5 comments about The Last Investigation.

1. America owes a debt of gratitude to Gaeton Fonzi, former House Select Commitee on Assassinations investigator.
   The HSCA was formed to give we the people the truth about the Asassination Conspiracy of President John F Kennedy, but instead, tons of HSCA documents are sealed away for decades to come!
   What the HSCA didnt want to make too public, and what the media has totally hidden, is that the HSCA investigation proves once and for all that Lee Oswald was being framed for the assassination MONTHS before it happened!
   Gaeton Fonzi is one of the few investigators for the HSCA who has gone against the grain, and who has come out to tell the American People the truth. He did so by writing this book.
   One of the main points of Fonzi's book, is that CIA man "Maurice Bishop", was an alias used by David Atlee Phillips, former head of the CIA's Western Hemisphere division!
   The identity of "Bishop" has long kept JFK assassination researchers interested because "Bishop" was seen with Lee Oswald in Dallas not long before the assassination, proving that the CIA had a link with Oswald, even though they said they didnt.
   Couple this with the fact that Philips ("Bishop") did work for the CIA in Mexico City WHERE AN OSWALD IMPERSONATOR FRAMED HIM (Oswald) BEFORE THE ASSASSINATION, and the JFK murder mystery becomes much clearer.



2. Another good companion volume to Ultimate Sacrifice
   Former Senate investigator Gaeton Fonzi, of whom I have corresponded with, is to be commended for writing an excellent book about the HSCA, Cuba, and the JFK assassination. It is scholarly works like this that give the research community a good name. Get this!
   Vince Palamara
   Secret Service expert, author of 2 books, in over 32 other author's books, History Channel,etc.



3. I highly recommend former HSCA investigator Gaeton Fonzi's book, as it is a great companion volume to Ultimate Sacrifice. Fonzi's book is very well written and put together. You can't go wrong with this one. Get it!
   vince palamara



4. What most attracted me about this book was the fact that its author, Gaeton Fonzi, is an investigator who can write not based on other researchers' data and conclusions, but on the evidence he himself gathered during the House Committee on Assassinations lifetime.
   In this book you will learn about how the CIA planted a fake "communist" Lee Harvey Oswald in Mexico City in order to put the blame on Communists, specifically Fidel Castro. Fonzi greatly reinforced my conviction that the CIA was behind this coup d'etat.



5. This book is extremely well written, which is to be expected, I suppose, since Fonzi is, by trade, a journalist. This book does not focus on the JFK assassination per se, but rather on the mid-1970s congressional investigations of it. To that extent, his story is a fascinating one, and one that is a first-hand account. In addition, the main focus here is US intelligence agencies' involvement in the JFK assassination- one touchy (and important) subject. And while it certainly seems clear that David Phillips lied to Fonzi regarding the identity of Maurice Bishop (an alias that Phillips used), just because Bishop/Phillips was seen in a Dallas lobby talking with Oswald a month before the assassination, it doesn't necessarily mean that Phillips had a hand in the assassination. In fact, in Ultimate Sacrifice, we are led to believe that Phillips was setting Oswald up to be a patsy for an assassination of Castro. (The same could be said of Morales' quote, "We got those little...(expletive)"...referring to JFK and then RFK. The use of 'we' does not establish direct involvement in an assassination. In short, while I sympathize with those working on uncovering a JFK (or RFK) conspiracy, the fact remains that there's very little here that demonstrates direct involvement in the planning and/or carrying out (or covering up) of the JFK assassination (at the end of the book, Fonzi writes that Oswald and Phillips had to be up to something connected with the planning of the JFK assassination because if they weren't, then why would Phillips later lie to him about it? Well...? I can think of a few good reasons...). Garrison's "On the Trail of the Assassins" is far more eye-popping in this important respect. The Last Investigation is, I agree, an important contribution. But, in the end, it's too far removed from the events surrounding November 22nd, 1963 to be considered the smoking gun that conspiracy theorist minded folks like myself yearn for.

No comments about Julius Caesar (The New Cambridge Shakespeare).

