacks the slipshod way in which federal and Texas investigations pursued (or failed to pursue) the evidence and suspects -- other than the "carefully prepared patsy" Lee Harvey Oswald. Among these ways is the fact that Oswald was interrogated for more than 30 hours without a transcript; that the three tramps found in the rail car a few feet from the grassy knoll were released without even recording their names; and the general lack of curiosity on the part of the FBI and Dallas police authorities in following leads, protecting evidence, and in interrogating witnesses.
Garrison's legal astuteness is on display in a number of ways in the book: in the way he corralled information from informants; the way he collated and peeled back his evidence to attain maximum courtroom effect; the way he shaped theories based on where the evidence led; and in the way he parried defense moves and the counter-moves against him made generally by the federal authorities, who curiously always viewed him as a threat and hindrance to their limp but "predetermined" investigation.
With only a handful of investigators, researchers and contributors, Garrison fell just short of cracking the crime of the century. One must wonder out loud what would have happened if, instead of trying to derail and undermine his investigation, the government would have supported him?
It seemed clear even to Garrison, that his case against Clay Shaw was a lost cause even before he entered the courtroom. However, if one looks carefully at the theoretical framework Garrison constructed, in which Shaw was just one of a number of important elements, it is clear that Garrison was on the right track; and that Shaw's acquittal was more about the lack of witnesses to confirm Garrison's evidence, than it was about Shaw's guilt or innocence. That is why after forty years, a great deal, if not all of Garrison's theory has been borne out.
.Whether you believe Garrison's theories or not, this book is a report on investigative, legal, and police work of a very high order. Five Stars.
Not the best........2006-09-24
Up front, I will say I have not read this book - however I would like to suggest reading Final Judgement: The Missing Link in the JFK Assassination Conspiracy by Michael Collins Piper. Piper makes a powerful case that the Israeli Mossad orchestrated the assassination of President Kennedy because of his effective blocking of Ben Gurion and his fellow Zionist's Samson complex fear of preserving their Zionist state with nuclear weapons of mass destruction with the aid of France. Once LBJ took over, all obstruction of Israel's nuclear ambitions ceased. If you think that is far-fetched, look up the USS Liberty and see how that was covered up by LBJ.
The Assassin "Trail" Stops At The Feet Of One Murderer -- Lee Harvey Oswald.......2006-02-22
The late Jim Garrison's book "On The Trail Of The Assassins" was in large part the basis for Oliver Stone's 1991 motion picture "JFK", which is a film containing so many lies, half-truths, and misrepresentations of the facts surrounding John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination, it's literally difficult to keep up with all of them.
I cannot watch one single scene of Oliver Stone's film without finding some distortion of the evidence in the real JFK or J.D. Tippit murder cases. Some are small things being distorted; and some are great big ones. One example (among dozens) being: Oliver Stone's version of shoe clerk Johnny Brewer's testimony re. Lee Harvey Oswald's manner of dress when Brewer encountered Oswald shortly after Oswald had shot and killed policeman Tippit.
Stone, in his film, has Oswald (Gary Oldman) wearing a jacket as he enters the Texas Theater and is seen by Brewer....and in one of the movie's "Deleted Scenes" (on the DVD version of the film), Kevin Costner (playing Garrison) even does a voice-over (lie) re. Brewer's testimony, with Costner saying "Brewer said the man was wearing a jacket".
Brewer, in reality, said exactly the opposite during his Warren Commission testimony:
Mr. BELIN -- "Will you describe the man you saw?"
Mr. BREWER -- "He was a little man, about 5'9", and weighed about 150 pounds is all. ... And had brown hair. He had a brown sports shirt on. His shirt tail was out."
Mr. BELIN -- "Any jacket?"
Mr. BREWER -- "No."
Another interesting part of the Tippit portion of the movie "JFK" is Oliver Stone's Audio Commentary during this part of the film, which is riddled with inaccuracies. Stone has the audacity to spout the following lie re. the Tippit shooting on the DVD's Commentary soundtrack:
"Not one credible witness has really identified Oswald as a single shooter {of Officer Tippit}. In fact, the only significant testimony applies two to three shooters." -- O. Stone
Therefore, per Mr. Stone (and Garrison said pretty much the same thing years earlier), the "only credible" witness must have been Acquilla Clemmons, who, as far as I am aware, was THE ONLY witness who ever said there was more than one person involved in the Tippit slaying.
Stone, like Jim Garrison before him, would simply rather believe his OWN version of events, rather than the multiple witnesses who never saw more than one shooter (with that one single shooter being positively identified as Oswald by said witnesses).
It's interesting, indeed, that Stone thinks the "only significant testimony" re. the Tippit crime came from Clemmons. Whereas, people like Markham, Tatum, and Scoggins (who were all closer than Clemmons to the scene of the murder) are deemed less "significant", merely, no doubt, because they don't fit into Stone's (or Garrison's) "CT Landscape" surrounding the murder.
I wonder if people realize just how many outright lies are contained in Oliver Stone's 3-hour, 15-minute motion picture? The number is simply staggering. And that number of distortions is increased considerably on the DVD version of the film, when the Audio Commentary Track by Mr. Stone and all of the "Deleted and Extended Scenes" are included as well.
And a great deal of this deliberate misinformation put forth on the movie screen came directly out of this book authored by Jim Garrison.
Another great place to see more of Mr. Garrison's skewed views of the JFK case is to read Garrison's 1967 "Playboy Magazine" interview. Like Stone's movie, that Playboy article will keep you busy as you try to keep up with the inaccurate things Garrison keeps saying in that lengthy piece. The whole interview can be read here:
www.jfklancer.com/Garrison2.html
Selected examples of Mr. Garrison's paranoia and loony-toon conspiracy talk, taken from that Playboy interview, are provided via the quotes below. My own rebuttal arguments follow each quote:
"Though he {Oswald} may not have known why he was instructed to do so, this was undoubtedly why he got the job at the Texas School Book Depository Building. The conspirators knew this would place him on the scene and convince the world that a demented Marxist was the real assassin." -- Jim Garrison; 1967
The above Garrison gem totally distorts (or just flat-out ignores) the true and documented facts about how Oswald got his job at the Depository in mid-October of '63. It was suburban Dallas housewives Linnie Mae Randle and Ruth Paine who were directly responsible for placing Lee Harvey Oswald in the TSBD, by way of ordinary garden-variety happenstance.
Garrison must, therefore, believe that Mrs. Paine, who arranged Oswald's job interview with Depository boss Roy Truly, was one of the main "conspirators" who was setting up Oswald to take the fall for JFK's murder the following month (which would also have to mean that Paine had detailed knowledge of the President's motorcade route more than a month before November 22). Garrison must also think that Roy Truly was a big part of the patsy plot, because it was Mr. Truly who actually hired Oswald (even though nobody was holding a shotgun to Truly's head forcing him to hire Lee).
The commonly-held belief that Lee Oswald was "placed" in the Texas School Book Depository by evil plotters prior to 11/22/63 is a desperate attempt by CTers like Mr. Garrison to attach unprovable and unsupportable conspiratorial "strings" to a random event that involved several individuals...individuals whose collective and synchronized actions could not possibly have been foreseen and controlled by a group of behind-the-scenes conspirators.
---------------
"Anyone who takes the time to read the Warren Report will find that of the witnesses in Dealey Plaza who were able to assess the origin of the shots, almost two-thirds said they came from the grassy-knoll area in front and to the right of the Presidential limousine and not from the Book Depository." -- Jim Garrison; 1967
This is pure nonsense. There were, indeed, several witnesses who said they heard shots coming from in front of JFK's car, but Garrison has severely skewed the stats to support his claim of Knoll shooters. His "almost two-thirds" figure is not even close to being accurate when talking about the number of witnesses who said they heard frontal shots. And even amongst other CTers, virtually no other pro-conspiracy author has ever rigged those stats in such an out-of-whack manner.
