Assassinations Books

The author opens with a detailed biography of Lyndon Johnson that removes the veneer of 'presidentiality' from Johnson and shows him as a greedy, fearful, mean man with an all-consuming need for power. McClellan then builds his case against Johnson by describing events earlier in Johnson's life in which foul acts were performed for a momentary advantage. Quite a bit of detail is provided about the stuffing of the ballot box which allowed Johnson to win his seat in the US Senate in 1948 and also about the murder of the USDA inspector, Henry Marshall, who was on the trail of fraud being perpetrated on the Department of Agriculture. The original investigation found that Marshall had committed suicide...with five bullets in his body delivered by a close Johnson associate, Mac Wallace. Another murder victim was Doug Kinser who was threatening to bring scandal to Johnson. Mac Wallace was then convicted of killing Kinser but, thanks to Johnson's power over the Texas legal system, was sentenced to 5 years in prison and given a suspended sentence.

It is Wallace that the author alleges was one of the trigger men in the sniper's nest along with Oswald. As proof, the author matches a fingerprint found on a box in the sniper's nest with one of Wallace's earlier fingerprints obtained for the Kinser murder to place Wallace on the 6th floor of the School Book Depository. The author provides a lot of other interesting information such as pointing out that it was Johnson who arranged for Kennedy to visit Texas on November 22, 1963 and that Johnson had given a copy of the Secret Service plans for protecting the president to the conspirators.

McClellan also claims that there was a third trigger man on the grassy knoll who he does not identify and he claims that the conspirators wore suits and used fake Secret Service badges to identify themselves to police and escape the scene after the shooting. There is some credibility to this as many of the shooting eye witnesses and police officers reported encountering secret service agents in Dealey Plaza after the shooting and yet the Warren Commission established that not a single secret service agent was present in Dealey Plaza other than those riding on vehicles. One of the weaker parts of the book is where McClellan claims that the entire conspiracy was the work of a crooked Johnson lawyer named Ed Clark. It seems much more likely that the conspiracy was large enough that the lawyer Clark was working closely with other a handful of rogue agents from the CIA and the secret service and that the final conspiracy was a 'team' effort.

This is an interesting book that fleshes out a lot of missing pieces of the assassination puzzle and makes some of the earlier stuff attributed to Johnson, such as his phone call to the Parkland Hospital ER seeking a dying confession from Oswald, much more believable.

After reading this book, you will never again look the same way at the famous photo of Johnson getting a wink from Congressman Albert Thomas on board Air Force One after being sworn in as the president following Kennedy's killing.

This book is almost as phony as his son's recent book about President Bush. I guess making things up and lying for money runs in the family. Can't wait until he sells the film rights to Oliver "Che" Stone.

I hope that being the son-in-law of Page Keeton (expert on Torts law and U of Texas Law School Dean) lends credibility to this tome of LBJ's involvement with the men and actions surrounding JFK's death. It's interesting that so many lawyers would be involved, but who better to help cover the tracks of the conspirators? If I had not seen the History Channel's The Men Who Killed Kennedy: The Guilty Men, I might have gotten lost in the myriad of names and dates. I wanted the Audible version but the reviews said the written book was better as the author (not a professional reader) read his own work. Recommended for conspiracy theorists and JFK buffs.

Strange book; it starts off promisingly but then moves from factual data to 'faction' and at that point becomes riddled with errors and unnecessary speculation. If McClellan had just stuck to the facts of what he knew this would have been a far more credible book.

I've read quite a few books on the JFK assassination. This one makes the most sense to me. The book doesn't go into a lot of technical detail like the ballistics, Zapruder Film, witnesses, medical evidence, etc. I think that trying to "prove" who carried out the assassination using physical evidence is problematic at this point in time, because so much of it has been altered, stolen, or just disappeared. Several researchers even say that the Zapruder film has been altered. The only evidence the author uses is a fingerprint found on the 6th floor of the TBD that doesn't match Oswald's. A fingerprint expert does match the print to someone named Mac Wallace. You will have to read the book to find out who Mac Wallace was. Most of the book deals with LBJ from his early days up to the assassination. The author describes how LBJ uses power and political contacts to pull off the crime of the century. This may be the last book on the JFK assasination you will need to read.

As an avid fan of Patterson's novels, I think this may be his best effort. An action-packed page-turner with well-developed, likable characters, it also provides an interesting background on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that leads (or at least led me to) further study and interest. Not only could I not put this book down, but I almost immediately began studying the conflict afterward, and feel quite educated as a result. Patterson does an excellent job of exploring the conflict from a neutral point of view, and encouraging the reader to seek out additional resources for further education - all the while providing an entertaining storyline that keeps you turning the pages late in to the hight.

