4 comments about Assassination of Marilyn Monroe.

1. I have always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe and often wondered how and why she died so young. There are so many conflicting theories, but the contents of this book are little short of explosive. They may not be correct, though someone must know the truth? Seems never published in the USA. Why not? Has someone got something to hide. Methinks... probably YES!
   I would not part with my hardback English copy for $1000.



2. I have always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe and often wondered how and why she died so young. There are so many conflicting theroies, but the contents of this book are little short of explosive. They may not be correct, though someone must know the truth? Seems never published in the USA. Why not? Has someone got something to hide. Methinks... probably YES! ....



3. This book was simply superb, and it contained a lot of hidden information unknown to me. For instance, the lovechild between
   Marilyn and Kennedy and the scandalous secrets about the ... Kennedys that led to her death. The author has a very introspective view of the complete chaos her life was in during the end, and of treacherous friends who had woven a web of deceit around her plying her with drugs to keep her off balance
   and confused. Luring her to Cal-Neva to be sexually abused and silenced by threats if she persisted in pursuing the Kennedys and vowing to hold a tell-all news conferance that would have been the end of Camelot. Oh! the shame of it all, heres a girl who had it all, beauty, fame and fortune but no inner peace for the tortured Norma Jean. For as it says "What does it mean to gain the whole world but lose your soul"!

   I highly recommend this book for anyone who holds a good thought
   for Marilyn, and is searching for the truth asto how she really

   died, laying to rest the lies and coverup of the suicide theory,
   kept in place for over forty years. Dynamite!! 3 thumbs up!!!




4. This book touched me. Not only does it give you insite in to what really happened that terrible night so long ago, but insight into who Marilyn Monroe really was and some of the reasons behind some of the things she did. The inter-linking of people that entered her life, the Kennedy's, her childhood, marriages, and the details of that terrible night of her death (murder to be sure) are all there. There have been so many books on Marilyn Monroe and speculation of how she died. I read it and kept shaking my head that so many people "got away with" so much! The lies, the cover ups, the "lost" evidence. It's all there. You can't help but feel sorry for a woman that just wanted to be loved, and discusted at the way the investigation (what a joke) was handled. People went to their graves with secrets, but the secrets are out now. If you are a Marilyn fan or into conspiracy theories, this is a great book!

4 comments about Truth At Last: The Untold Story Behind James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr..

1. I must start off this review by stating for the record that I have never been one of those "CONSPIRACY NUTS". In fact I have never even paid such claims a second thought. I even made fun of Oliver Stone. But the detail provided in this book by James Earl Ray's brother, John Larry Ray and Lyndon Barsten, a lay historian is quite compelling! John takes the reader all the way back through the entire history of the Ray family, "warts" and all. In fact the "warts" (criminal activity) are an essential element that adds veracity to the conspiratorial intersection of the CIA, FBI, Mafia and the United States Government. Aiding John's real-life firsthand knowledge regarding the people, organizations and events that culminated in Martin Luther King's (MLK) assassination is Lyndon's expert use of the "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT" (FOIA) which freed up TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW PAGES OF NEW MATERIALS ON THE MLK ASSASSINATION.
   
   When James went into the Army he became a military policeman "for a year and a half in the 382nd MP Battalion. Later, he joined a new organization largely formed out of the old OSS, (Office of Strategic Services) which had been the Army's wartime intelligence service", but after 1947, the outfit was generally known as the CIA. "When James joined the Central Intelligence Agency, he was given a new U.S. Army serial number." James involvement in the Army with the OSS/CIA and his civilian criminal contacts would haunt and control him for the rest of his life. James would later say: "When you join the OSS, it's like joining the Mafia, you never leave." According to the authors, the CIA is probably the closest thing to a worldwide Mafia that ever existed. James was assigned a "handler" that would manipulate and direct him the rest of his life. "James would frequently say that when he joined the Army, it put him on the road to ruin. From the time he left the service in 1948 until his death in 1998, James Earl Ray spent forty-three of those fifty years in prison." In my opinion, if it wasn't for the FOIA the things I'm about to tell you would seem like science fiction. "Documents clearly indicate that the CIA was busy trying to reprogram people, and it was doing it in 1948. Several thousand mostly financial documents on mind control, drugs, and many other subjects the public would consider crazy survived a document-destruction project ordered by the director of Central Intelligence, Richard Helms, and Sidney Gottlieb, head of mind control studies, as they left the CIA in 1973. Today you can get the surviving several thousand pages of CIA mind control documents on three CD's that detail the bizarre experiments done in the name of "national security." The Army had their own programs that paralleled the CIA's: tens of thousands of surviving government documents detail, among other subjects, how they endeavored to create HUMAN ROBOTS to be used as killing machines. The CIA's own documents say it best. This document, "Hypnosis and Covert Operations" (written May 5, 1955) is released through the FOIA by the CIA as MORI 428311." "The CIA's MK-Ultra brainwashing program included feeding Army soldier's mescaline, sodium pentothal, depressants, amphetamines and LSD both on base and at local bars."
   