The fact is that more than half of all earwitnesses heard shots coming from the direction of the Book Depository, and not from the Knoll. And an even more illuminating statistic reveals that less than 5% of all earwitnesses heard shots from more than just a single general location (front vs. rear). That stat speaks volumes....because even CTers admit to SOME rear shots.
An interesting tabulation of this data can be found below:
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/images/shots4.jpg
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/earwitnesses.htm
---------------
"The second shot struck the President in the back; the location of this wound can be verified not by consulting the official autopsy report, but by perusing the reports filed by two FBI agents who were present at the President's autopsy. Both stated unequivocally that the bullet in question entered President Kennedy's back and did not continue through his body." -- Jim Garrison; 1967
Therefore, Mr. Garrison is, in essence, saying that he is much more likely to trust the word of FBI agents (who, of course, were not doctors and were not conducting the President's autopsy) rather than take the word of the three physicians who each signed the official autopsy report. After all, why believe the autopsy doctors when you COULD just trust as Gospel the word of a bystander? ~sarcasm alert~
Plus: Why didn't these two FBI agents get the conspirators' memo which, if CTers are right about the success of the Patsy Plot, must have been passed out to nearly everyone in Officialdom on 11/22, a memo that probably said: "Attn. All Agents -- We're framing Oswald tomorrow; so remember to falsify as much evidence as humanly possible to ensure conviction of patsy".
Evidently some people who needed to see it never received that important document.
---------------
"We have also located another man who was not involved in the shooting but created a diversionary action in order to distract people's attention from the snipers. This individual screamed, fell to the ground, and simulated an epileptic fit, drawing people away from the vicinity of the knoll just before the President's motorcade reached the ambush point." -- Jim Garrison; 1967
Yet another outright lie from the lips of District Attorney Garrison. The man who had the so-called "simulated epileptic fit" was fully identified by the FBI on May 26, 1964. His name was Jerry Belknap, a man who had a history of epilepsy since childhood. Belknap also proved to the FBI that he had paid the ambulance bill ($12.50) after he was taken to Parkland Hospital.
---------------
"President Kennedy was killed for one reason: because he was working for a reconciliation with the U.S.S.R. and Castro's Cuba. His assassins were a group of fanatic anti-Communists with a fusion of interests in preventing Kennedy from achieving peaceful relations with the Communist world." -- Jim Garrison; 1967
Any solid, verifiable proof of such accusations, Mr. Garrison? Any physical evidence whatsoever that shows JFK was killed by more than one gun? .... The answers to those two questions are: No and No.
But the lack of physical evidence never stopped a hard-boiled CTer....that's been proven over and over again by a vast assortment of conspiracists who have more theories up their sleeve than a dog has fleas.
---------------
"In summation, there were at least five or six shots fired at the President from front and rear by at least four gunmen, assisted by several accomplices. At this stage of events, Lee Harvey Oswald was no more than a spectator to the assassination -- perhaps in a very literal sense. James Altgens snapped a picture that shows a man with a remarkable resemblance to Oswald, standing in the doorway of the Depository. The Altgens photograph indicates the very real possibility that at the moment Oswald was supposed to have been shooting Kennedy, he may actually have been standing outside the front door watching the motorcade. .... I don't believe that Oswald shot anybody on November 22nd -- not the President and not Tippit." -- Jim Garrison; 1967
It seems as though these devilishly-clever conspirators forgot one important thing when they were setting up LHO -- they forgot their brains. For, who WITH brains would allow their lone "Patsy" to casually drift outside and be photographed and seen by countless witnesses when the plotters need to have Lee Harvey on the 6th Floor at 12:30? Per Mr. Garrison's account of Oswald possibly being "Doorway Man", evidently the real assassins were indeed brainless and lacked the common sense to keep Oswald where he wouldn't be able to establish a credible alibi for his 12:30 whereabouts.
Just think about these Garrison remarks for a moment longer too -- "At least five or six shots were fired at the President from front and rear ... by at least four gunmen".
Doesn't a "4-Shooter, 6-Shot, 1-Patsy" assassination plot seem a bit unlikely to anyone else but this writer? Would any professional killers actually attempt to "frame" a lone fall guy in that type of overkill fashion? In my opinion, no pro hit men would go about the complicated task of setting up Oswald (or anybody else) in such a needlessly-reckless way.
A single "pro" hit man could have easily killed JFK with one or two shots (probably just one) from Oswald's "nest", without the need to clog the works with needless back-up gunmen hiding all around Dealey Plaza.
There is no possible way the conspirators could have ensured the success of a multi-shooter plot to frame JUST Oswald in the minutes during and after the shooting. No way. There are way too many uncontrollable factors that could block the success of that One-Patsy venture that Jim Garrison placed his faith in.
"Uncontrollable" items such as:
1.) A frontal shooter might very well have been seen by witnesses (and to think that EVERY witness under the sun could be easily "bought", "taken care of", and/or coerced by these plotters is, again, just too much wishful thinking on the conspirators' part, IMO).
2.) A frontal shooter might strike other occupants in the car, or strike somebody else in Dealey Plaza. But even if ONLY Kennedy is hit by a frontal gunman, there are massive problems to be "corrected" by the conspirators....bullets to be hidden and, of course, who knows how many obvious frontal wounds on the victim to be (somehow) eliminated -- and eliminated immediately before any non-conspirators can spill any beans. .... Only a person straight out of the booby hatch could believe that anyone, regardless of "power" or "pull", could get away with such a thing. It's just plain loony.
3.) The one "Patsy" (Oswald) could have easily, by pure accident and happenstance, established a perfect alibi for himself at the time when he was supposed to be on the 6th Floor shooting the President (as Mr. Garrison apparently DID think occurred, with Oswald being seen in a photo taken as the bullets were flying; even though all reasonable researchers know full well that "Doorway Man" was actually Billy Lovelady, and not Oswald; Lovelady even testified to that effect in 1964). ....
Plus -- If Oswald had really been in that doorway at 12:30, WHY ON EARTH DIDN'T HE SAY HE WAS THERE?! If he's got an ironclad alibi like that, why wouldn't he use it? Instead, he says not a word about being outside on the steps at 12:30, and even tells the police a provable lie re. his whereabouts (the lie about "having lunch with Junior {Jarman}" at the time of the shooting). How much sense does that make if Oswald had really been in the Depository doorway? ....
And the very fact that Oswald did NOT have a usable, provable alibi for exactly 12:30 PM is absolutely remarkable IF he had really been wandering around on the lower floors of the Depository (or was outside the building), as many CTers firmly believe; and even the most rabid of conspiracy theorists have got to admit, that from the "CT/Patsy" POV, Oswald's not having a usable/believable/solid alibi is certainly, by far, the biggest piece of LUCK in the whole "Patsy Plot". ....
These amazing Patsy Plotters just lucked out, evidently, in that Oswald was not seen by a single person inside or outside the TSBD at precisely the time of the assassination -- except by Howard Brennan, Ron Fischer, and Robert Edwards, of course, who saw Oswald or a nicely-arranged Oswald "imposter" in the Sniper's Nest at 12:30 or just seconds before 12:30.
4.) And the likelihood that all of the non-TSBD bullets are going to somehow get swept under the rug is extremely remote, especially in a Bob Groden-like scenario. Mr. Groden (per his book "The Killing Of A President"), incredibly, has ZERO of the shots coming from the Oswald window, and a total of up to TEN shots being fired...and ALL OF THEM coming from rifles other than the one rifle these idiot plotters are going to attempt to frame Oswald with! Could Groden's scenario BE any more reckless and preposterous?! I doubt it.