4 comments about The Mongoose Deception (C J Floyd Mysteries).

1. Billed as the seventh mystery in the CJ Floyd series, The Mongoose Deception reveals itself to be more of a crime novel or conspiracy thriller than a traditional whodunit. Floyd doesn't make his first appearance until page seventy-seven, by which time the reader has become quite intimate with Louisiana delinquent Antoine Ducane and a slew of 1963-vintage mafia figures from around the country who are busy executing a conspiracy to assassinate JFK.
   
   Floyd, who earns his living through the unlikely combination of bail bondsman services and antiques dealing, gets pulled into these decades-old events through his antiques partner and former mafia kingpin, Mario Santoni, who fears that he's being served up by his mafia brethren as a fall-guy for the assassination. The mafia guys, some of whom are retired octogenarians yet still retain their violent tendencies, are running scared now that the long-interred body of patsy Antoine Ducane has been unearthed from a Colorado tunnel.
   
   In addition to juggling a large cast of mafia dons, hit men, and other shadowy figures (including an enigmatic JFK conspiracy investigator), Robert Greer ambitiously layers in subplots involving Ducane's mother and former girlfriend as well as an earnest young basketball star and his defense lawyer mom. Greer writes well and succeeds in constructing an intersecting plot of epic proportions, but I found myself bogged down by minutia and dialogue that often failed to advance the story. The multitude of mafia guys also tended to blur together, as many were given only bit parts and few were bestowed with distinguishing character traits. I also felt as if the novel lacked a compelling central character; neither Floyd nor any of his cohorts were given enough stage time to forge a strong bond with me.
   
   Robert Greer possesses talent and an interesting protagonist. In my view, future CJ Floyd offerings would benefit from a more focused, Floyd-centric structure.
   
   -Kevin Joseph (as reviewed for TCM Reviews)



2. Reading this mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. Greer's great writing and realistic character portrayals got me so close to the participants in this drama that I worried what was going to happen to them. Suspenseful, intriguing. The book brought life in 1963 up close and personal. I can hardly wait for the next CJ Floyd mystery!



3. Author Robert Greer started out mining the field of black private investigators with his series hero, C. J. Floyd. Floyd is a hybrid, part bail bondsman and part antiques dealer (though he's since given up the bail bonds business and bountyhunting). Comparisons were immediately made to Walter Mosely's long-running unlicensed private eye, Easy Rawlins. Easy's adventures to date have gone from 1948 to 1968 and seem to have locked into the late 1960s. Floyd is contemporary, but the focus of his investigations seem to mix current crimes with past events of a historical nature. On the surface, there might be some resemblance between the two series, but there are vast differences.
   
   The early Floyd adventures concentrated on the bail bonds business and moved quickly into murder investigations. The last three novels have their foundations anchored more deeply in Floyd's interest in the antiques business and conspiracy theories. As a result, Greer's already complex plots have deepened even more, with mixed results.
   
   In THE MONGOOSE DECEPTION, Greer put Floyd directly in the path of a conspiracy cover-up involving the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The body of Antoine Ducane is discovered in the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel in Colorado, Floyd's home state, and events move ponderously to involve the private eye. In fact, Floyd doesn't even step onto the book until nearly eighty pages in, and by then it's almost too late for the reader to take interest.
   
   When a second man is murdered who had ties to Ducane, Floyd starts poking into the truth of the assassination. He immediately draws fire from mafia dons, a JFK conspiracy investigator, and even the CIA. His fellow antiques dealer, Mario Santoni, ends up getting offered as the patsy for the assassination by mafia bosses in their 80s (which strains credulity a bit), so Floyd has more personal stakes involved than just his own curiosity.
   
   The JFK assassination has fueled a couple of generations now, and the mysteries involving his death will probably never be satisfactorily resolved for everyone, but Greer takes another stab at it. Conspiracy theorists and junkies will probably enjoy this one.
   