   On many of the occasions that the post-military James was ordered to report to his "handler" he was directed to smuggle weapons in and out of Mexico. The potential reader should be made aware that the CIA and FBI had a very close working relationship with the Mafia. "They used the Mob for clandestine operations so that they could maintain plausible deniability if the operation went wrong." Just a few of the documented examples are Lucky Luciano in World War II and the planned assassination of Castro in Cuba. So because of James's relationship with certain mob figures, when he met his "handler" in the time leading up to the MLK assassination he was led to believe he was going to be a "wheel-man" in a diamond heist. (In fact one of the hardest things for the government to cover-up was the money they gave James to keep him available and indebted to them when the conspiracy was questioned years later.) He was even directed to buy the rifle that the government would attempt to say killed MLK. The flophouse bathroom that the government said James shot MLK from was proven to be too narrow to fit the length of the rifle in at the proper angle without James either making a ten-inch-deep hole through the wall or hanging out of the window.
   
   It gets more insane from there as FOIA documents later proved that while James was given a lawyer from a government approved list, the FBI was secretly giving an author bogus incriminating evidence about James to be published in "LOOK" and "LIFE" magazine before James ever got his "fair" trial. By this time Coretta Scott King "was now openly and publicly beginning to discuss her suspicions of government conspiracy in her husband's death and in the death of her brother-in-law." Add to this, Judges about to approve an appeal dying of heart attacks, new lawyers handling James's case dying of heart attacks, and witnesses dying of heart attacks. NOTE: "One of the most common methods used by intelligence agencies for murder is HEART ATTACKS!" There is so much more documented detail in this expose that even if you start reading this book with a closed-mind... by the end of this book it will be opened to the possibility that...???



2. John Larry Ray's oldest brother was James Earl Ray (p.1). John spent 25 years in federal prison and now lives in Illinois. John claims he was imprisoned because he knew too much about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr on April 4, 1968. Lyndon Barsten is a historian who frequently lectures about the assassination. This is a very readable book that is fast-paced like a novel, except it is based on fact. John begins by telling about the Ray family history and culture, and debunks the stories reported in the Corporate Media. John gives the facts as he witnessed them. The Ray brothers were often in trouble and in prison. John claims his brother was a "patsy" like Oswald. He tells what he knows and what he was told by his brother James.
   
   John says there was "no evidence that Jimmy killed King" because the Feds didn't use it in the extradition proceedings (p.128). James had to plead guilty to escape the death sentence (p.129). Was there a conspiracy to murder Martin Luther King (p.131)? A famous lawyer takes a criminal case for "free advertising" (p.134). Should James have gotten a new trial (p.135)? Were there mysterious deaths associated with this case (p.136)? Chapter 8 tells of John's conviction for conspiracy (summarized on page 149). William H. Webster was both the FBI and CIA chief after convicting John (p.151). Do you have to "bend the Constitution" (p.153)? Did two journalists, Bill Slater and Louis Lomax, die under suspicious circumstances (p.158)? Both investigated the King assassination.
   
   In October 1974 James got an evidentiary hearing in an attempt for a new trial. Herb MacDonnell testified as an expert witness to say the shot that killed King could not have come from Ray's room (p.162). Did the King family question the Federal version (p.164)? Are the mentally ill recruited as assassins (p.165)? Would a Federal judge be bumped off for political reasons (p.168)? James was never tried for his escape attempt (p.173). There was a problem about James' money during 1967-68 (p.175). Is reality irrelevant (p.179)? John says he was the victim of a "Federal Vendetta" (Chapter 11). Was he convicted for "not picking up someone on the highway who was found not guilty of robbing a bank" (p.190)? Does greasy food destroy your liver (p.191)?
   
   The importance of this book is its presentation of a counterpoint to the Establishment Media version. "Only one in five people believe the mainstream media." If the rifle bought by James did not match the bullet that struck Dr. King (p.115) that would establish James as a "patsy". The 'Bibliography' lists the articles, books, and other references to this event.



3. You certainly do get another side of the story with this book. It is written by convicted assasin James Earl Ray's brother, and boy, does he lay out some whoppers. You would have to believe in about three different major conspiracy theories to wind up with the conclusion that John Ray comes up with. The cia warped Jame's mind with LSD, hired the mob with FBI approval to get a hit man to kill MLK jr and use James Earl as a patsy.
   
   Why did James leave finger prints all over the place and his gun behind? Because he was a not too bright con man.
   
   Unsubstantiated allegations, assertions with no proof or facts to back them up. If there was another gunman as stated, what evidence is there to back it up? None is provided.
   
   Whatya expect, it's his brother. Not likely he's going to come out and admit James Earl killed one of the most important and influential Americans of all times.
   
   I kept reading this like one would a bad sci-fi book - just to see how outlandish the author dared to be. That's the only value this book had to me. Frankly, I'd skip it altogether.



4. This book is complete made up crap...written by a hairdresser (yes I said a hairdresser not a writer or author or someone with intelligence) The publisher who took on this must be the biggest morons on the planet...the Lyons Press, it just goes to show that there are alot of 6th rate publishers with such a low caliber of talent....they don't deserve even to be on Amazon.

5 comments about Day of the Jackal.