The Exile lures you into its story slowly but surely and then explodes you forward into a sun storm of character and drama. The best novels are those which keep you turning page after page while thinking, "... what would I do?...". You find yourself shutting the book and just thinking for awhile and then not being able to walk away, opening it back up and plunging in again. This is that type of novel. Here a decent man with an old secret love finds himself sinking toward giving up all he holds dear to save that person who may be a terrorist. A new love must fall into question. A career must fall away. All is sacrificed upon the altar of truth. It's a great book and will capture your mind and heart. Be prepared to be held captive while you almost become "the exile".

I was disappointed in this purchase for two reasons: It took a long time to arrive and the book was not in good condition as it was described. The cover was bent and it was clearly very used, not in good condition as advertised.

A simple question: Who's to blame for the last 60 years of violence in the Middle East?

The next time you hear someone say: "It's all Israel's fault!" or "Blame the Palestinians!," give them a copy of Richard North Patterson's novel, "Exile." Unlike many partisan writers, Patterson clearly sees both sides of this terrible conflict, using his fictional characters to expose the deep roots of the ongoing violence that affects us all.

Here's a quick PLOT SUMMARY: David Wolfe is a successful Jewish attorney in San Francisco with political aspirations and a bright future. Although he's engaged to a nice Jewish woman, we also learn that he had a secret affair with a Palestinian beauty named Hana Arif while at Harvard Law School 13 years ago.

Out of the blue, the prime minister of Israel -- a peace loving man modeled after Yitzhak Rabin -- is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco. Guess whom the government accuses of masterminding the crime? You got it! David Wolfe's old girlfriend, Hana. Now guess who gets to defend her in court?

The next 500 pages of the novel chronicle David's painful search for truth as he travels to Israel, the occupied West Bank and southern Lebanon. In graphic detail, we experience the horrific suffering on both sides of the conflict. It's a good example of how fiction can teach us things we can't necessarily learn from history books, such as the immense emotional toll of violence on children and families. Best of all, the author doesn't force us to take sides -- we are compelled to think for ourselves. (What a great concept in this age of pre-packaged ideological "solutions.")

"Exile" includes several interesting subplots about Hamas, Fatah and the fundamentalist Israeli settlers, all of whom have contributed to the current mess -- not to mention international players like Iran, America and Syria. In the end, we see the terrible price of vengeance -- across nations, across generations and across cultures. As Gandhi said: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

While I truly enjoyed this novel, my main criticisms are as follows:

-- It's about 30% too long. A strong editor could have cut at least 200 pages from the book's length without losing much of the storyline.

-- The romantic sections are not particularly believable, particularly when he's describing Hana's passion.

-- The opposing attorney, a female prosecutor named Sharpe, is a bit of a cartoon cut-out instead of a real person.

On the plus side, the end pages of this novel include maps of the Middle East, the West Bank and the old city of Jerusalem. Very helpful stuff.

Overall, I give Patterson four stars. If you can get past the first 150 pages or so, you'll be well rewarded. Shalom and Assalamu alaikum.

Exile
I found it hard to wait until bedtime which is the only point in the day when I relax with a good novel (and I am good at picking good ones). I particularly like courtroom dramas and, at 79, I've read a lot of them. EXILE is about the best of them that I remember. It combined the complications (often fascinating)of the legal points offered and rebutted--- with believable perspectives on both sides as well as with interesting and informative insights into the Israeli/Palestinian issues.
I actually felt sad to finish it and no longer have it available.
Monty Berman Ithaca, NY

An excellent, sanely written overview of all the evidence concerning the Kennedy assassination.

This book is written by a professional Dallas-based reporter who knows what he is talking about.

If you really want to know what happened on November 22, 1963 in Dallas and why the President was murdered, then get this book. Jim Marrs does not give us another crazy theory about what took place that day. He thoroughly interviewed many witnesses and wrote what they said they saw and heard.
He spent 25 years investigating all aspects of the assassination. He informs the reader of the political climate at that time, and what policy changes President Kennedy was making and planning to make that angered the establishment. He talks about people in high places who not only feared the President, but hated the Kennedy's. Marrs writes that a cover-up of the assassination actually began before November 22, 1963. Read the book and make up your own mind. The documentation and evidence presented will astonish you!

CROSSFIRE discusses all the many links to the Kennedy copnpiracy in a lucid, straight forward way. Your head will spin.

Jim Marrs did his homework on this book. It is more of an encyclopedia than a book. Any 'lone assassin' believer, if he or she is willing to read this book, should come to understand the complexity of this case.
However, don't read this book if you are expecting to be told who killed JFK.
People, start to think for yourselves!

"The big daddy of the conspiracy books on the JFK assassination, and one that can't be taken lightly. A sheer tour de force that may be the final word until 2039--when government files on the case can be unlocked."