   But for me everything got a little convoluted. There were too many characters to keep up with (I finally had to keep a notebook to keep everyone separated) and too many subplots (although all were interesting). It's a case of too many good things thrown in at once. The subplots with Floyd's mom and ex-girlfriend could have waited for a more opportune book and allowed the author to focus more on this investigation. I think I would have enjoyed a stripped-down version a little more myself.
   
   Greer's writing is solid, and I like a lot of dialogue in the novels I read, so he fits the bill there as well. His descriptions of Denver and Louisiana are dead on as well. And there are a lot of esoteric facts along the way. The problem was that too many of them were too familiar. The JFK assassination has been, literally, done to death. Obviously Greer felt he had more to say on the issue. But I'll be looking forward to Floyd's next outing, and hopefully it'll steer clear of such controversial subjects - unless they're ones that haven't been so heavily mined or exploited.



4. Robert Greer weaves a pulsating tale of suspense and drama. When an earthquake shakes up the Eisenhower Tunnel, it reveals the severed arm of a miner, Antoine Ducane. Fellow miner , Cornelius McPherson, who is just days away from retirement, recognizes the tattooed arm as belonging to Ducane, a co-worker who vanished without a word. An investigation is started, which is further complicated when McPherson, who had been talking to newspersons, is murdered in a drive-by shooting. Ducane had told McPherson that he knew who killed JFK. Detective Gus Cavalaris starts his own investigation and soon finds himself entangled with the mob and the FBI. Aging gangsters scramble to cover-up any involvement that they may have had in the plot to kill Kennedy. Old theories are revisited and the plot thickens as to who and why JFK was murdered.
   
   This book is very exciting with lots of non-stop action. I believe that it would make a good movie, lots of colorful quirky characters. This offering has a multitude of characters and the author did an excellent job of managing them. Each of them played a vital role in keeping the story true to form. This was my first time reading Robert Greer and I am glad I did. I will definitely be reading more of his mysteries.
   
   Margaret Ball
   APOOO BookClub

5 comments about Regicide: The Official Assassination of John F. Kennedy.

1. Regicide provides a good overview of the the facts surrounding the JFK assassination, and offers what it claims to be documentation that the plot originated in the CIA. Regicide relies heavily on a DIA reports which summarizes Soviet intelligence investigation into the assassination, and what it claims to be the original documents of something called OPERATION ZIPPER; the removal of President John F Kennedy. The DIA documentation is believable because, it basically summarizes that physical evidence and provides background information on Oswald and Jack Ruby which is pretty much known fact at this point. As for the OPERATION ZIPPER documents, I suspect they're antoher case of planted disinformation. The facts show that there was a conspiracy to kill JFK, however, I'm yet to see any credible evidence that that the CIA authorized the plot. CIA Director John McCone was Kennedy's appointed man, it doesn't make sense that he'd authorize a plot to kill JFK. Overall, Regicide is a very quick read for background information on the JFK assassination, but far from the final word on the topic.



2. Mr. Douglas purports to be in possession of "secret files" furnished to him by Robert Crowley.
   
   In fact Gregory Douglas never met Robert Crowley.
   
   Robert Crowley regarded Douglas as a harmless eccentric.
   
   I know this to be a fact because I am Robert Crowley's son.
   
   Legal action was considered pointless since Douglas has no assets and a trial would only produce publicity for Douglas's book.



3. Good, but ULTIMATE SACRIFICE the best book ever
   While I thought this book was worthwhile in many respects, ULTIMATE SACRIFICE is simply the best book ever on the JFK assassination.Still, worth your time.
   
   Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
   Pittsburgh, PA



4. Interesting how the detail of the DIA report confirms data that is already available from various other sources and books. Particularly interesting that the DIA report states that the final, frontal, head-shot bullet was mercury filled so as to explode and fragment. This is exactly what James Files claims in his confession to being the grassy knoll assassin. [...]
   
   Of course, everything depends upon the DIA report being genuine, but there is nothing in this report that stands out as being incorrect.



5. I tried to contact both, but it was fruitless. Like one fellow said, there may may a number of facts here, even those which are accidentally correct.
   
   I'd still like to be able to submit a question to the author or publisher....

5 comments about Second Objective, The.