5.) And a biggie, that most CTers evidently don't think could have ever happened before 12:30 on November 22nd -- The one Patsy (Mr. LHO) could "get wise" to the plot that is brewing all around him and take measures to guarantee he could never be blamed for the actual assassination of John Kennedy.
When thinking about any "Frame Lee Oswald As The One Patsy" plan, I just cannot visualize any professional assassins (even for a minute) contemplating the use of multiple shooters; let alone some gunmen firing from the Grassy Knoll, i.e., the exact opposite direction from where their single dupe is supposed to be located.
---------------------
As the previously-mentioned quotes from the mouth of Mr. Garrison amply demonstate, if anyone has a desire to set out "On The Trail Of A Lunatic Conspiracy Theorist" -- look no further than Earling Carothers (Jim) Garrison.
a good "read" and an above-average book.......2006-01-16
Jim Garrison's book "On The Trail Of The Assassins" was one of two books used as the basis for Oliver Stone's movie "JFK" (the other was Kim Marrs' "Crossfire"). On that basis alone, highly recommended (for it led to the JFK Act and the ARRB). That said, this is a very good but not a great book. I would put James DiEugenio's book ON Garrison ahead of this one. Still, a good "read" with some good moments.
Vince Palamara
Average customer rating:
- Get it! Read It! Enjoy it!
- The chief exec's in mortal danger
- Brian Haig Rules
- The President's Assassin
- Wonderful read!
|
The President's Assassin
Brian Haig
Manufacturer: Vision
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Political
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Political
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Private Sector
-
The Kingmaker
-
Secret Sanction
-
Mortal Allies
-
Man in the Middle
ASIN: 0446617113 |
Book Description
With just three days to prevent the assassination of the President, Army lawyer Sean Drummond races the clock in the high-stakes countdown of his career. Army lawyer Sean Drummond*snew posting is to the Office of Special Projects, a CIA cell that handles the most dangerous threats. When the White House Chief of Staff is found brutally murdered, there*s a note beside him promising more victims--including the President. Sean leaps into action, teaming up with a beautiful colleague to try to stop the assassin. As the killer stalks the campaign trail, apparently driven by a$500 million bounty on the President*s head,all arrows point to a member of the White House security detail who*s gone missing. Only after a dramatic hostage rescue that culminates in an intense shootout does Sean realize law enforcement*s horrible miscalculation--and what must be done to set things right.
Customer Reviews:
Get it! Read It! Enjoy it!.......2007-08-21
I stumbled upon this book, having never read anything from Brian Haig before. What a find. It was a can't-put-it-down type of book. Well written. Nice fleshed-out characters.
It was fun.
Now I'm off to find another book by this author.
The chief exec's in mortal danger.......2007-05-08
Master of the political thriller, Brian Haig, again mobilizes his acerbic, sarcastic, yet inevitably efficient U.S. Army JAG lawyer with a special forces background, Major Sean Drummond in the stirring "The President's Assassin". Drummond, on loan to the CIA is tagging along with FBI agents investigating a professionally accomplished massacre scene is the posh Washington D.C. suburbs. He is partnered with the attractive, tightly wrapped FBI special agent Jennifer Margold, Phd. in psychology and superstar of the Quantico Behavioral Sciences Unit.
Upon entering a McLean, Virginia mansion they discover a bloody scene already crawling with agents. Six corpses including the White House Chief of Staff, his wife and a four person Secret Service detail have all been dipatched in execution style. The murder scene also contained a note presumably from the perpetrators threatening the demise of the President within 48 hours. They also learn that a website had been created promising a payoff of $100 million to kill the President.
Drummond proves to be instrumental in analyzing the murder scene making Agent Margold look good to her boss Assistant Director George Meany, who happened to have been a rival for the affections for Drummond's main squeeze. The threat to the president heightens the response in every government agency.
Within short order White House spokesperson Merrill Benedict and Supreme Court justice Fineberg are killed in spectacular fashion using U.S. military issued weapons. Investigations conducted by Margold, ably aided by Drummond seem to point to young Secret Service agent Jason Barnes, presently unaccounted for. Barnes' father Richmond federal judge Calhoun Barnes, recently considered for a seat on the Supreme Court had shamefully been disgraced as they combed through his past. A motive had been established.
Drummond and Margold proceed to locate and thwart Barnes before his plans can come to fruition using psychological profiling to move in the right direction.
Haig, a talented writer falls a little short in presenting a convincing enough argument in identifying the bad guys in his novel. He is quite obviously setting us up for a twist as the novel concludes. The interplay between Drummond and Margold, which teems with both psychological and sexual conflict was very effectively portrayed.
Brian Haig Rules.......2007-05-06
I love his sense of humor and his writing style. I have yet to read a book of his that I didn't love.
The President's Assassin.......2007-02-26
Brian Haig is a new author I just tried and I love him, his style and the character of Sean Drummond. I look forward to reading all of you books.
Wonderful read!.......2007-02-26
The book was entertaining and suspenseful. It seemed so real and the suspense of disbelief was incredible.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a great story, terrific characters, and a tremendous plot.
I am trying to think of more to say, but how many ways can I say this book is great.
I hope my review enlightened you.
Customer Reviews:
Better Than Most.......2006-03-07
I've read several books relating to the conspiracy surrounding the murder of JFK. This is one of the best. It's detailed and to the point, there is no sidetracking, like in many of the other highly recommended books (Jim Marrs: Crossfire & Ultimate Sacrifice).
The book is hard to get your hands on, since its no longer in print, but well worth the money. Everything in the book is fact driven, and when it's speculation, it clearly states so.
Alot in the book, that was interesting, and did not make Oliver Stones movie, as well, as lots of subjects in this book not covered in other books.
This is the best overall book Ive read relating to the JFK murder, however, its mainly focused around Garrisons investigation, so it's only 1 point of view, and it does not have ALL the facts.
Character Assassination On Another Level........2006-02-27
New evidence has now surfaced that Oswald was hired by Cuba to kill JFK in Dallas all those years ago. Now, character assassination is continuing from that area. John Seigenthaler was a close friend and supporter of the Kennedys: "I was a close friend of Robert Kennedy, and I worked closely iwith the president...helped to edit [Robert's] first book. We were close friends until his death and the most painful thing was to have them {Brian Chase] to suggest I was suspected of their assassination."
Chase, after being traced by Daniel Brandt of San Antonio, confessed that he created a fake online biography of Seigenthaler in May, 2005, as a gag "to shock a co-worker who was familiar with the Seigenthaler family." This was allowed to go global on Wikipedia. This is going on now on other web sites including these reviews, from Dallas. John Seigenthaler, father of the NBC journalist, was falsely accused of being involved in both assassinations of JFK and his brother, Robert. Character assassination is prevalent these days and must be stopped. Anybody can write anything about an unsuspecting person and put on their web page as indignities, as racial and ethnic slurs and worse.
The online cncyclopedia to which anyone can contribute used a false article which implicated him in the Kennedy assassination. The jokester, Brian Chase, claims he didn't know the free internet encyclopedia was used as a serious reference tool. Others, such as Daniel Brandt of San Antonio, has been "hurt" by an unflattering biography of himself. How many other Brians are out there doing their moral and unethical damage to the lives and psyches of others -- and allowed to continue.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON NOVEMBER 22, 1963?.......2005-02-23
Jim Garrison's powerful book, "On the Trail of the Assassins," is important reading. In it, Garrison recounts his investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and a possible cover-up of the real facts of the case. It questions the validity of the Warren Commission Report, and provides startling evidence that the Central Intelligence Agency may have been involved, and that Kennedy's assassination was a coup d'etat. The evidence Garrison presents leaves little room for doubt.