If you want a thorough examination of the assassination then this book alone is comprehensive; of course I wouldn't stop researching more evidence on the subject.

this book is about a woman who goes down to south america, in the jungle, to escape from certain complications in her life. she somehow or another ends up in this house, gets her leg half chewed off by some jaguar and is forced to let a hot stranger take care of her. and it's a paranormal romance, so i guess you'll find out in what respect if you chance upon picking it up.

i guess i should start off by saying i'm not that big a romance reader. i'm not a fan of the caliber of writing and feel that most books like this attempt to pass off a bad storyline/ writing ability with emotional angst and sex, and from what i've read of the genre most books fill this profile, but they're read anyways because of the emotional attachment or whatever. anyways, this book also falls under this category as i felt the author developed the characters very hastily and for the purpose of heightening the sexual tension rather than general progression of the story and characters, but then again this is a romance i guess and the whole point of the story. this is more my personal discontent with reading books like these... not really specific to this book, that is to say that when i picked up this book i expected this level of writing and am not overly outraged at finding such.

what i did find successful about the book was that the author did keep me wanting to know what happened next. this book was better than some others i've read in the genre and i think that this author is more affective than some other romance authors out there. she captures a sense of possession well, or i guess i should say a desire for possession. and she isn't too bad with words either, not to say she's a master wordsmith, but it successfully fills the qualifications of the genre

This is an awesome series. Very HOT!! A great addition for Christine Feehan-aholics!!

I don't know why I am drawn back to this book time after time, but I read it over and over. I can't help it. She gets her. He heals her, they begin to fall into an ageless and selfless love. I am a sucker for this stuff.

This is just a horrible book. The characters are flat, the writing is unimaginative, and the subject is trite.

I thought that there would be no match for "dark gold." I was completely wrong. Wild rain I think now, would have to be on my top #1 romance book followed by dark gold and conspiracy game. I love the area, the whole animal idea and the characters are exceptional! I would like for more of these to be written!

I love spy thrillers, but this one fizzled out after a strong start. The writing was so poor starting about 100 pages in, I gave up soon after. Lynds repeatedly tells us what the character is feeling rather than showing us, and I hate that, it is a hallmark of poor fiction writing.

The first several chapter though, were quite strong, and very reminiscent of Ludlum. Did he write the first few chapters for his protege before he passed away? I don't know, but it's hard not to think so when the book took such an abrupt turn for the worst.

Great story! Im so glad that this sequel to the Masquerade was written as I loved the characters and really want to get to know them even more...please keep the series coming!

Liz Stansborough is a professor in Santa Barbara, CA where she instructs her students on what is an all too real aspect of her life - violence. She is a product of the CIA at Langley, VA and her father was the notorious assassin, The Carnivore. There have long been suspected files that are rumored to be the Carnivore's kill files. And these files seem to have surfaced as a valuable blackmail tool. Liz, herself, becomes a target of the blackmailer as well as other nefarious groups that want these files at all costs. Who can Liz trust and will she be able to save her own life and the reputation of her father?

This book is really bad. Of all the thrillers out there, this one tries to steal the plot twists and turns but, in the end, is boring. The characters do not peak any interest or instill any loyalty and if you continue to turn the pages it will be out of a respect for reading books, not out of any interest in this story. The plot is painfully slow and does nothing to move the story along. Of the millions of murder/mystery/spy/thriller/page turners out there, this one is dismally low in the count.

Though the author explains at the end how the plot of this novel came to her mind, I do not yet know what she had in mind when she wrote The Coil

There are key elements that a great spy novel cannot afford to lack, and in The Coil you will never find, a bottomline fiery existent mystery to entice the readers, a very well strong developed character (either a lovable hero or a bad guy or both), ingenious twist and turns (I could not find even a single one), action packed suspense and a deep background research to make it believable,

Instead, The Coil exhibits and array of cardboard characters and silly situations that quickly turn into a chaotic maelstrom and at one point one gets lost and drowns in an ocean roiled with cardboard characters, cities and situations, most of them similar in substance, (and wonders - what is the author after ?), and with this scheme the story plods along all the way to the end

In addition, language and dialogues are very poor and there is neither climate nor emotion

I thought, I just had found a lovable spy book in the line of Frederic Forsyth blockbusters but made a big mistake.

It's incomrehensible that someone would give this 4 or 5 stars. I was interested in this book since I heard the author say she researched the Bilderberg Group for 8 years. Full disclosure, I'm only halfway in but instead of providing any illumination as to the Bilderberg Group agenda, besides the obvious (globalization) this follows a tired formula.

But the worst part is what one reviewer correctly described as the tin-eared dialogue. In addition, there are the fanciful names, the lack of believable emotion or plot, and, again, the writing overall. This is just terrible; the writers who really did this well were LeCarre in The Spy who Came in from the Cold and Alan Furst provides some really nice writing to go with his spy novels.