1. You may note from other reviews, my thing for historical fiction. This book suffers from the same malady as other weak historical fiction novels do; The story line (in this case Hitler's plot to kill General Eisenhower), has been done too many times before, one dimensional characters whose escapes are too cute by half, and the feeling two thirds of the way through that you just can't wait for the book to end. This is the first book by Mark Frost I've read. Unless I am stuck in an airport book store just prior to a lengthy flight to Asia, I doubt I will read another.



2. The first half of this book was five star WWII material all the way. Frost has a knack for writing easy-breezy prose and in building up sympathetic characters. The story starts off just prior to the outbreak of the battle of the bulge where Hitler makes a winter-time counter offensive. We follow Bernie, a kid from Brooklyn who's parents moved back to Germany during the Great Depression. Now Bernie is in the German army and because he can speak English fluently, he is drafted into a top-secret mission.
   
   The story follows Bernie's training and how he becomes partnered with Erich Von Reinsdorf, the son of a former diplomat and a psycho killer. The odd thing is that Erich starts off as a decent character, gets squished into a very two-dimensional parody of a serial killer and then is weakly fleshed out again towards the end, but by then it is too late to make us care about him again. Frost adds a third character, an American MP chasing the two across Europe.
   
   I just want to put out there that the crescendo of this book for myself, and where I found a definitive high water mark, was just about half way through. Bernie sneaks back to an early rendezvous point and an altercation occurs in the basement there. If Frost had had the balls to either end it here or continue on with a series of disjointed observations, his writing could have stood up as classic. Instead from this point onwards, it is pretty much Frost wrapping up all the loose ends.



3. This book has an excellent plot summarized above by other reviewers so I won't go into detail here. There is one character who is too much of a stereotype of a new York City detective and his lines can be irritating because of this. Also, the main bad guy's systematic killing of virtually everyone he runs into is almost comical. If someone once said "I never met a man I didn't like", this guy could have said "I never met a person I didn't kill" Also, although I know there is a lot of action going on, it's hard to follow how Mr. Bad Guy comes up with every tool he needs at the exact moment: wire cutters, syringes, attache cases. For a guy who's on the run and traveling lightly, he seems to have an amzing ability to accomplish this. Perhaps Mary Poppins was a Nazi sympathizer.
   
   It still an interesting read, and it does motivate me to investigate further the Battle of the Bulge and other historical events included in the novel. However, I suspect there are more solid WWII suspense tales out there.



4. Felt like a cheap WWII tv movie.
   
   I recommend Peter Temple's Identity Theory, The Broken Shore........



5. The book is an enthralling read. It captures the reader and transports her/him into the world of covert operations and war. Fast and entertaining with some hooks into German WWII mythology.

5 comments about Who Killed John Lennon?.

1. John Lennon's death never DID make sense to me outside of the context of some kind of conspiracy. When he died, I was 27 years old. I had lived through the trauma of JFK's, RFK's and MLK's assassinations. I did not believe they were lone nut killings either, they were too important, and the question "who benefits?" usually leads to an obvious motive and an obvious suspect, even if it can't be proven. Once he was dead, I understood that John Lennon was the last hope of a dying spirit, the spirit of the 60s, the hope of a generation that had dreamed of creating a world of freedom, love and non-violence. That, to me, was the motive of a generation unwilling to pass the torch of life onto the next generation, the very baby boom they had created at the end of WWII to expand their own egos, yet were unwilling to acknowledge as having minds of their own and perhaps valid resentments having grown up with the values of a war torn parentage. This book dovetails nicely with the other books I have read and reviewed (see more about me) and the evidence is startling and massive to validate Bresler's theory that Chapman was, indeed, a mind controlled killer. The fact is, the CIA's shenanigans go far beyond MK-ULTRA, and have not stopped yet. They are gathering power as you read this, and looking the other way will not stop them. I'm not sure what will, but letting anyone else do your thinking for you won't. Learn as much as you can and know your own mind. Question authority, as the mantra from the 60s challenged, and do not allow the dreams and visions of the flower children to be silenced. They are not dead. They did take root. The toxic poison that surrounds us all is a deadly threat, but as long as we are open to learning and knowing and speaking truth to power, there is hope.