If there wasn't a conspiracy involved to assassinate Kennedy, then why does the U.S. government, OUR government, withold information in connection to the assassination? I think that we have a right to know who killed Kennedy, why he was killed, and who benefitted.
"On the Trail of the Assassins" is a superb book. A great resource for those new to the conspiracy theories, and a great companion piece to Oliver Stone's "JFK." Grade: A+
Level-headed and convincing.......2004-11-13
The definitive JFK conspiracy book. Sober, well documented, rarely sensational. The focus is on fact, not speculation. Why has so much evergy been used to discrediting his investigation? Even if some of the conjecture is hard to swallow, it seems like you gotta work pretty hard to explain away most of this stuff. I'm convinced.
Sort of..........2004-03-27
Garrison believed the CIA, with the help of the mafia, Cuban exiles formerly involved with Operation Mongoose & the Bay of Pigs, and extreme right wingers in DoD killed Kennedy. He also believed Clay Shaw had a hand in it. Generally I think he was on the right track, but it is unlikely that CIA and DoD would have cooperated to such an extent. We know from ARRB releases that, unlike the later Iran-Contra and Tipped Kettle Ops, CIA and DoD were severely at odds with each other. CIA's emergence as an outlet for covert ops was seen as encroaching on DoD holy ground. Defense has perfected the art of the black op and black program with so many Sensitive Compartments, Special Access Programs, and Unacknowledged Units, that one has to admit they had a valid argument. The great black op success stories during the Cold War (success in terms of tactical goals, not whether I agree with their motives or means) were primarily carried out by either DoD (sometimes through the NSA, which is heavily connected to the military) or British MI6, acting on behalf of CIA. The agency rarely succeeded by itself on these matters.
We also know that DCI Richard Helms held high-level staff meetings on the topic of Garrison's investigation. CIA certainly did sabotage it, but according to Victor Marchetti (whose opinion I've learned to trust) it was clear Shaw had not been involved with the assassination. However, it also appeared from the discussions (and hush-hush nature of certain topics when brought up even in these meetings) that Shaw was more than just a domestic intell contact and that he & CIA were probably covering for someone after the fact. This was the same motive behind the agency suppressing their surveillance of an Oswald-imposter who had been trailing the real Oswald in Mexico City. Someone else had an operator there, not CIA.
The clincher was when Helms was called before Congress & the Justice Department and threatened during Watergate & the Family Jewels (intell ethics and black ops scandals like MK/ULTRA and BLUEBIRD). He walked out to reporters and said if Justice wanted to keeping playing hardball he'd be happy to open the biggest can of worms of them all. He implied this would not implicate himself or his agency, but other portions of the government. At that point Justice freaked and halted their strong-arming. Considering the pervasive spread of right-wing extremism in DoD at the time of the assassination (stretching all the way to the Joint Chiefs) the meaning of all this is fairly clear.
Some individuals with former CIA ties were likely involved, but the agency was simply forced to suppress this (and by default aid the conspiracy) in order to avoid their own false implication in the assassination itself. Certainly if Garrison couldn't keep this separate then the public couldn't be expected to not blame CIA when they found out a few of its former employees or contacts were involved. So Garrison was close, but he was a little too obsessed with Shaw and CIA to see the real picture.
Book Description
A gripping, masterful blend of fact and fiction, alive with meticulously portrayed characters both real and created, Libra is a grave, haunting, and brilliant examination of an event that has become an indelible part of the American psyche. In this powerful, eerily convincing fictional speculation on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Don DeLillo chronicles Lee Harvey Oswald's odyssey from a troubled teenager to a man of precarious stability who imagines himself an agent of history. In his new introduction, DeLillo reexamines the evidence surrounding Oswald's role in the assassination as well as Oswald's place in popular culture. BACKCOVER: Now with a new introduction by the author—“a thriller of the most profound sort”
—Chicago Tribune
“Libra operates at a dizzyingly high level of intensity throughout; it's that true fictional rarity—a novel of admirable depth and relevance that's also a terrific page-turner.”
—USA Today
“DeLillo's novel is like a stop-motion frame of the crossfire, a still picture of an awful moment.... [His] prose has a quality of demented lyricism.”
—The New Yorker
Customer Reviews:
Moving towards an inescable end..........2007-02-19
Oswald appears to the American public as a cipher-the basics are known but his interior life remains a mystery. Because of this, Lee Harvey Oswald proves to be the perfect subject for Dellilo's penetrating examination. Delillo presents the reader with a lost soul; a man searching for something to fill the aching void that is his life and finding only pain; most of which is of his own making. Oswald wanders from place to place; adrift in a life that he constantly tries to control but fails repeatedly. Family, school, the military, and political beliefs all leave him further and further from finding a purpose, and a little further from a rational point of view. Finally he becomes a pawn for conspirators who are trying to make America aware of the dangers of Castro's Cuba, and it is then Oswald realizes that his life is not what it was supposed to be. The conspiracy is only important for the purpose of giving the novel a foundation, just another device to move Oswald forward to his inescapable end. Amazingly, Delillo creates feeling compassion for his character, who while rooted in history, remains purely a fictional being, Dellilo's interpretation of the interior life of one of America's most infamous figures.
Literary potato chips...you just can't stop reading.......2007-01-30
*Libra* is Don DeLillo's fascinating take on what has become an American version of a classic Greek tragedy: the assassination of John F. Kennedy. You'd think by now that this subject had been pretty well drained of any interest by all the books, movies, TV mini-series, articles, exposes, interviews, etc., but, to his credit, DeLillo has managed to reinterpret this mythic event for the commentary it makes on our contemporary culture. Conspiracy, paranoia, corruption, secrecy, violence, racism, consumerism, moral ambiguity, relativism, the sense that reality itself is up for interpretation, that the center does not cohere, that even with all the tapes and cameras running we still can't say for sure that this happened or didn't happen...this nightmarish landscape is the one DeLillo delineates in this absolutely fascinating novel.
DeLillo's Oswald is a construct particularly suited to our postmodern times--the archetype of the outsider as a total enigma, a blank, an empty container, a chess piece neither black nor white, waiting to be given a designation, a purpose, a place on the board of history. He has a gripe, but he's not exactly sure who it's against. Everyone is the enemy. He is the true idealist: good always exists far away, in this case, in the idea of communism, the ideas of Russia, Cuba, Castro. Always in an "idea." Reality, however, is something much different, much more ambiguous.
I somehow hadn't realized how young Oswald was--24 when he was killed by Jack Ruby. Only 24 and yet he'd already been in the Marines, traveled to Japan, defected to Russia, married and had babies, returned to the U.S., engaged himself as a pro-Castro activist, shot the president of the United States. DeLillo tries to make some sense of this, portraying Oswald as an angry young man burning with purpose and a desire to make his mark on history, but ultimately unfocused, confused, and tragically misguided.
*Libra* is a novel, a work of fiction, and as such, DeLillo speaks through all the characters, not only Oswald and other historical personages, but composite, as well as entirely imaginary characters, giving them emotions, thoughts, motivations, obsessions, and memories that he could not possibly verify as belonging to the actual persons, but he does a perfectly credible job of rendering these people believable. You feel they very well *could* have felt and perceived things the way DeLillo describes...and that seems part of the deeper theme running through the novel: that one's interpretation of what happened leading up to and on November 22, 1963 and forever after that fateful date is just as valid as any other interpretation. The events recounted in *Libra* are so compellingly told, so `realistic' they now seem a part of the official record of not only the assassination, but of `history' itself. I'll have a hard time from hereon out separating the `facts' of the Kennedy assassination from my memory of DeLillo's retelling in *Libra.* Reality itself, as DeLillo implies, is a fiction. All plots have their own logic and lead to death.