Very easy quick read.Great for plane trips. Jesse is a very interesting person. A fine patriot. The book describes his entire life very well. I hope there are more people thinking like he does. A third party is a must for this country. The country needs some serious reform. A person like Jesse Ventura can do it.

I heard him on Howard Stern and I wanted to read the book since that is what he was talking about. It is great. Best book that I have read all year. He talks about his life and his views on politics which I agree with everything he has to say on it. GIVE IT A READ, ITS REALLY GOOD!

If you only read one book this year make it this one! I agree with Jesse on all issues. The democrates , and republicans sold us Americans out a very long time ago. Different sides of the same coin.
The biggest threat to our country is the control of our major media. It's time to wake up America!
The unfederal no reserve bank (FACT) is driving our country into the dirt!!
Plus the lies of 9/11 are an outrage! I don't want to try and convince anyone, just look and decide for yourself.
Most will say Holy s**T! but what can i do?
PASS IT ON !
Jesse Ventura would make one hell of a good president! He would have my vote!

Great book. Insights into the way Jesse thinks and feels about issues. Jesse For President!

This man is a true rough around the edges guy who has been serving his country since his youth, like his family. He is a rough and tumble guy who will tell you like it is with no sugar coating, excess calories nor fat and this comes too much for some to handle. He has risked his life serving his country in numerous ways and in his Epilogue shows what could happen. I really admire this countryman in his long legacy of non-conventionality ... which is not unlike our founding fathers. He has the guts to spill the required patriotic blood for our tree of liberty and the very least everyone could do is read just 300 pages.

Fascinating read, although I'no not sure I buy in to all the conspiracy theories surrounging the death of Pope John Paul I. Still worth the read to stimulate thinking about the Vatican and its inner-workings. Makes you think.

From 1978 to 1983, the Vatican's strategy was to suppress the memory of the liberal 33 day pope and the true circumstances of his mysterious death. Then in 1984, David Yallop's `In God's Name' did a riveting job in proving this pope was murdered. In 1985, the Vatican recruited clergy in several countries to write brief biographical sketches that painted him out to be a man who ignored the issues of his day and spent his life on his knees. Nothing could be further from the truth, as for twenty years as a bishop he had been a rampaging locomotive running about the Vatican, the courts and Parliament of Italy struggling for human rights for the oppressed; the reason he had risen to the papacy.

There have been several books written about this pope's unwitnessed death, of which I would give only two of them more than one star. Many of the others have been commissioned by the Vatican to spread the misconception that this man died of a heart attack. Only two of them tell the truth. This book 'In God's Name' and 'Murder in the Vatican' by Lucien Gregoire.

Whereas, no one is going to walk away from either of these books without the firm conviction this man was murdered, there is a difference. Yallop claims the Pope was murdered because of his involvement in the Vatican Bank. Gregoire presents compelling proof that two Opus Dei bishops, who rose to high rank shortly after the Polish pope was elected, conspired with factions of the CIA and British Intelligence in the murders of John Paul and a dozen of his closest allies involved in the war on poverty in the fall of 1978.

Yet, the credit goes mostly to Yallop, for had he not written his book, all the others would have never written their books.

Murder in the Vatican: The Revolutionary Life of John Paul and The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders

This is an erudite accounting of BOTH the putative murder of Pope John Paul I and Vatican finances. Written by an editor of the Wall Street Journal, this book reads like an arcane mystery or true crime book. It is a good reminder that the love of money breeds evil. A must read for crime buffs and good Catholics (I am one!)

Murder in the Vatican: The Revolutionary Life of John Paul and The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders

In 1984, David Yallop's `In God's Name' did a riveting job in proving this Pope was murdered. In fact, no one is going to walk away from this book without the firm conviction this man was murdered. Nevertheless, through the years, Yallop's best seller has ignited a mass of `papal murder' literature, most of which like Paul Williams' `The Vatican Exposed' adhere to Yallop's convincing hypothesis John Paul was murdered because of his involvement in the Vatican Bank. There are a few like `A Thief in the Night' by John Cornwell which try unsuccessfully to prove Yallop wrong - that this Pope died a natural death. It is a tall order to challenge Yallop's contention this Pope was murdered, as the facts as published in the world press which he details in brilliant methodical fashion prove his case.

Concerning `why' the Pope was murdered, there are a few books which differ from the mainstream. One author, Lucien Gregoire, takes the investigation in a different direction. In `The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders' Gregoire writes, "`The death of the pro-Communist Pontiff Paul VI gave the CIA the opportunity to force election of a pro-American Pope. The CIA joined factions sponsoring the Opus Dei anti-Communist candidate Polish Cardinal Wojtyla. When Luciani (John Paul I), an avowed Marxist in every sense of the word, particularly in his ambition to rid the world of poverty, was elected, it struck a nerve of shattering proportions in the United States. Particularly so, in that, as a cardinal, Luciani had openly supported Oscar Romero and the revolutionaries in Central America. As a pope, he changed the theme of the upcoming Pueblo (Mexico) Conference from 'Liberation Theology' to 'Liberation of the Poor' - he preferred to feed them food rather than faith - and announced that he, himself, would attend it. The perils of potential multi-Cubas became imminent. The dangers to the security of the United States had become real. . ."