2. This well researched book explores a possible political component to the 1980 murder of John Lennon. Outspoken and involved in political causes, the late former Beatle had a dossier by the FBI. He was considered an insurgent rebel by many politicos of the day.

   Bresler's book does an excellent job of following the man who killed John Lennon. He accurately chronicles the assassin's movements during the latter part of 1980 and his boyhood overidentification with the former Beatle. Bresler does not skip a beat, his work takes his readers along that sad, psychotic trail Lennon's killer took in late 1980.

   The assassin, caught in a love-hate obsession concerning John Lennon appears to be confused about his own identity. A former Beatles fan, the killer would, by 1966 turn against them because of John Lennon's comment that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Irate and confused, the killer appeared to try to suppress his natural love for their music while justifying his hatred of John.

   It is indeed the killer's behavior that calls attention to his desire to emulate the late Beatle. The assassin marries a woman who is Japanese; he expresses an enjoyment for the same types of art and music that Lennon publicly endorsed. By late 1980 the lines between reality and fantasy blurred; on his last day of work, the killer signed out of his company log book as "John Lennon." He then left Hawaii where he was then living for New York. An extremely confused man, he overidentifies with Holden Caulfield, the young protagonist of "Catcher in the Rye" infamy. He, like Holden declares a moratorium against "phonies" and in his mind, John Lennon is one of those phonies His fantasies ultimately consume him and the results are...devastating.

   Bresler does an excellent job of chronicling the series of events that took place when and after John Lennon was murdered; he also does an excellent job of debunking many of the tabloid biographies of the day, e.g. Goldman and Guiliano's biographies of the late Beatle. John's youngest son, Sean, for example comes down hard on the Goldman book which portrays John as punitive and uncomfortable around children as a "total lie." He said that John did indeed enjoy being kissed by Sean and his older half brother Julian and that Goldman's statement otherwise was untrue.

   I was impressed with the accuracy and objectivity of this work. It will certainly hold a reader's interest and is an invaluable source of information. I'm lucky to have this. It would be nice to see this back in print.




3. Today marks the 25th Anniversary of John Lennon's death. I got Bresler's book from the library and read about half of his book last year and I must admit I'm starting to believe that his death was politically motivated. Not only that, he gives hard evidence that this government, particually the CIA, ordered Mark Chapman as a hitman to kill John Lennon (there is good reason why: They were getting revenge for not kicking Lennon out of the country for his actions against Vietman; since that England was not involved). When I read that the first person that came to mind as a conspirator was the lame-duck President of that time, Jimmy Carter. Why? Because he was in the same position as the other white Southern President before him, Lyndon Johnson: President about to leave office, decides to take out the biggest peacekeeper(s) in America (in LBJ's case-Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy) because in their eyes, their agendas were a threat to National Security while the FBI and CIA's powers are in the hands of the President. In the book the author gives an idea who was behind the conspiracy and picks an unlikely choice: The Y.M.C.A. since that it helped Chapman in the midst of his troubles. I know that I'm maybe crazy and Carter can deny all he wants just like Fidel Castro can deny that he was involved in President Kennedy's death.
   Speaking of that, in Bresler's book he brings up another distrubing fact that Chapman was under "mind control" to kill Lennon and there can be a possibility that's what happened to Lee Harvey Oswald when he shot Kennedy and in the book, he states that Chapman was like Oswald: Running into one disater after another.
   Not only does he talk about Chapman's behavior, Bresler portrayes Lennon as a musician who became an enemy of himself and began to gather demons (which included his "Beatles are more popular than Jesus" interview, the nude photos that he did with Yoko Ono while still married, and evenually his fight to stay in America). Out of all the things Lennon did to offend the American physic and sealing his fate of an early death, none was more damning than the Rolling Stone interview that Jan Wierner did in 1970 in which Lennon ranted about America being "f-ing pesants" and ended his sentence by saying "the (American) dream is over." In my opinion, I think he deserved to die.
   Another story the author brings up about Lennon came in the next year when he and Yoko Ono were at a Vietman protest on the University of Michigan campus and what they didn't know was that two CIA officers were spying on them. For those that aren't convinced yet that the CIA was involved in Lennon's death should consider this: His death occurred four years after the same agency try to kill another peace-searching musician, Bob Marley and failed as he survived despite being wounded.
   To close it out, I will try to get back to the library soon and finish up this somewhat fascinated and intriging book.