I find it interesting, that nowadays the vast majority of Americans ((last I heard it was something like 75%)) find it more likely that JFK was murdered as the result of a conspiracy and government cover-up than they believe the official government record of the event. What does that say about what we've learned about our government in the days since November 22, 1963? Of what they are capable of doing? What does it mean that we no longer trust authorities to give us the truth, that the very standards for truth have been called into question, that, as a result, no "truth" is unquestionable, no "truth" is certain?
Underneath the compulsively readable surface of this literary potboiler, this postmodern political thriller, DeLillo, as always, asks the serious questions that matter most. And, as always, the answers are maddeningly elusive.
An incredible novel in every regard--five stars easy.
Well Done!.......2007-01-07
Well packed and arrived in a timely fashion. A pleasure to do business with.
Struggle.......2006-08-11
He lived in the basement with his mother. He adjusted to life in Fort Worth, but not in NYC. Without normal schooling he learned a number of things. Lee's mother, Marguerite, talked to herself. (Don DeLillo's portrait of her is priceless.)
Nicholas Branch, retired CIA, writes about the assasination of JFK. David Ferrie is bald. Win Everett, former CIA, teaches at a Texas women's college. Laurence Parmenter, CIA, is part of the Groton-Yale-OSS network. There had been an attempt on the life of Edwin Walker. It is the second anniversary of the Bay of Pigs disaster.
Lee feels pity and contempt for his mother. First they lived on French Street in New Orleans with Marguerite's sister, Lillian. Then they lived on St. Mary's Street and next they lived in the Quarter.
Laurence Parmenter is five years younger than George de Mohrenschildt. Larry encountered George in Guatemala. George, well-traveled, knows Jackie Kennedy. George thinks he knows who shot General Walker. The boy is grindingly poor. Maybe he is Marxist. George committed suicide in Palm Beach in 1977. David Ferrie was found dead in his apartment in 1967. Branch started to write the history in 1973 and, except for the curator who gets him files, no one knows he is writing the history. Guy Banister has raged against the Kennedy administration. Exile leaders are confined to Dade County. JFK normalized relations with Cuba and the Soviet Union.
Mackey, CIA, speaks with Guy after the Walker attempt. Banister complains that Kennedy is in a hurry to be great. Mackey has trained people and he has seen too many people abandoned. Banister is an easier source of weapons than the Farm, a place in Virginia. Win Everett is asked if he knows George de Mohrenschildt. Larry Parmenter wants Win to tell Mackey about Lee.
In Japan in the Marines Lee ended up in the brig. He had been on the path to OCS. In Tokyo he lined up lessons in Russian. His teacher, handler, wanted him to stay in the Marines. There was interest in the U2 flights. Banister installed Lee in an office above his in New Orleans. He is anti-Castro, Lee is fair play. Win Everett works on the papers, the false leads, for his shooter. It is just supposed to be an attempt. No one is supposed to die. Not getting a visa extension, Lee had attempted suicide in Russia. After being released from the hospital he visited the American Embassy to nullify his citizenship and to give back his passport. He ate sparingly. There were days of utter loneliness. The state security officer, Kirilenko, liked the boy, but of course idealists were always unstable. He was not agent material. Lee was told he was being sent to the city of Minsk. The Red Cross gave him five thousand rubles.
David Ferrie had attended Baldwin Wallace in Ohio. He understood the gestalt of serious talks. He could fly a plane and assist the conspirators in other ways. Carmine Latta and Tony Astorina interested Ferrie. They knew Havana before Castro and wanted to set up a casino afterwards. Ferrie met the men through Guy Banister. Other discontented people, Frank Vasquez, Raymo Benitez, and Wayne Elko were in Florida. Win Everett in Texas had to face up to the fact that Lee existed outside of the plot. Oswald has his own forged documents and his fictitious names. Branch is given a slew of material to get stuck in the web of the assasination story. He is haunted by the twenty six volumes of the Warren Report. Banister dies in 1964, Vasquez in 1966. The latter was shot three times in the head on Flagler Street. The agency pays Branch a per diem rate at his old pay scale.
Marina loved hearing English. Lee learns from his mother the Marine Corps have given him a dishonorable discharge. He is stateless, word blind, and he has a wife, Marina, and a baby, June. Mackey doesn't trust Ferrie who knows that Banister has supplied the weapons, can supply the shooters, and has offered to get money for the plan from the New Orleans rackets. Everett figures out that the man they really want is not Castro, it is JFK. Lee likes to talk to George de Mohrenschildt in English and in Russian. George wants Lee to tell him about Minsk and so he can bring information about his stay to the attention of the CIA. Lee is visited by an FBI agent.
Jack Ruby has the Carousel Club, strippers. The FBI has opened a file on him as a potential informant. Jack's car is a movable slum. Clay Shaw wants to know Lee's birth sign--Libra. Don deLillo shows convincingly that Lee Oswald is a character out of Dostoyevsky.
Libra sets the Balance. .......2006-06-26
When we think of Lee Harvey Oswald we think of a few tiny moments, which signify one of the biggest events in our nations history. In the book Libra we see more of the story of Lee Harve Oswald, in a fictionalized form. But a story behind the imfamous man and his life, and the lives of those around him.
When I finished this book I wondered how many people saw Oswald as a victim. How many saw him as a hero? How many still would see him as a villain?
I also found myself wondering whether anyone could have been the villain in these events. Could someone else have been in that window that day and shot at President Kennedy, or was it going to be Oswald or no one at all.
The author does a good job of blending the stories of the various people in Oswald's life and telling the story through the point of view of various people, from Oswald, to a third person observer, to Oswald's mother. He seemlessly moves from narrator to narrator in the story giving you more than one perspective on the imfamous Oswald and shows what the other people in his life must have thought and gone through in his lifetime.
If you aren't interested in this part of history, then this book is not for you. But if you ever wanted to know what make a Lee Harvey Oswald become the man we remember him for, then Don DeLillo's fictional account is definitely worth the read.
Amazon.com
On November 1, 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, nearly assassinated President Harry Truman. If this historical fact surprises you, you're not alone. American Gunfight, a new account by suspense novelist and Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Stephen Hunter and journalist John Bainbridge Jr., examines this largely forgotten episode in meticulous detail, including the conspiracy surrounding it and the misconceptions associated with the would-be assassins. As the book makes clear, it's remarkable that these two men even came close to succeeding, given the disorganized nature of the plot. Intending to attack the president at the White House, they only learned in passing from a cab driver that it was being renovated and that Truman was in fact living at the nearby Blair House. When they made their assault on Blair House, they quickly lost their element of surprise when Collazo's gun misfired, leading to a 38-second shootout in front of the residence that left Torresola and one policeman dead. Meanwhile, Truman witnessed the action from an upstairs window.