Yet, no one should read any book concerning the revolutionary life and mysterious death of this Pope without first reading `In God's Name', the classic Blueprint for Murder of a Pontiff.

Murder in the Vatican: The Revolutionary Life of John Paul and The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders

Yallop does a riveting job in proving this pope was murdered; something that most Europeans already know, yet, Americans find hard to accept.

Anyone who takes the time to read `In God's Name' will find that Yallop's investigation is not based on assumptions or conjecture, but absolute fact. Yallop presents substantial evidence pointing to Cardinal Villot, the Vatican Secretary of State, and Paul Marcinkus, the President of the Vatican Bank, as being among the culprits. I followed Albino Luciani for many years and I have read every book about his death, and I have found that all of Yallop's copycats have concluded that these two were among the conspirators.

Recently I found an exception. Lucien Gregoire's `Murder in the Vatican - The CIA, Opus Dei and the 1978 Murders' points its finger in another direction. Gregoire writes, "`The death of the pro-Communist Pontiff Paul VI gave the CIA the opportunity to force election of a pro-American Pope. The CIA joined factions sponsoring the Opus Dei anti-Communist candidate Polish Cardinal Wojtyla. When Luciani (John Paul I), an avowed Marxist in every sense of the word, particularly in his ambition to rid the world of poverty, was elected, it struck a nerve of shattering proportions in the United States. Particularly, in that, as a cardinal, Luciani had openly supported Oscar Romero and the revolutionaries in Central America. The perils of potential multi-Cubas became imminent. The dangers to the security of the United States had become real. . ." CIA-Vatican intrigue of the first rank. Gregoire's book is supported by hundreds of direct press and other references that prove his case. see JohnPaul1 org

Yet, anyone interested in this subject, should begin with `In God's Name'. There is a reason why it sold over six million copies. It's the tops, you know.

BHL is a specialist in intox and here the rape of conscience against a backdrop of megalomania (his own).

His portrait is quite rightly camped in "Une imposture française" by French journalists Nicolas Beau and Olivier Toscer where "Who Killed Daniel Pearl" is analyzed into its component field. There is evidence that BHL was in a physical impossibility to reach the scene of the execution of journalist Daniel Pearl and that any description of the scene is fantastic.

I quote Mrs. Daniel Pearl, the widow of murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, in response to this rag overstated: Bernard-Henri Levy is a man whose "ego destroyed intelligence."

BHL is an imposter in agreement with the Larrousse: "a person who deceives by false appearances, which is pretending to be someone else."

Reader, do not be fooled nor accomplice.

Bernard Henri Levy is the sometimes controversial investigative French reporter/novelist who has been on assignment for a variety of publications all over the world. In going after the story of Daniel Pearl, which "morphed" into this fascinating account, Levy was no stranger to the risks of Pearl's path, boldly going along the paths followed by Pearl into Pakistan, where he died.

The book is intriguing, long, complicated, and may be slightly "off" for readers because of the nature of the translation to English, but nevertheless, it kept me awake for hours.

Levy details the facts as we know them, but his speculation is wide-ranging. He clearly outlines that many of the questions he asks and conclusions he draws are his own, and not necessarily the product of a factual, totally nonfiction account (avoiding the Frey problem of last year!).

Daniel Pearl was on assignment in brutal Pakistan for the Wall St. Journal when he was kidnapped. We believe his kidnap was the plot of Islamic fanatics, and the government of Pakistan enlisted international groups and conducted a frantic search for Pearl throughout the country. Pearl, a Jew, was found brutally murdered, and the video of how he died was released in shadowy form on the internet.

In pursuing the investigation, sometimes at the risk of his own life, Levy raises legitimate concerns about the nature and timeline of the Pakistani authorities' investigation, and Pearl's meeting with Omar Sheikh, who was educated in the west. Levy weaves in speculation about Sheikh, a crime syndicate, the militant Al Fuqrah and even speculates that the crime was perpetrated by the state of Pakistan, backing a variety of terrorist organizations.

He wonders aloud if Pearl was "on to" Al Qaida, and its offshoots on American soil. He wonders what the role of the CIA was, and how the events that led to Daniel Pearl's death related to what Pearl may have learned about the murky beginnings of the 9/11 plot.

Levy risked his own life, and creates an account, that, while speculative and sometimes rambling, is a page-turner. He spends time drawing out the history of fanaticism, particularly as it relates to Islamic terrorism. He shows how hatred has been nurtured and was brought to bear on Daniel Pearl, who suffered his death for his country and for his religion. Did he suffer also because of what he learned about the role of the US and Pakistani governements, and did that cause his eventual death? Pearl's wife has been loud in her praise of the efforts of both governments to prevent his senseless slaughter, but does she really know what caused his death?