1. After many failed attempts to assassinate Charles de Gaulle by the local French militant organization, an outside professional (the Jackal) is hired. The way in which Forsyth puts together a story, it has us even rooting for the assassins.
   
   Forsyth's observant mind is at full force: with detailed detective work and the assassin's planning stages. Wonderful visualization and knowledge of the French culture and architecture. My only gripe is the French dialect slows down the reading pace. This is a complete and well thought out novel.
   
   Wish you well
   Scott
   



2. I usually don't describe books as something "I couldn't put down" but this is an exception. "The Day of The Jackal" is a page-turning thriller from start to finish.
   Frederick Forsyth puts his keen newsman's eye and pen to describing the intracacies and frustrations of police work. The author builds the French assassination plot/worldwide manhunt into a crescendo before making one final U-turn that leaves you knowing there was more to the story.
   I could write a book about the ending itself but I'll resist doing that here so as not to spoil things for those who haven't read the book.
   I'm tempted to look for answers in "The Odessa File" (Forsyth's other famous novel) since Odessa (a post-World War II Nazi SS diaspora society) is mentioned in "Jackal." Yet the Detective Lebel in me suspects that most of the answers are tucked inside the taut sentences of "The Day of the Jackal."



3. Mythological assassin vs detective.
   
   
   Mythological in the sense that he has a fancy name tying in to the history surrounding that particular assassin.
   
   In this case, some perhaps not so nice people want a French leader removed, and haven't managed it themselves, so they bring in an outside expert.
   
   On the other side is a detective trying to track him down.
   
   An excellent example of tense spy thriller writing of the time, by one of its foremost proponents.
   
   
   
   4.5 out of 5



4. This is a very entertaining book, enjoyable for anyone interested in modern Western politics and "espionage," without the need for precise historical accuracy.
   Forsyth's novel is pure fiction with a heavy dose of generally accurate non-fiction context. The setting is the unsettled political climate of 1963 France under De Gaulle. For a Western democracy, France was (and had long been) a politically unstable nation with a fidelity for its government that was as faithful as the legendary lust of the Frenchman (another myth . . .). Anyway, Forsyth's fiction is based on a plot to assassinate De Gaulle as promoted by the rebels in his army who are bitter about his abadonment of the Algerian colony. The rebels hire a shadowy professional British assassin who insists on working alone, and for big dollars. To stop him, the best of French intelligence is devoted to a continential manhunt to find a man who has not yet committed any crime to investigate and who is otherwise unknown to everyone in the world (including the rebels who hired him). The rest is a great story presented masterfully by Forsyth.
   This was a first work for Forsyth, and one can see where the writing could be better at times, but the plot and presentation are generally great. Forsyth's method is journalistic (fitting to the journalist that he was), and the tone is often like listening to Jack Webb's "Dragnet" or William Conrad voicing-over on "The Fugitive." For the most part, the facts are presented coldly, and at first this was a distraction. Later in the book, I realized that Forsyth was gradually, in his method, building characters who are just as rich as any in "pop" literature. For instance, the stolid details of the Jackal's dressing and lunching habits were, I thought at first, mere details to fill the imagination. In fact, Forsyth was presenting, without explicit comment, a picture of this mysterious man as one who so enjoyed the "finer" things and the jet-set lifestyle that he would do and risk anything for the wealth that he needed to support his desires.
   I read this book in the summertime - it is that kind of book - the perfect companion to a lazy day with iced tea or a late night with the air conditioner. A classic in the modern spy genre.



5. Fictional books about the hired assassin can be broken down into three basic tiers. From bottom up, there are the bad ones, the good ones, and, alone at the top, there is THE DAY OF THE JACKAL. Frederick Forsyth started his career off with a bang as sharp as any shot by the Jackal himself, an assassin paid half a million dollars to knock off Charles de Gaulle, President of France.
   
   In the Jackal, Forsyth creates quite possibly the leanest killing machine on the printed page. Far from killing indiscriminately, the Jackal kills those he is paid to kill, and those poor saps whose deaths are necessary to achieve the final goal. Nothing more and nothing less. His grey eyes study the target as a scientist studies the dissected squirrel in the laboratory, approaching his job with pure, cool professionalism.
   
   French Intelligence, having picked up on the plot to hire the Jackal, puts a detective on the hunt. The cat-and-mouse game that follows is exceptionally well sketched, with the Jackal keeping just a step (sometimes half a step) ahead of the police, all the while keeping his eye on the prize and planning methodically for the kill.
   
   False identities, false leads, inside men, they're all here. The interrogations are so taut that one can almost smell the cigarette smoke filling the room. And the climax? Really good. THE DAY OF THE JACKAL lifted the standards for the political thriller and it is a standard that has rarely been matched even to this day.

2 comments about Interview with History: The JFK Assassination.

1. These opinions and words are not mine... I am nearly transcribing a paragraph of text for an associate and those words are a Quote and Un-Quote from the person that has asked for their name to be withheld.
   