4. Have we really come to this?
   
   John Lennon was murdered by a clearly-deranged fan in 1980. Anyone who believes that Lennon was a grave enough threat to the USA and the world obviously has a bizarrely inflated opinion of the former Beatle.
   
   John was practically in hiding for the five years before his death and had distanced himself from the hippie peace movement which had faded away during the disco era. Upon releasing his return album, "Double Fantasy," he and Yoko gave many interviews about how they'd settled into private life and made a fortune off real estate and such. Come on, people, one of the main reasons his killer struck was because John had become such a sell-out.
   
   Even back then, the "bed-ins" for peace and all the anti-war posturing came off as more silly and mischevious than dangerous and anti-American.
   He loved America, he loved New York. We'd been out of Vietnam for five years.
   
   Documenting all the movements and rantings of John's crazy killer doesn't make his horrible crime a CIA conspiracy.
   
   Wherever John is, he's probably laughing.



5. Chock full of suppositions as to how Mark David Chapman was a mind-controlled assassin programmed by the CIA to kill John Lennon, since Lennon was coming out of retirement and was apparently going to speak at an anti-nuke rally (thus inspiring everyone around the world to abandon nuclear weapons and putting the military-industrial complex out of business). In the end, it's a bunch of mildly interesting bunk that lacks only the merit of being true...and if it IS true, one certainly wouldn't know it from the lack of evidence presented here (unless conjecture and innuendo count as evidence).

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.

5 comments about An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King.

1. This book is written by an English lawyer, who comes to these events with an analytical eye. He compiles evidence, and draws conclusions based on the evidence. The resulting portrait is not flattering to the US government. The evidence he cites points to apparantly rogue elements of the FBI and intelligence services actively involved in plotting and cover-up of the assasination attempt. This book deserves a film or investigation of its own, as it reverses the commonly-held view that a lone gunman succeeded in the assasination attempt. Taken in context with later relevations of J.Edgar Hoover's abuses of power, spying on US citizens, the Nixon Enemies list, The Pentagon Papers, the growing power of the mob over political figures, and the insidious intersection of the drug trade with the arms trade and politics, this book shows a way that institutionalized violence by elements of the US government can undercut the democratic process.
   Students of English repression of the Irish, Indian colonies, double-dealing in Egypt and the Middle-East, and so on, will recognize the symptoms of absolute power corrupting absolutely. If the evidence in this book were demonstrated with the modern techniques of 3-dimensional (3-D) animation used in modern courtroom investigation, it would be even more convincing. As a sidenote, fans of the distinguished journalist Earl Caldwell will note how his eyewitness testimony (along with that of others) was ignored or contorted to the detriment of the evidence. If DNA analysis were available at the time this book was written, it is quite possible that the level of proof would be even more conclusive. This book, even at this late date, argues convincingly that the MLK investigation was absolutely inadequate. A potential remedy would be independent investigating commissions, perhaps under the aegis of the UN's Human Rights Commission. Modern investigations are failing to protect democracy and human rights; indeed, they are becoming part of the problem. An issue for schools of science to advance seriously, for the common good.



2. An excellent book, William Pepper's An Act of State can be read alongside Waldron and Hartmann's Ultimate Sacrifice, the best available book on the murder of JFK. The links between these two "hits" are particularly intriguing.