When you have finished Levy's account, you will be left not with answers, but with a vague and terrifying sense of unease.... of evil. And it is this feeling of unease that lets you know that Levy's made a particularly brilliant write.

I picked up this book at a used bookstore in Ojai. Because I knew Levy was a philosopher, I expected the book to be about the meaning of Pearl's execution. It turned out to be a page-turner adventure story about Levy's investigation, with stops in Karachi, Islamabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Dubai, Delhi, and Los Angeles and a huge and often shady cast of characters, many with multiple aliases. Ultimately Levy's investigation leads to a lot of conjecture about who was responsible for what and the purpose of the murder. It would be almost impossible for all of the conjecture to be true, but just as impossible for all of it to be false. An amazing work, regardless.

This is another of those books which by the very provocative nature of its title invites apprehension and misunderstanding from those who have not read it.

Other reviewers have summarized the contents of the book quite adequately, so I shall confine my description to this: the volume details Bernard-Henri Levy's one year investigation into the circumstances surrounding the 2002 murder of journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan. Levy is on the ground in Karachi, Los Angeles, London, and just about anywhere else on this planet that served as a backdrop to any of the major players - those we know of, anyway - in this tragedy.

The key point being: it's Levy's subjective investigation report and derivative thoughts. It's not CSI. It's not a Fox News sanitized, agenda-laden report. It's BHL doing what he does best: grabbing a live situation and filtering it through the sieve of his own experience and mindful analysis. The result is mesmerizing. Levy's style, to oversimplify, is an evolutionary step beyond that innovated by Capote: Levy takes a real life story, writes it in the manner of a novel, and (here is where he moves away from the Capote model) personally insinuates himself into the plot as the observer.

When I read Levy, I place myself as the silent person over his shoulder, watching what he watches, and hearing what he hears. I ride along in the car, climb the stairs, step into the back rooms that have the blood on the floor and the kids playing outside. By reading in this manner, one can more fully enter into Levy's inner dialogue, and mentally join the discussion. It's rather a psychic travelogue. Imagine sitting in a caf? listening to a friend who has just returned from, say, Lahore, describing what he saw and who he spoke with, and what he thought. That's the attitude of this book. I can smell the hotel lobbies, hear the cacophony of the streets, and feel my cold perspiration when the cab is pulled over by a Pakistani policeman with an automatic weapon.

Some reviewers have called this work anti-Islam, or anti-Daniel Pearl, or anti-American. Some reviewers (American themselves no doubt) seem to have stopped at the point they realize BHL is French, and then walk away, caught up in the present Francophobe lunacy. It's a shame, as they obviously haven't read the book, and therefore they miss the boat along with any hope of a progressive discussion. It's no more anti-Islam than, for example, writing about Bernadette Devlin would be anti-Christianity.

This book should be read by mindful people and thinking book clubs everywhere, as it brings to the fore notions that are not widely reported in the U.S. concerning certain nations who purport to be our allies, and perhaps do not always remain true to that allegiance. Or can't. It's an excellent glimpse into the furtive, dark, and complicated world of terror organizations that is rarely publicized in the States.

At my fantasy dinner party, I seat BHL next to Reza Aslan, and listen to them discuss these events, both those that befell Mr. Pearl, and those precedent - now there's a panel that would enlighten and inform us all.

The LA Times recently reported that Beacon Pictures is scheduled to begin this autumn filming a movie based on the book. It should prove interesting to see how and if the director captures BHL's academic musings on camera.

i cannot believe as i was reading through reviews of this book that i found some idiot trying to in-a-roundabout-fashion justify the murder of a (fellow american!) journalist. there is absolutely no evidence of pearl doing anything other than working as a reporter. heimiller you are a total cowardly a$$ and if i lived next to you i'd punch your teeth in for writing such nonsense.

This is actually a review of the entire four part series. Frankly if you read one you will want to read the rest even though they are a bit unequal in quality.

March Upcountry begins the series and introduces all of the characters. It is good action almost from the beginning. In many ways it is the best of the series. Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang MacClintock, heir tertiary to the throne of the Empire of Man is stranded by villainous forces on the primitive planet of Marduk along with a company of his personal body guards; an elite force of Imperial Marines. Prince Rog is a right silly fop, but along the way with encounters with various beasties and murderous natives, he falls in love, acquires a `slave' or advisor, or something called an `Asi,' an aged native warrior/philosopher. And he begins to develop into the hero we all had hoped for. Lots of good battle scenes and advice about `being a man' even if you're a woman.