   Quote
   
   "One of the latest JFK books to hit the market by Pamela Ray and James Files, Interview With History, conjures up memories from old conversations. With me being from a law enforcement family and following in their foot steps, and hearing first hand about mob hits and all the rumors that go with them, often spoke of in my circle, I found the book to be an entertaining read and it not only confirms, but also ties things together nicely and this is what Mafia folklore is made of." "I have known James Files for many many years."
   
   Name withheld by request...
   
   Un-Quote



2. I wrote a very negative review of this so called work of non-fiction but it as yet to appear. One would assume that you choose your reviews based on some unknown agenda

5 comments about To The Bitter End.

1. "To The Bitter End" is a profoundly important book about the rise of the Nazi movement in Germany. Gisevius comes from the interesting perspective of having been one of the early members of the Nazi party, where he functioned for many years as a high-ranking bureaucrat. Eventually becoming disillusioned, he was involved with several plots to overthrow Hitler's regime, including the eventual bombing in 1944(?). Gisevius was also an instrumental prosecution witness at the Nurenberg trials.



2. To get top of the heap, and to start a war, and to institute Death Camps for Jews and other undesirables, Hitler had to leave many corpses. Among this carnage are the dead bodies of some of Germany's Finest People. If there was any GOOD person more knowledgeable about where the corpses were buried, it was SS Agent H.B. Gisivius, who was also an insider in the tragically unsucessful attempts to get rid of Hitler. Agent Gisivius also distinguished himself as a witness at Nuremberg with his testimony that enraged Herman Goering, the same Goering that was able to frustrate Supreme Court Justice Jackson's prosecution efforts. Gisivius goes though several adventures, from the Nazi Regime's bloody beginnings, to his transfer to the Abwehr [German Military Intelligence] under Canaris, to the frustrating attempts to get rid of Hitler, often interrupted by the major events of the war, and the lawless antics of Nazi Functionaries (including the embarrassing trials that took place for the Reichstagg Fire). Gisivius was a Witness, and like Historian Procopius, who tried to do GOOD in the Midst of EVIL, and He lived to tell about it!

   Firstly, Hitler was a constitutional scholar, not in the sense that Thomas Jefferson was, but in the same sense that Houdini was a Locksmith. Hitler reasoned that the Law of the Land was what the Police enforced. His partners, Goering, Frick, Bormann, Hess, Rohm, and later Himmler, proceeded to build the Gestapo, which they eventually integrated into the Police. The SA acted independantly, starting their own private concentration camps. A power struggle broke out for control of the Police which Gisivius describes in detail with black humor. The result was the Night of the Long Knives, where SA Chief Rohm perished and Himmler gets control of the Gestapo. Meanwhile,Goering uses his special units to end the SA private concentration camps with his own special purge (Goering wanted no competition). In its first months, the Nazi Regime has already shot a Mountain of Corpses.

   It was frustrating work to bring about the end of the Nazi Regime. Hitler, when he was in the deepest of doodoo (as in the Reichstagg Fire Trial) was able to pull off some magic trick to put himself back into a favorable light, be it the Annexation of Austria, the Occupation of the Rhineland (where he narrowly missed being declared insane), the annexation of Czechoslocakia, Poland, and the Russian Front. Hitler, had he passed from the scene during his pinicle after the Annexation of Czechoslavakia, would have been known as the Greatest german Statesman of All Time, and would have been the Supreme Proof that "Character DOES NOT Matter". Instead, Hitler stayed on and things turned sour by degrees, and it took till 1944 before things got bad enough for Assassination Atempts to become sufficiently daring to recieve notice. (Granted, the March 1943 attempt happened, but those in the know did not talk about it. It was so secret, even Hitler did not know!). Hitler was certainly protected by his own Guardian Devil!

   The Big Day approaches! We must get rid of Hitler. The German Resistance meets for one last time before it happens. (The German Resistance were certainly a cut above the average Resistance Movement. In the French Resistance, you only had to worry about an interrogation [you did your duty if you lasted 24 hours] and a speedy execution, with some hope of release. The German Resistance, on the other hand, had secrets that had to be kept for months! No quick execution by pistol either! These guys died by long messy execution by piano wire at the end of a Meat Hook! Look up Fritz Nova's book for the biographys of the July 20th Martyrs to get into the details.) They argue and dissent! Stauffenberg delays and delays, with the hope of getting Hitler, Himmler, and Goering in one fell swoop. Leber has been arrested and is about to be shot, whom Stauffenberg wishes to save as a consequence of his tyrannicide. Staufenberg can delay no longer and the bomb goes off!

   The Abwehr acts with Operation Valkyrie, or does it? When Gisivius sees that the dawdling that ensues will come to naught, he looks up his friend, Police President von Heldorf and attempts to abscound. Tragicommically, his attempts to leave the country are frustrated. The Good News is that Gisivius'es hous has been bombed, making it an excellent hiding place for the duration of the war. Finally, the Allies escort him out of Germany as Germany perishes in flames.

   This is not a book for the weak of stomach! It is a study of Tyranny. Fritz von Hayek's Road to Serfdom had already been published in 1944, but doubtless, had Gisivius and Hayek had ever met, the von Hayek chapters on German and Austrian History would have been thicker. This book deserves to be a contender for the top 100 Great Books of All Times, and is Certainly worth the trouble to read.