At his ensuing trial, Collazo was depicted as a crazed fanatic, but the authors argue that this simplified assessment unnecessarily dismisses a potential political conspiracy involving Puerto Rican nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos, who was believed by some to have masterminded the plot in an effort to bring attention to his cause. Hunter and Bainbridge provide in-depth portraits of Collazo and Torresola, as well as the Secret Service agent and three White House policemen who saved Truman's life. The descriptions of the remarkably light presidential security of the era reveal much about 1950s Washington, D.C., a time in which the president would take a daily walk around the neighborhood with just a bodyguard or two in tow. As a result of the attack, the Secret Service would forever change the way it guarded the president. This fast-paced book reads like a detective thriller, shifting quickly between various story lines and characters, including a second-by-second breakdown of the gunfight itself. The potboiler narrative may seem over the top at times, with its conjecture and imagined internal dialogue, but this comprehensive account succeeds in bringing this unlikely plot vividly to life. --Shawn Carkonen
Download Description
"American Gunfight is the fast-paced, definitive, and breathtakingly suspenseful account of an extraordinary historical event -- the attempted assassination of President Harry Truman in 1950 by two Puerto Rican Nationalists and the bloody shoot-out in the streets of Washington, D.C., that saved the president's life. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Hunter, the widely admired and bestselling novelist and author of such books as Havana, Hot Springs, and Dirty White Boys, and John Bainbridge, Jr., an experienced journalist and lawyer, American Gunfight is at once a groundbreaking work of meticulous historical research and the vivid and dramatically told story of an act of terrorism that almost succeeded. They have pieced together, at last, the story of the conspiracy that nearly doomed the president and how a few good men -- ordinary guys who were willing to risk their lives in the line of duty -- stopped it. It is a book about courage -- on both sides -- and about what politics and devotion to a cause can lead men to do, and about what actually happens, second by second, when a gunfight explodes. It begins on November 1, 1950, an unseasonably hot afternoon in the sleepy capital. At 2:00 P.M. in his temporary residence at Blair House, the president of the United States takes a nap. At 2:20 P.M., two men approach Blair House from different directions. Oscar Collazo, a respected metal polisher and family man, and Griselio Torresola, an unemployed salesman, don't look dangerous, not in their new suits and hats, not in their calm, purposeful demeanor, not in their slow, unexcited approach. What the three White House policemen and one Secret Service agent cannot guess is that under each man's coat is a 9mm German automatic pistol and in each head, a dream of assassin's glory. At point-blank range, Collazo and then Torresola draw and fire and move toward the president of the United States. Hunter and Bainbridge tell the story of that November day with narrative power and careful attention to detail. They are the first to report on the inner workings of this conspiracy; they examine the forces that led the perpetrators to conceive the plot. The authors also tell the story of the men themselves, from their youth and the worlds in which they grew up to the women they loved and who loved them to the moment the gunfire erupted. Their telling commemorates heroism -- the quiet commitment to duty that in some moments of crisis sees some people through an ordeal, even at the expense of their lives. "
Customer Reviews:
This is a winner!.......2006-11-22
This has everything you want in a good book. A great story, history, drama, and pathos. I am a history teacher and was impressed by both the depth of research and the quality of the writing.
This is about 2 Puerto Rican Nationalists who, compelled by their fervent beliefs, tried to assassinate President Harry Truman in 1950. Most people do not realize how close they came to succeeding.
The story alternates between historical background and a moment to moment account of the gun fight that occurred on that day.
This book kept me enthralled the entire time I was reading it. I can't think of anyone who would not thoroughly enjoy this book.
The Attempt on President Truman's Life.......2006-10-21
Authors Stephen Hunter and John Bainbridge provide the reader with minute details on the assassination attempt by Puerto Rican Nationalists on President Harry Truman outside Blair House on November 1, 1950. Many of the details provided are those they perceive to be in the mind of each of the assassins and those they are attacking during the gunfight. These details are interesting and perhaps correct. I feel it makes for a more interesting book. To me, the main drawback of the book is its disjointedness. Whenever a character is introduced into the story we are provided with a chapter delving into their background from years before. Due to this method of writing the book loses its continuity. The authors make a convincing case that the attempt may have been a part of a wider conspiracy. Security for presidents tightened significantly following the attempt on Truman's life. Truman did not run for reelection in 1952, and the attempt on his life may very well have been a factor in his decision. I have to admit to being one of those the authors refer to as those who weren't aware of this attempt on the life of President Truman, but confuse it with an incident in 1954 when four Puerto Rican Nationalists had a shootout in Congress. The book educated me, but I did not like getting sidetracked with chapters introducing the characters when they entered the story.
great...love it.......2006-07-07
This book is awesome. First book I read about the subject. You will find yourself reading a chapter and saying what the hell...and then he draws it all together. It is written very well.
Fascinating Story, Could Have Been Told Better.......2006-05-01
One of the thinks I particularly enjoy about history is its depth. While most people have at least a general familiarity with history, even students of history can always be surprised by in-depth looks at various periods of history. American Gunfight is a great example of this; while I was aware that two Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to assassinate President Truman in 1950, the details of the incident and the context surrounding it were not covered in any of the other histories of Truman I've read. While that was a logical decision on the part of the authors, as aside from this incident, Puerto Rico was a very small part of Truman's presidency, it left out a fascinating story that illustrates a slice of American history that is often forgotten.
American Gunfight provides a detailed look at the gunfight outside Blair House that left two men dead and three wounded, reviving the memory of American hero Les Coffelt, who almost certainly saved the President's life by killing one of the assassins even as he was bleeding out from three gunshot wounds. But the book goes well beyond the gunfight, branching out to explore the history of the men involved in the battle and the history of Puerto Rican nationalism. The book also takes on some of the common myths regarding the gunfight, in particular the theory that President Truman's life was never in danger.
The book's layout is somewhat distracting. The book jumps from the gunfight to background with each chapter, so the gunfight develops over the course of the entire work rather than being described as a discrete event. While it does serve as a useful means of introducing the characters and events surrounding the gunfight, I found it somewhat annoying. I also disliked the writers' tendency to mix tenses; in the middle of one paragraph they mix past and present with abandon.
Nonetheless, the book is well-researched and easy to read despite the issues I had with it, and I recommend it to anyone interested in President Truman, American history, or history in general.
Could have been a great magazine article ..........2006-04-29
In a nutshell, this is a compelling story that's essentially ruined by horrible prose. The authors have adopted an almost "Memento"-esque flashback method of telling the backstories of all the personalities featured--no matter how mundane or irrelevant the detail. There's a great deal of repetition of key events and plot points as a result. I could live with this, but what absolutely ruined the book for me was the constant use of past and present tenses interchangeably--often within the same sentence! Additionally, the prose slips from formal to conversational too easily to suit me, though this is far less annoying than the incessant changing of tenses. It made me feel as if I was reading a book that had been hastily cobbled together over a weekend.
The authors introduce one of their interminable flashbacks at one point by saying "this book is about 38.5 seconds of gunfight, however ..." and therein lies the problem. This is undoubtedly a fascinating story, one with which most Americans are probably unfamiliar, and one that definitely deserves to be told. However, it would have read much easier as a 10- or 12-page magazine article; stretching it out into 325 pages really seems unnecessary.
Average customer rating:
- edge of the seat; inventive and eloquent thriller
- A novel that fizzelled
- Certified Thriller!
- Assassination Novel With a Bit of a Twist
- So much promise at the outset; so so little after it
|
The Assassins Gallery
David L. Robbins
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
War
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Messenger
-
The Afghan
-
The Secret Servant (Gabriel Allon)
-
Wild Fire
-
Echo Park (Harry Bosch)
ASIN: 0553804413
Release Date: 2006-07-25 |
Book Description
New Year’s Eve, 1945. The assassin steps out of the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of a raging nor’easter. Cool and efficient, she’s a weapon of war superbly trained in the ancient arts of subterfuge and murder. And even though she’s outnumbered, she’s got one major advantage: No one knows she’s coming.
Professor Mikhal Lammeck’s specialty is the history and weaponry of assassins. But even Lammeck is caught off guard when the Secret Service urgently requests his help: A gruesome double murder and suicide in Massachusetts has set off alarm bells. It’s only a hunch, but all too soon Lammeck suspects the unthinkable.
In the waning days of the war, someone wants one last shot to alter history. An assassin is headed to Washington, D.C., to kill the most important soldier of them all: the U.S. commander in chief. As Lammeck and a killer at the top of her profession circle the streets of the capital in the hunt for FDR, one of them will attempt to kill the world’s most powerful man; the other, to save him. And between them, for an instant, history will hang in the balance. . . .