March to the Sea continues the saga as Prince Rog and his marines fight their way across the planet trying to reach the space port where they hope for the chance to steal a ship and return to the Empire. Roger's development continues as do the endless battles which Weber and Ringo manage to make distinct and always interesting.

March to the Stars is the third and, at 640 pages, the longest in the series; it is also the weakest. Those familiar with Weber will be acquainted with his tendency to lapse into long diatribes about politics and such. There is a really long section on cannibalism and `Baalism,' whatever the deuce that is, but you can easily skip them. The book ends with some really good battles, sea monsters, space battles and the death of a major character (won't say who, you can't make me; it would just spoil it for you).

We Few finishes off the series. Prince Roger is now a full blown hero, swordsman, military genius, faithful friend, expert lover, and a good cook to boot. The battles here are a bit down played, but the palace intrigue is very good; the bad guys are really bad, the good guys really good. By mistake I read this volume first and it hooked me on the series.

Like most of Weber's writings, and I assume Ringo's, it is the first thing of his I have read, this is politically to the far right and has some really strange ideas. I think neither Weber nor Ringo has much use for religion and I agree, but they confuse that with `environmentalism' (a common theme in some modern SciFi for unknown reasons) and, as a life long environmentalist and an atheist, I don't get that. Great literature it isn't; but it is great fun. You could do a lot worse than this series.

This novel is a good follow-up to March to the Sea. It deals with the crossing of the sea, the contact on the opposite continent (ruled mainly by a rather brutal theocracy), the concerns about avoiding word of their arrival at Starport, and the eventual effort to take that port. I do not intend to collapse major plot threads on that topic.

Once again, though I do not know the writing breakdown of this book, it reads a LOT like John Ringo. Given the new business tactic of a better-named author outlining a series or novel which a lesser-known author writes, my general rule (except niven/pournelle) is that the author on top is to sell the book, and the one on bottom to write it. It is notable that in the life of this series Ringo has gone from relative unknown to (by last year) arguably more popular than weber.

If anything I think this was more interesting than the previous book. The 'reinventing the industrial age' of the previous novels is pretty much gone as the army sees the goal in reach. There is one major land battle of note, though what one expects to be a well-commanded enemy is replaced with a lesser one before this battle. As usual, it is quantity vs. quality.

There are a few plot surprises in the book, some of which set up the fourth novel.

very enjoyable book, and though it may not be clear from my review, this series has been impossible to put down.

March to the Stars is the third installment in a tetralogy. Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang MacClintock is the tertiary heir to the throne held by his mother the Empress. He must learn diplomacy and independence as well as leadership if he's going to return to his home and take his rightful place in the imperial government. First, however, he must cross a violent sea, traipse across a continent, conquer and spaceport and commandeer a ship - all with primitive weapons and very few remaining Marines. But he's Prince Roger and by this time, he can do anything - so long as he leaves bodies in his wake.

[the following text is the same for my reviews of all 4 books in the series.]

First the good points - It's a fast-paced and exciting military science fiction story which takes the reader from danger to danger quickly. The plot moves along and these two writers know how to spin an interesting story. I give kudos to them for hooking me and making me read to the end and want to pick up the final book in the series.

Now the bad. This book is set hundreds of years in the future, yet all the sayings, quotes, poems, and songs come from our recent military history. Everything out of the mouths of the troops was a cliche that I've heard hundreds of times. Can't these two writers create a new lexicon for a future military? Can't they replace the worn metaphors with something creative and cool for a future society? Wouldn't there have been another poet that Marines love to replace Rudyard Kipling?

Speaking of Cliches, every character was one - the tried and true marine sergeant, gruff and tough, but with a heart of gold - The commander who spouts philosophy while ordering a slaughter - the spoiled kid, born with a silver spoon who becomes an honorable man under combat duress. It's all here and it's all predictable. Don't Ringo and Weber's readers want to experience something new or are they all Corps veterans reliving a collective past rosier and more ideal than the reality?

Also, the authors' politics are front and center. I disagree with their assertions and it was starky annoying.

Still, decent reading if you can get past the negatives.

- CV Rick, April 2008

Another great effort. I am not sure why they call it space opera, its good ol sci-fi to me. If you've started the series you will want to read this too.

This is an excellent series. The 1st 3 books "March to the..." have a consistent look and feel They definitly deliver a very good read. I loaned a friend the 1st of the series and he wanted the next 2 books immediately!!!

I am looking forward the the next book because it will be in a completely different environment, and will require a different approach to the action.

I am also reading John Ringo's Polseen series, which is good, but not as good as this collaboration with David Weber.

This series is close but not quite up to the Honor Harrington series, my all time favorite SF series.