3. William Pepper's exhaustive research could be better served-- An Act of State meanders in and out of consciousness with a loose structure and story line--it's confuing. There are seemingly several relevant and compelling theories layed out on King's murder but the book is so convoluted it is sometimes difficult to follow Pepper's aruguments or thesis if there is one. Lloyed Jowers, the centeral figure at the heart of the conspiracy surrounding King's murder (According to Pepper) is presented as a relativley one dimensional character? With so much riding on Jower's involvement the reader begs to know more about the credibility and character of the man who came out of the shadows and pronounced to the world a mass conspiracy of murder involving the New Orleans Mob (they always get blamed--think JFK) the FBI & Hoover, and the local MPD. One missing componenet in all Pepper's research is Hoover's motive--Hoover no doubt despised King, spied on him and thought him a hypocrite but why would he want to Marytr him by having him killed?? These are not stupid people, Hoover must of known King would be canonized if he was murdered and naturally Hoover would be subject of hate as being such a public adversary--Pepper brings forth the theory of "Raul" the gun runner and hired assasin--perhaps the most intriguing charcter...Overall worth reading--labor intensive--Something happened down in Memphis on April 4th in the shadows of the Lorraine and downtown but by reading this book-- Pepper and everyone else are none the wiser.



4. I rode once in a pickup truck associated with a black college professor running for a city council seat, which was soot blackened because it had been fire bombed. That was in the early 1980s in a progressive university town. The threat of violence in reaction to political activism is not academic. It is out there and it is real.
   
   It is chilling that one of Peppers' interviewees matter of factly states that he thinks the book will be buried, so his testimony can just be part of a record without his drawing consequence from providing it. The mainstream media certainly does bury stories that don't fit an establishment narrative. That they have done so in this case shall be a stain on the Fourth Estate for all time.
   
   This is an important work. Every citizen should read this, and it should be taught in all the schools along with material on who King was. One of the things that Pepper does best, in addition to show a lot of persistence in seeking evidence, is reflect on King's value as one of America's leading thinkers of all time.
   
   Given the state of the world, King's moral force is no less and his call to action to bring America back to its original vision still rings out like the echoing of the Liberty Bell.
   
   I think that Pepper's work brings a lot of implications that need to be seriously addressed, especially since there might be some sort of connections or parallels to the JFK and RFK assassinations. What does this mean for any attempt to gain power for a more progressive vision of America in the future? What can we do to make sure our civil processes are not to be trumped by those with a will to do violence in response?



5. This reviewer is an avowed conspiracy/cover-up supporter regarding the 1960s assassinations of JKK, RFK and Martin Luther King. He welcomed the opportunity to learn more of the MLK murder. Author Pepper's voice rings loud and clear: "James Earl Ray did not shoot Dr. King!" Unfortunately, in buttressing that statement, author Pepper over examines the evidence and overstates his case. Pepper tries to be thorough but succeeds only in being repetitive to the point of confusion. MLK's opposition to the Vietnam War and proposal of a Poor People's Campaign had angered too many powerful people who wanted him eliminated. It is totally unclear who those individuals might have been. Mysteriously one name that does emerge is that of New Orleans Mafia Boss Carlos Marcello, just as it also does, on the fringe of the JFK hit. The bottom line is that while Mr. Pepper may be a superior lawyer, he has failings as a writer of long and detailed prose. To his credit, Chapter 9 does attempt to marshal the supporting facts in one place-one ray of sunshine where more light is needed. An interesting sidebar to "An Act of State" is Pepper's unabashed skewering of Gerald Posner. GP is the Establishment's point guard in debunking any conspiracy theories, be they related to MLK or JFK. Pepper goes after Posner with a vengeance that can only emerge from the deepest sincerity. The final word here is that "An Act of State" is too important to NOT rate 5 stars. Potential readers are urged to focus on Pepper's efforts and not his results. Mainstream media (what a great term!) has ignored the MLK hit. We should be grateful that the William Peppers of the world have the intestinal fortitude to investigate and publicize periods of our history that many would just as soon ignore.

5 comments about To Visit the Queen (Cat Novel).