Customer Reviews:
edge of the seat; inventive and eloquent thriller.......2007-08-25
The convention of explaining FDR's death through the notion that he was assassinated is a unique and marvelous way to present history. The Assassins Gallery, like all Robbins's novels, is spot on for pace, authenticity, and riveting prose. This book qualifies as beach read or serious thriller material, depending on how deeply you want to explore it. Highly recommended, and one more top-notch novel in what is becoming an excellent body of work for David L. Robbins.
A novel that fizzelled.......2007-08-23
I read the first chapter of The Assassins Gallery inside the Barnes and Noble and it was so good I, I got up walked to the register and purchased it straight away! The first chapter was that good. However after that the novel fizzelled quickly. Overall this is a lack luster novel and I would not recommend that anyone read it.
Certified Thriller!.......2007-07-13
This book starts out with a woman named Judith being dropped on the shores of Newburyport Massachusetts. There she encounters a Civil Defense Patrol(a man and a woman). She murders both of them and escapes. Mikhal
Lammeck, an authority on assassinations is called in to investigate the murders in Massachusetts. He is shown a knife left behind after the
murders. Lammeck identifies the knife as belonging to a sect known as the
Assassins of Persia. Their tribal name Ismai-i-l Assasins of Alamut.Their
leader was known as Hasan-i-Sabah. Lammeck knows that Judith has been sent to America to kill Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Along with Secret Service agent Dag Nabbit Lammeck begins a search for Judith. She always seems to stay one step ahead. She finally gains employment with Roosevelt's mistress Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd. Lammeck is still unable to catch up with her.Finally he recognizes her and dashes down to Warm Springs, Georgia to prevent her from assassinating Roosevelt. It has an
unbelievable ending. The person that hired Judith is also shocking. This
is an outstanding book. Be sure to read it.
Assassination Novel With a Bit of a Twist.......2007-07-12
My first inclination was to label this as just another assassination-of-an-important-person novel, but this story carries some added uncertainty to this genre. In most of these books we know how it will all end. In Day of the Jackal, for instance, we know from the beginning that the plot against de Gaulle will fail. In another rather recent novel the target was John Kennedy on his trip to Berlin. No suspense there. We know he came home alive from Berlin. This time around we are dealing with an assassin's attempt to have a go at Franklin Roosevelt. The bad person here is a woman named Judith who sets out not to shoot or stab FDR, but to poison him. That would, in light of the history of FDR's death, be the most plausible approach.
The Secret Service invites an American professor living in Scotland to come back to the US, and look into a group of strange deaths that might indicate a foreign agent has landed in Massachusetts. Prof Lammack arrives on the scene, and doggedly begins to pursue the villain - well, actually, not so doggedly as he frequently gets tired of it all, and just drives around aimlessly in his government issue car. Well, at least he is committed to finding Ms Judith, isn't he? Well, actually, he sometimes asks if he can just go home to Scotland. Be that as it may, he does keep on her trail. In one rather implausible scene Judith sets it up so that she meets with the Prof at an embassy party. She just wants to tell him her biography, and having done so she melts away into the night.
Again, the fun part of this book is that you really don't know until the end if she succeeds or not. Did FDR die of a cerebral hemorrhage or did he die of cyanide poisoning? Then there is the strange feeling you have that the Prof might have developed a bit of fondness for Judith. Now that is a switch.
Let me explain my four star rating of this book. My first inclination was to give the book two or three stars. The author is a very average writer, and often the story just sort of lumps along with a few frenetic sections followed by some dull spots. I gave it four stars simply because you really don't know if FDR will die naturally or by an assassin's hand.
So much promise at the outset; so so little after it.......2007-06-26
AG starts out well. Very well. Vividly, excitingly, pulse-poundingly well. The writing is entertaining, the story fast-paced. That's just the beginning, though. The great bulk of AG is given over to cliche characters and a highly contrived story. These would be excusable in a novel of the genre if they weren't so bloody predictable. I listened to AG on the daily commute. The first tape was a shot of caffeine straight to the veins. The next 10 or so tapes were a cup of hot milk on a humid day as the doldrums set in. In a word, boring.
Average customer rating:
- Thrills and Chills
- Shocking, relevant, hilarious, and disturbing
- Amazing, provocative play
- Life's a Byck
- Be prepared
|
Assassins
Stephen Sondheim , and
John Weidman
Manufacturer: Theatre Communications Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Stagecraft
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Musicals
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Sondheim, Stephen
| ( S )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Drama
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Assassins (1991 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
-
Assassins (2004 Broadway Revival Cast)
-
Company: A Musical Comedy
-
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Applause Musical Library)
-
Four by Sondheim (A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
ASIN: 1559360380 |
Customer Reviews:
Thrills and Chills.......2004-06-25
All I can say about this play is that it is sheer genius. I was fortunate enough to see the Broadway revival cast act it out in Studio 54, thus can safely say that the play is just as shrewd and clever onstage as it seems in the play.
The thing that often repels people from 'Assassins' is firstly its subject matter - assassins and would-be assasins of presidents of the United States - and secondly, the way it handles its subject matter. 'Assassins' neither trivializes nor glorifies its characters: what it does is examine them, and let the audience make the decision as to what prompted them to commit the crimes they did. On stage, the play is chilling - seeing "Squeaky" Fromme carve an 'M' for 'Manson' into her forehead at the end of her number with John Hinckley 'Unworthy of Your Love' does not seem disgusting; it is entrancingly horrific. And this is not even mentioning the song 'How I Saved the President', the fast-paced narrative of Giuseppe Zangara's attempt on the life of President Franklin Roosevelt: it rises to an eerie feverish pitch and ends with a jolt - literally. The singing ceases only when Zangara has been electrocuted.
I realize that the above description may seem to portray 'Assassins' as a gruesome horror-trip into history - but really, that is not what it is at all. The rises and falls of emotions in the songs (apparent in the book as well as in the play) are shrewdly placed so that the viewer can't quite bring themself to feel sorry for the assassin, exactly, more fascinated. And this is what 'Assassins' is - a fascinating look at some of the most forbidden American taboo in our country's history. The play jumps on its subject matter with surprising gusto - it does not jump delicately from point to point. It attacks its topics and does not let the audience leave unshaken.
I feel as though I should probably mention that reading the book and seeing the play live are two different things. They are both thought-provoking and interesting looks at the various assassins - but a certain emotional element is lost in the text. Not that the book is bland and dry - far from it. However, seeing Charles Guiteau dance his way up to gallows feverishly reciting his poem 'I Am Going to the Lordy' is slightly more morbid than reading it.
Highly recommended.
Shocking, relevant, hilarious, and disturbing.......2003-05-09
This review is by Crosley.
I had become very well acquainted with the score to Assassins before I read the script, and I think John Weidman may have done the impossible: he may have overshadowed Sondheim's score with his book. Don't get me wrong, the music and lyrics are phenomenal, but the book is what really matters in this one.
Assassins is an examination of the dark side of the American Dream and those it has affected, namely, those who have tried to kill presidents. Most of the assassins actually have good reasons for their efforts. The play has gained a lot of bad publicity for "glorifying assassinating the president," "being unpatriotic" and "trivializing terrible events." The play does none of these on any level. I said that some assassins had good reasons. I did not say that their actions were the right thing to do, because they weren't. However, the play rehumanizes people that society has dismissed as one dimensional madmen. Hence, the Balladeer. The Balladeer represents the traditional, one sided view of the assassins, and is used expertly. The play keeps in mind the fact that the assassins are dangerous people who should be condemned, but it also keeps in mind that they are indeed people. The scene between Csolgosz and Emma Goldman is wonderfully poignant, and allows us to see a side of Csolgosz rejected by the world, and it's things like that that make the characters much more real.