The book is okay. It is that simple. The prose are incoherent and it is very hard to tell who or what the subject of the sentence is. He tries to be far too clever with his sentence structure which results in being forced to read a sentence several times, sometimes understanding what he's talking about the fifth time, sometimes still confused but forced to move on
The most prominent of my complaints is that he is so repetitious. He will use the same adjectives to describe the same person over and over in almost identical sentences which begs the question: How long would this book be if he didn't repeat himself?
My final complaint is that he will write ad nauseam about the most mundane events and details and will examine the motives and come to a verdict while repeating the evidence almost verbatim to what he just wrote the paragraph before.
I haven't read another book on Bobby so I cannot compare it to other Bobby-books. However, since I was born in the eighties and did not live during all of this, it is new information and basically the only fact I can't give this a lower grade is because the information itself propels the book into mediocrity.

I was so looking forward to listening to this book and so frustrated with the outcome.

That part that I did listen to was written well but read poorly. Attempting to mimick the voice of Kennedy (and others) grows so old so quickly one would have thought it would have captured the eye of an editor sooner rather than later. But never? Alas, apparently that was not in anyone's job description.

If you must do anything buy the printed version.

Evan offers much insight into an unfinished life. He meets the mark of a good biographer; as a history this is a well-balanced read.

Bobby once famously said: "Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies". Mr. Thomas has done a commendable job of tracking that change, speaking to the better known facets of Bobby's personal as well as political evolution. Evan's book captures the antecedents: his awkwardness as a young Kennedy; the shadow, and then death of, his brother Jack; the opportunities to question the rigidity of his Catholic faith; his decision to align himself with McCarthy (Joe not Gene). These alternately help set the foundation for the evolution of Bobby from FDR politician to modern-day progressive. These help explain what caused a 1950's era government attorney concerned about Comintern penetration of the State Department to become a proponent of the United Farmworkers in its most radical years. Or those changes that caused the one-time skeptic of Martin Luther King to become one of his most ardent political champions.

Evans provides the rationale for the enmity shared by various mobsters, LBJ, and even Roy Cohn. His rationale is this: Bobby cared. Evans touches us when he describes Bobby as a man who strived to live lives as others did. The description of Bobby's pain witnessing the utter poverty of rural blacks in the 1960's Mississippi delta is palpable and authentic. But Bobby was also a shrewd strategist, adapting to a time when the solid south was no longer the dependable, conservative counterweight of the Democratic Party fulcrum, and the campus was no longer the only forum in America for frank discussion of problems in America. Bobby was not an opportunist, but he was a political realist, and in the days leading up to the '68 convention Bobby reflected not simply the changes occurring within the antiwar movement or the modern-day Democratic Party, but also those changes occurring all across America at that time.

Would Bobby have turned around a country that was heading down a path of "secret plans" to end the Vietnam War, Watergate, "Trickle Down" economics and South American puppeteering? Evan Thomas to his credit wrote a book about an unfinished life, and a good one at that. But for those interested in what might have been, that's a different book.

Although I was only 7 years old when he died I have talked to many people about the passion they felt for Bobby. Boy, could we use someone like that now. Although the book does not shy away from his sometime machiavellian tactics, it shows a person who was so affected by tragedy that he really cared. I see film clips of when he visited Buffalo, and the entire Niagara Square was packed with tens of thousands of people. I cannot think of anyone, short of the Bills after a super bowl win, that would garner that much enthusiasm. Evan Thomas captures that and draws the reader in. I actually felt empty when finishing the book and sad that I could think of no one today that could fill that void. Thomas also through thorough research seems to dispel the popular myth of Bobby as a womanizer. He was actually a devoted family man haunted by his brothers death but loyal to wife and children. Not so with Jack. When Bobby was in Indianapolis about to speak before a black audience it was announced that Martin Luther King had just been killed. He discarded his planned speech and relayed his own feelings of how he felt when his brother Jack was killed. It was totally ad-libbed and from the heart. Indianapolis was one of the few major cities not to erupt in violence. I wonder how different this country might be had he the opportunity to serve us.

The life and times of Robert Kennedy beg for a coherent and in depth book .... unfortunately this is not it. Living in the shadow of his presidential brother, the shadow of his oldest brother killed in WWII and the all encompassing shadow of his father, RFK was able to chisel out an identity of his own in US history before his tragic death. Hoping to gain some understanding/insight of/into this man's character and evolution from a sullen child to presidential candidate and everything in between, and a chonology of such things as his involvement in the US civil rights movement, McCarthyism, Cuba (Bay of Pigs and The Missle Crisis) and his relationship in the White House with his brother JFK... I was greatly disappointed. A glaring hole in this book is any serious treatment of RFK and Vietnam. What the book does contain are snippets, quotes and anecdotes, some mildly interesting, (i.e. RFK's role in the release of Martin Luther King from prison), without any cohesiveness and very little context. And although many of the conclusions reached in this volume are valid they are simply not borne out here. The book's attempt to cover significant parallel events is at best confusing and there is also an alarming amount of armchair psychology. I hate to be so hard nosed but the subject deserves much better than this book.