3. A towering achievement. The first fifth of the book passes through a dream-like state while sweeping and surreptitious changes take place in the police forces, the national government, the propaganda movements, the press, the ministries, the military. This book presents things about Germany that are normally not considered. Most Americans probably think that Germany was an idealistic war machine in the 1940s: with one mind, one head, one purpose. Not so. The author begins in 1933 as a new attache in the newly-formed Gestapo. Immediately things begin to go awry. New changes come down, rumors abound, mistrust fosters mistrust. In his own building and everyday workplace, his own boss tells him to take the staircase at the wall-side rather than near the railing, as this would expose him to sniper fire from a vantage point higher in the stairwell. No one walks across the hall to clean his face without phoning a colleague on such a "dangerous enterprise." After these initial scenes, the author travels "outside" of government circles but remains in close contact with the major players plotting to overthrow the Fuehrer. He recounts across the years how the church was subdued, how the German people were "assisted" in imagining that things were working out, that propaganda helped to pave the way for even greater excesses, even how the generals were quailed (these last were long thought to be the last hope). The book is terrific in that it follows an agent in actual work, sifting through facts, talking clandestinely with associates, plotting an important life-or-death struggle to overthrow the Monster. Never knowing who to trust, never knowing what is coming next, never knowing when the bullet will come -- these are momentous and continuing features with which we have to deal. That the author survived as early as 1934 is remarkable. That he lived through the failed assassination attempt and the subsequent purges is incredible. A must read for WWII buffs, this highly readable text is a testament to those Germans working for sound government, healthy industry and a stable German society. An excellent book!



4. An interesting account by someone who was on or close to the stage.Such testimonies become more rare as the time passes.Many details of the epoch come alive with a present day quality.I would recommend the book to those interested in the era.



5. All the same, while this is in fact a thrilling book, readers should bear in mind that Gisevius was not completely beyond reproach, and that around the time Diels ws "deposed" Gisevius was deputized to go in and forcefully remove him. That there was little choice or that is was a natural progression for him to become an assessor in the security police after the finishing the bar is perhaps true; but while I wouldn't go so far as to deem him a whited sepulchre, he did have dubious designs once in the regime, notwithstanding his later heroism.

1 comments about Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes: The Assassins Who Changed History.

1. I bought this book thinking it would be an objective piece about the subject matter.
   
   What I got was something ridiculously laced with a liberal slant. The author relishes all things left of center, including celebrating gun control, and admonishes all thing right of center.
   
   This COULD have been a great book, if the author had simply objectively stuck to the subject matter without injecting his political views into so much of the content.
   
   I am very disappointed. It was truly wasted potential.

3 comments about American Gothic: The Story of America's Legendary Theatrical Family-Junius, Edwin, and John Wilkes Booth.

1. The older Booth brothers were a hard act to follow, being classical and Shakespearean actors of the highest degree. Edwin played Hamlet upteen times on stage. John felt second best and left out of the major plays and had to seek his fame in another way. He is now called American Brutus, but I beg to differ: Booth was in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, (now West Virginia) in 1863 and fell in love with the surroundings. I have seen this special place in a few movies since my boys and I were there. It is a distinctly different place from any other. Once you've been there, you will never forget every little detail. It is that historical and meaninful in this country's war zone. I have been interested in Lincoln's assassination for over twenty years, mainly because they hanged Mary Surrat, the first woman to be officially killed in this manner. It was at her boardinghouse where the conspirators met to discuss and plan killing Lincoln and others in his Cabinet.
   
   John Wilkes Booth, from a prominent acting family, was a Confederacy sympathizer. But that in itself does not make him guilty. He was denied his right to a trial. Most of the South were more than a little upset when Lincoln was inaugurated for the second time. They refused to accept him as "our" President. We had Jefferson Davis who married Zachary Taylor's daughter. I don't believe old Zach was a Rebel. "Killing Lincoln' as a one-man theatrical presentation, written by Amy Russell, originally premiered in Toronto, Canada. I emphatized with the young actor (who I thought was an old man, as he is such a good actor) who said, "I enjoyed playing off you." I told him the reason he held my complete attention was due to the fact that I had read so much about Lincoln and also sympathized with Booth's reasoning.
   
   Lincoln as it so happens was a Shakespeare fan and enjoyed going to Ford's Theatre. John Wilkes Booth (Brutus) as one of the most promising young Shakespearean actors of his day. Booth considered Lincoln an "American Caesar." He is sometimes called Booth "American Brutus," the title of another Booth book I have reviewed. He was an extremely handsome man and, even though he broke his leg in the leap to the stage (instead of running down the back stairs), he eluded capture with the help of a Dr. Mudd for twelve days. He was not given a chance to tell his side and the complex, misleading reasons he did what he did. That took fortitude! He did not act alone! That's a major issue. He was cornered in that barn like an animal and burned (at the stake) by the vigilante cowards. He was never close to Lincoln as Brutus was to Jesus so the title is deceiving. He was merely a misinformed player who ended up "on his own" after the dasdardly deed. He deserves better than to be called a devil. To some, he was an avenging angel. He achieved fame in his own way, though there have been romors thathe did not die in the fire but survied to live another day and another life. That has not been confirmed, but Eric will delve through the history and tell us what really happened. And why.