1. A wonderful follow-up to the fabulous Night With Moon. I wondered at the time how Duane was going to be able to top Night With Moon. She does an excellent job of surpassing herself & the ending of "To Visit The Queen" was surprising. There are sad moments in this one, which make it a slightly more introspective book than the other title, but it has equally rapid plot & strong action plotlines. I loved seeing Arthur Conan Doyle as well. Wouldn't he love to still be starring in our literary achievements? :)



2. I just finished reading the book about 10 minutes ago! What a great sequel to "Night With Moon"... it carries forward some of the unresolved feelings and events from the first book, and leaves you feeling a bit easier about them. I do disagree with some of the other reviews that found this book too drawn-out or some of the plot points contrived. The book built up slowly but steadily, not with as much action as "Night With Moon" but with more detective work on the part of Rhiow, her team, and their new allies -- more the literary equivalent of a good suspense movie than an action-hero one. And also unlike some other reviews, I didn't think the battle with the Lone One was "tacked on" or unnecessary. In fact, it was almost inevitable after the cats foil Her plans for Queen Victoria. Think about it -- if you were a selfish, vindictive Power who was absolutely sure you were going to win, and suddenly your scheme was stopped in its tracks, wouldn't you be furious and decide to rid yourself of the "obstacles" once and for all? The book even leaves room for another sequel (maybe the further adventures of Arhu and Siffha'h?) and more bliss for cat lovers. I'll be keeping my figurative whiskers attuned for it!



3. All Duane's fantasy--the "Tale of the Five," the "Young Wizards" series which takes place in the same Universe as this book and its prequel--turns on the unending battle between the Powers That Be (the forces of life, or what a Star Wars fan might call "the Light Side") and the Lone Power (the renegade god whom Christians term "the Devil"), each aided by its own mortal adherents and sometimes willing, sometimes unaware pawns. In this story, feline wizard and Worldgate technician Rhiow and the survivors of her team--opera-loving tom Urruah and visionary kitten Arhu--must travel to London to try to repair a malfunctioning gate (cats, unlike humans, can both see and manipulate the "strings" that make the gates work). Gradually they discover that an alternate England has been brought into being through the scheming of the Lone Power, and threatens to overwhelm their own reality and end all life on Earth. To prevent it from doing so, they must forestall the assassination of the alternate Queen Victoria in her very bed--and the way they do it could only be accomplished by cats.

   As always seems to be true in Duane's work, there are touches of tragedy--the fate of the gallant London teamleader Huff and his beloved mate Auhlae may make you reach for the Kleenex box. But her alternate England is splendidly imagined, and there are light moments as well, like Rhiow's reflections on the possibility of finding a mate for her widowed human, Mike. Saurian wizard Ith reappears and performs gallantly, and his and the cats' interaction with a young Arthur Conan Doyle is charming. Now, Diane, when can we hope to see another adventure of Rhiow and her team?




4. New York City as a setting was more appealing to me than Britain. I suspect Duane has spent more time in NYC and can make the place more vivid than London as well. Still, the book is entertaining and definitely worth reading even if you haven't read the first book in the series.
   
   "To Visit the Queen" will stand alone from "Book of Night with Moon", but I believe reading the two books in order is a better option.



5. Very good book! I had looked forward to it for a long time. From Ms. Duane's website, I'd gotten the impression that it was the third book after "Book of Night with Moon" and "On Her Majesty's Wizardly Service". Have you ever saved an anticipated book carefully for the perfect time, only to open it up and discover that you've already read it? These are the same book under different titles, unfortunately. Apart from that, I recommend it.

1 comments about Retired Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry Reveals His Personal JFK ASSASSINATION FILE Limited Collectors Edition.

1. As the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service (and President Kennedy's interaction with the agency), I was much interested in this book by the late DPD Chief Jesse Curry (who drove the lead car in the fateful Dallas motorcade of 11/22/63; the other passengers were Sheriff Bill Decker ***and*** Secret Service agents Win Lawson and Forrest Sorrels, both of whom I spoke to and/ or corresponded with). This is quite a rare book...and a good one, at that. What Chief Curry has to say about the JFK case is VERY important, to say the least. In fact, his work was an important part of my book, as well. Get this! Vince Palamara