By making the characters real and at least vaguely sympathetic, the play succeeds in such a way that could never be done with demonized characters. Since the assassins are made human and just like us, Americans trying to live The Dream, they are infinetly more terrifying and frightening, because now we can identify with them, and see the clear and present danger in America.
They all have different motives, but there is one thing that ties them all together. They thought The Dream was not a goal, but something they were entitled to, and when they didn't get it, they wanted people to listen. Hence, drastic measures. Booth's anger with Lincoln is very real, and the crimes he lists against Lincoln are all true to some degree. Csolgoszs' anger at the working man's plight is completely justified, considering his working conditions and wages. Few of them have motives that we can't understand (except Moore and Guiteau), and again, they are that much worse because of it.
This is not to say that the play is not funny. Au Contraire, Assassins is one of the funnier plays I've read, mostly because it preys upon the assassins' character flaws and quirks and exploits them for some great comedy. They're even funnier if you know about the personalities of each for whatever reason. For example, regarding the scene where Guiteau hits on Moore, it was known that Guiteau hit on anything with two legs (usually unsuccessfully), and Moore, who had been married five times (each husband was more successful than the last), may have been roped in by Guiteau's line of "How would you like to marry the ambassador to France?" It's really quite good. The scenes between Moore and Fromme are priceless, as are Byck's rants into his tape recorder, hamburger in hand. "I am Unworthy of you Love" is a gorgeous song, and in context (being sung to Jody Foster and Charles Manson by John Hinckley and Squeaky Fromme, respectively), it's uproarious. Thank God for Weidman's wit, because this is a show that definetly needs comic relief.
The interesting idea that the play presents is that the assassins are just as American as anyone else, because America is "The land where any kid can grow up to be president," and likewise, "Any kid can grow up to be his killer." Comedy, tragedy, laughs, tears, a message, great music, Assassins has it all. The scene near the end with Lee Harvey Oswald is one of the most powerful scenes I've ever read. In fact, it was recorded on the soundtrack, because it's just that important. Delaying Oswald's appearance for so long was a great move, because the audience, after being emotionally assaulted by the other 8 assassins, is finally pushed over the edge with an event that most of them were alive for and remember. The triumphant chords after Oswald's shot give me shivers every time I hear them.
Assassins is a phenomenal play that unfortunately is rarely produced. I recommend reading the script and enjoying the excellent score to people looking for something a little different (hey, that's Sondheim for you), a little funny, and a little scary. The show will live on because of its relevance, and it's a wonderful addition to the American Musical Theater.
Amazing, provocative play.......2002-01-31
When I went and saw "Assassins" for the first time, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. I've been a Sondheim fan ever since I began watching "Into The Woods" at the tender age of four years old... but I don't think I was sufficiently prepared for "Assassins". And that's a good thing.
"Assassins" keeps you on your toes throughout, being able to make dramatic changes from the light-hearted to the tragic in the time it takes to bat an eye. Perhaps most striking is how you come to like and sympathize with every one of the assassins, while still knowing that they all have their dangerous streak.
Moreover, "Assassins" deals with a common subject in a very uncommon way. The overall 'theme' says "Everybody's got the right to be happy." The brilliance in this statement is not in the statement itself, but within the context of the cold-blooded murderers with it has been placed. It gives us the lesser seen perspective of life from the point of view of these historical figures who had major problems with their lives and with themselves. Rare, even in the history books.
In fact, "Assassins" has been a better history lesson for me than nearly anything else. The play is very highly based on the facts of every person's life and the details of their assassination attempts. Good for theatre buffs and history teachers alike.
Go Sondheim, go!
Life's a Byck.......2001-09-07
Well, I was not very well aquainted with Sondheim, though I had heard of him. Then I was fortunate enough to be cast as Sam Byck in a production of Assassins. I have to say, the show was an experience like I can only hope to have ever again. Weidman's writing brings to life thoroughly disturbed characters in a way the audience can relate to. It shows us the world of a psychopath- looking out from the inside. My first thought was to question whether I could do justice to the material. The incredible intensity of the scenes and the forceful emotion of the songs is nearly overwhelming. From the actor's point of view, I can say only that a sense of desparation is omnipresent, even in the comedy, and that there is the feeling of a great injustice, and perhaps an epiphany that never quite came. I encourage anyone who can to try and acquire a copy of the London production( I don't know if there are any official ones, but as any theatre enthusiast knows, there are ALWAYS bootlegs), or of the new production when it becomes available, because of the added song "Something Just Broke". This incredible piece serves as an important... I think the word is catharsis. I remember crying backstage during the first show, because it put a sharp point on the events of the previous scene, where Oswald takes his shot. The play itself also brings into focus the background of the assassins, and those lesser-known souls who tried and failed( like Byck). While it won't appeal to everyone, it is definitely worth looking into for Sondheim lovers and US History buffs. And serious performers will find the songs and text rich with meaning. I recommend this show, libretto and music, to anyone with an open mind, or a love of art.
Be prepared.......2001-05-13
I profess to be of a young age, and those who don't know me would probably consider my experience with musical theatre to be rather inextensive. I am, however, even at a young age, a Stephen Sondheim admirer. Yet even I, whose favorite musical is the ghastly and mind-numbing masterpiece "Sweeny Todd," was not entirely prepared for the unabashed "Assassins."
Assassins combines all the would be and have been presidential assassins of the United State's history and throws them all into a timeless world where Charles Guiteau (Garfield) can chat with Leon Czolgosz (McKinley) and Sam Byck (Nixon) at a bar while John Wilkes Booth (Lincoln) reads a copy of Variety magazine. It is more of a revue than anything, but the music (which you MUST own if you're going to buy the libretto) is so moving and so powerful it actually is able to draw sympathy for Lincoln's assassin. If the prospect of feeling pity or sympathy for Lee Harvey Oswald makes you angry, Assassins is not my recommendation.
Indeed, Sondheim and Weidman sucessfully made me feel sorry for Leon Czolgosz and Booth and Oswald and nearly all the characters in the musical. Some may think it unpatriotic; I think it presents the other side to woefully biased history lessons claiming the Assassins to be vengeful madmen searching for chaos. Assassins truly brings to light what's wrong with the American dream, and for any history buff, Sondheim fan, or just plain theater fan, Assassins is a MUST have.
Book Description
Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, has remained an enigma for several decades. Fortunately, Lee Harvey Oswald was one of those people who wrote a lot. As a result, the public can see the workings of his mind as his writings are displayed in chronological order throughout his life. They are accompanied by historical events and psychological commentary.
The activities of Jack Ruby, who killed Oswald, are tracked and give insight regarding his murderous act. A psychological and political analysis of Oswald is included, as well as an explanation of most of Oswald's entries in his address book.
Customer Reviews:
An original, revealing, informative study........2000-08-07
Diane Holloway is a retired Dallas psychologist who was involved with the psychological assessment of one of Lee Harvey Oswald's assassination targets, Major General Edwin Walker (when Attorney General Robert Kennedy ordered an evaluation because of Walker's bizarre anti-government activities). Holloway as painstakingly gathered the works of Lee Harvey Oswald over a period of ten years and in The Mind Of Oswald: Accused Assassin Of President John F. Kennedy, incorporates Oswald's letters, diary, book about Russia, miscellaneous papers, notes, address book, job applications, radio interviews, and post-arrest television statements into a remarkable presentation of Oswald and the times leading up to the Kennedy assassination. The Mind Of Oswald is a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the Kennedy assassination, its impact on t
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (P.S.)
Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts
American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies
Twenty Days