2. I find this book to be very helpful in my investigations of understanding the Booth family. Those whom are interested should know it's like a Shakespeare tradgedy. I recommend this book to anyone studying John Wilkes Booth.



3. As the two reviews below demonstrate, many people might read this book just to find out more about Lincoln's assassin. From the post-Civil War era to this day, "assassin" is the only translation of the name "Booth" that most people understand.
   
   But Gene Smith gives us the rest of the story of a theatrical "dynasty", and the depth of his research is amazing, at least in my opinion. Yes, there were other Booths besides John Wilkes, and other reasons for memorializing this family besides Presidential death. No one today remembers the father, Junius Brutus Booth, a wonderfully boisterous, crazy old drunk and ground-breaking actor who was adulated like a rock star in his time. Edwin and John, two out of the nine or ten (legitimate and illegitimate) progeny of JBB, surpassed their father, and Edwin has been called the greatest American tragedian who ever lived.
   
   Like any biographer, Mr. Smith puts flesh on these characters, with a particular eye toward trying to rehabilitate John. It is a lyrical, touching, sympathetic story full of little-known details: John's body finally being released to his mother from its secret basement hole for reburial in the family plot; Edwin burning his brother's theatrical trunk and every costume and prop in it, under the rueful eyes of a long-time servant; the spontaneous, disastrous collapse of the original Ford's Theater building, seemingly at the moment of the death of Edwin; a certain hummock in the median strip of a Virginia freeway, the site of the house on whose porch the "unfortunate" Johnny sucked his life away.
   
   But Mr. Smith doesn't really answer the question of why Johnny did it. His (purported) fiancee, Lucy Hale, was a Yankee. John's animus seemed to be directed at Lincoln himself rather than the U.S. Republic. Maybe it was partly theatrics and partly the family tendency toward insanity.

5 comments about Kill Zone: A Sniper Looks at Dealey Plaza.

1. This book is a sniper's look at the assassination and the scene.
   Mr.Roberts theory of "crossfire" or "triangulation of fire" is excellent,especially considering his military experience.
   I think he may be correct about the location of the hit teams.
   Were the hit teams made up of a Corsican assassin and a member of ZR/Rifle? The author isn't the only writer that has offered that theory.
   Craig Roberts theory about what happened to the President's body aboard Air Force 1 is intriguing! His investigation into the aircraft and strange activity related to the flight was good also.
   
   What is debatable is the identity of those responsible for the murder.
   It seems most likely that the mafia was working with the CIA to committ the crime with J.Edgar Hoover working for the mafia to cover it up.
   
   This book is worth reading for the insight offered by the author considering his experience and knowledge.



2. This book is definitely for the Kennedy addict. It is riveting and spellbinding. I could not put it down. Craig Roberts gives a historical background that expands more than 230 years. His explanations are clear, concise and very believable. He spells out exactly who orchestrated John Kennedy's assassination and the reasons behind it, both of which most people have never heard before. Every American should read this book because the entity responsible for Kennedy's death is alive and well and still operating without impunity within the U.S. government. You will not be disappointed.



3. I have been researching the JFK assassination since it happened and I have to tell you that if I were to compile a book of information pertaining to the assassination this would have been the book I would have written.
   It is absolutely packed with info that we basically knew and then some that we really didn't know.
   It is very well written and answers a multitude of questions that needed to be answered, no wonder the world will never know the truth about this and other things in world history that for the most part just gets brushed aside.
   If you really want or need to know the truth then this is the book for you!



4. I will just quote from the book itself:
   ""How in the world could anyone look at that {Zapruder} film and say that the fatal head strike had come from the rear? The so-called experts who stated that the rearward jerk of Kennedy's head was due to 'muscle reaction,' 'jet force from an erupting bullet' or some other violation of the laws of physics, had obviously never served in combat, where witnessing high-velocity bullet strikes was commonplace..."
   
   "Some of the supporters of the Warren Commission...stated that the bullet came from the rear because the eruption of brain matter and blood came out of the front of the president's skull. I saw something else. In a head shot, the exit wound, due to the buildup of hydrostatic pressure, explodes in a conical formation in the down-range direction of the bullet. Yet in the Zapruder film, I could plainly see that the eruption was not a conical shape to the front of the limo, but instead was an explosion that cast fragments both up and down in a vertical plane, and side to side in a horizontal plane. There was only one explanation for this: an exploding or 'frangible' bullet. Such a round explodes on impact--in exactly the manner depicted in the film."
   
   A seasoned veteran (sniper) of the Vietnam war stood at the `snipers-nest' and released it was all a lie; nuff said.



5. Immediately upon reading this book I knew in my heart that the author had hit upon a highly probable answer to the question that has been lurking in the minds of millions since that dreadful day in Dallas. Now I am not going to go into specifics in this review, rather I am going to relate in my own way why I think the author is right and I would encourage you to get a copy of this book and read it and form your own opinion.
   
   If you look at a magician, his primary purpose is not to entertain you with feats of magic, but more along the lines of deceiving you into believing that which he (the magician) presents to you as the truth and in doing so, makes you believe that which he wants you to believe. Actually I guess a better way of saying it is that the magician presents his deception to you in such a way that your subconscious convinces your consciousness to believe wholeheartedly in that which was presented to you by the magician. Now I know that this seems to be way of course with the subject matter of this review, but trust me, it is actually dead on.
   
   Now we all know that a certain group, or collection, of individuals was responsible for the death of Kennedy. Now do we know for certain who they were and their names? No, but we do know that they did exist and I am sure that some of them may still be alive to this day, although the longer that time passes the greater the probability that they will expire from old age without every being tried for their crimes, at least as we know it.
   
   Now if your ultimate goal is the eradication of a certain person, it really doesn't matter to you how that eradication takes place, or who does it, as long as the goal is accomplished. Of course you wouldn't want any of it traced back to you, which is why you want to have someone else do it. Or better yet, have someone else do it with a motive so far removed from your own that the odds of anyone even remotely suspecting you would be likened to the proverbial needle in a haystack and someone that will kill the person for you without even knowing that they did. All the time thinking that they were killing that person for their own reasons. Now to better enhance your chances of never being suspected, let's multiply that by several times and you now have a smokescreen of epic proportions with the finger pointing at several different organizations or persons with each one having a slightly different motive. None of which are even close to your own. See the beauty of it already?
   
   In law enforcement there is an old saying that goes something like this, "If you want to find out who did it, follow the money." And that is exactly what the author does.
   
   Let's look at the most common theories on who was responsible for killing Kennedy. Please take note that I did not say who killed Kennedy, but who was responsible for killing Kennedy. Remember what I said earlier about getting someone else to do it for you.
   
   1. Lee Harvey Oswald - acting alone RIDICULOUS
   2. The Mafia - NOPE
   3. The CIA - NOPE
   4. The Cubans - NOPE
   5. The Russians - NOPE
   6. Aliens from outer space - I KNOW REALLY RIDICULOUS, BUT AREN'T THE OTHERS JUST AS BAD!
   
   Now I am not implying that some of these didn't have a role in it, I am just saying that they are not responsible for it. Who is? Well purchase this book and read it. I believe that if you do that, this book will more than answer that question.
   
   All of those people and/or groups listed are merely the smoke, and you all know that where there's smoke there's fire, and this book shows you the fire.

3 comments about JFK: The Cuba Files: The Untold Story of the Plot to Kill Kennedy (Secret War).

1. It has been said once that the truth about JFK's assassination would never be known "in our lifetime".
   This short volume contradicts this statement and proves that it is still possible, provided there is a will to do so, to bring the case to justice.
   
   For a number of years now, most serious scholars and searchers (meaning those who have no specific agenda to market, and who try to analyze the evidence without bias)of the JFK case have come to the conclusion that the murder of Kennedy was some sort of side-effect of the secret war against Castro, what would be called today a "blowback" in Intelligence parlance.
   Since that war involved elements of the CIA, Military Intelligence, FBI, Mafia, Cuban exiles and their supporters (mainly business or pro-business figures), names of individuals and organizations pertaining to this loose alliance of interests have repeatedly and regularky cropped up either during the various official investigations or the work of researchers.
   
   Unfortunately, even though some HSCA investigators started unraveling some crucial information, the official inquiry in fact buried the case (see HSCA investigator Gaetan Fonzi's book). So no real, "hard" investigation of what was still only a very compelling hypothesis (was JFK killed by people in relation with/pertaining to the secret Intelligence and Military apparatus at war with Cuba?)ever took place.
   It befell to independant researchers to pour over the evidence over the years and painstakingly verify and refine the information, zeroing on the hypothesis described very sketchily above: a general overview of the conspiracy, but with some crucial elements missing to complete the puzzle.
   
   So, just when you thought that we would have to be content with what we've got, comes this little book, which gives names, dates and places and allow the serious searcher to reevaluate previously gathered information.
   What we have here is, in fact, the hard inquiry into the Anti Castro Cuban Exiles that we were hoping for, but never happened.
   Well, it came to pass that some people did have a reason to be very interested in the activities of Anti Cuban Exiles at the time and did have the means and motives to obtain detailled information about what they were up to at the time of JFK's assassination: Cuban Intelligence.
   
   Former head of Intelligence Fabian Escalante relates how, in the course of their eforts to thwarts assassination plots against Castro and prevent sabotage, they came across fragmentary information that allowed them to reconstruct the assassination in Dallas and identify some of the principals in the crime.
   
   One of the greatest asset of the book is that people that are only alluded at in previous books are identified by name, and dates and details of specific events are clarified.Basically, who said what to whom, when and where.
   
   Imagine having several informants deep within the most violent exile groups of the sixties,crossing paths with such notorious figues as David Phillips, Franck Sturgis, Carlos Bringuier, Guy Bannister, and the like.
   
   Imagine analyzing all the information coming back, and starting to find, along the years, an intriguing track of evidence leading back to the events in Dallas.
   
   Imagine capturing a senior Anti Castro exile, seriously wounded, who would start talking, after years of treatment in a Cuban hospital, of what he knew about JFK's death.
   
   In fact, don't imagine it, because that is Escalante's story.
   The book is full of details that should be taken upon and pursued by serious researchers. For instance, Escalante ponders, with good reason, about an obituary published in Dallas sometime after the assassination, and announcing the death of a group of "Exile patriots" killed in action in Cuba. Escalante states that some of the names given in the obituary do not correspond with the identity of the three men actually killed that day.
   
   He also wonders why, of all places, this obittuary would be published in Dallas, and not Miami, the homeplace of the Anti Castro community.
   
   The names of the "would be dead" men are given by Escalante (so go buy the book...).
   It is my guess that serious inquiry of these persons would show that they were direct participants in the crime, at the action level (probably a shooter team)
   
   Another crucial information, in my view, is that according to Cuban Intelligence, David Morales handled David Phillips, and not the other way around.
   
   Oh, by the way, the book blows of the water the theory propounded by "ultimate sacrifice" (the only JFK book I could not finish, and I have read some real turkeys on that subject believe me..), of a coup d'état led by Che Guevara and supported by Kennedy that somehow led JFK to take unnecessary risks that day in Dallas (yes, I know, makes no sense to me either..). There is not a single mention or allusion to that supposed plot in the Cuban files.
   
   When you know the efficiency of Cuban Intelligence, as demonstrated by Castro's endurance (see also the HSCA records for details of plots foiled by Cuban agents), if there was such a plot, it would have been penetrated and unmasked.
   
   So five stars, and a must read for serious researchers.
   
   On the other hand, if you are new or not very well versed in the assassination specifics or general issues of debate, I would recommand you start somewhere else.
   
   You need a good background information to really appreciate and make sense of what is presented here
   
   
   As you see, there are tons of information to be gained here, in a mere 300 pages.
   
   
   



2. great



3. Well-written, thoughtfully composed. If there's anyone left in the world who doubts a conspiracy (professional disinformation puppets like Gerald Posner discounted, or those who've been in a coma since before Nov. 22nd, 1963) this is one more solid nail in that coffin. The preponderance of evidence unearthed in the last 40+ years simply demolishes any specter of a disaffected lone nut. This book is written from the Cuban (non-exile) perspective with no real axe to grind (no one now seriously believes Castro was behind the plot) and Escalante has done a large amount of homework. His findings parallel those of most of the serious historians and researchers, and short of who fired the fatal shot from the knoll, is complete and satisfying. I found his timeline catalogue of actions against Cuba interesting, especially when he weaves in the "patsying" of Oswald. This book belongs on the shelf of those afore-mentioned historians and researchers. And it's not full of typos and grammatical weirdness.

5 comments about The Skewed Throne.

1. I was so totally hooked on this book from page one. Fantasy novels are one of my favorites and Joshua has an awesome imagination. Varis is an extremely fun character to follow and it is interesting to see what will happen to her every time you turn the page. She has a very exciting and interesting life. Very, very good and can't wait for the second one.



2. I'm very happy to have discovered Joshua Palmatier. His books are page-turners-- I read the first two in one absorbed afternoon, and then promptly ordered the third. The characters are vivid and real, and grow convincingly through the trilogy. While he uses classic themes, the books are not formulaic, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. Some of my other favorite authors are Roger Zelazny, Robin McKinley, any Wollheim anthology, Theodore Sturgeon, Delia Marshall Turner, and Patricia McKillip. It's great to add a new writer to this pantheon.



3. This book is awesome. The characters are portrayed in such a way that they come to life. You get sucked in to the plot and don't mind that it has a couple of slow chapters. I love how Varis is written and how the author let her stay true to her personality as the book goes along. I have found a new author to enjoy and am truly glad that I bought all three books in the series at once. I was hesitant to try a new author, but I am glad that I did.



4. "The Skewed Throne" follows an orphaned girl (V--) in a fantasy city. Surviving by stealing food, V-- meets a cop and starts earning food (no money, just food) as a spy, locating criminals. V-- has a fascinating magical power, that enlivens this novel. Expect the poor part of town, dagger fights, and great character motivation.
   
   The ending is forecast way too strongly, the length a bit long, and the fights entirely rediculous. Reminiscent of old Westerns, the least wound kills instantly, but V-- can receive any wound without consequence. V--'s motivations are well presented and consistent, and I liked that she stays desperately poor for most of the book. Overall, an entertaining and fun read, worth the purchase.
   
   This book will appeal to readers who enjoyed Devlin's Luck (Sword of Change, Book 1) or Forged Without Fire: A Champion for Catlover or Cast in Shadow (The Chronicles of Elantra, Book 1).



5. This first book in a series of three leaves me at the edge of my seat for more. With a dark start, this book begins by catapulting you into the shoes of parent-less teenager who needs to do whatever it takes to survive including steal and kill. Though stealing and killing would usually not keep me compelled, the vivid descriptions of all of senses from the main character's point of view; a strong story line culminating in twists, turns, and surprises; and a slow methodical journey into a girl's development of sense of self and ultimate revelation of fate kept me turning the pages.
   
   I've now read the second book of this series, and am thoroughly impressed.