Yeah, I still have the same old gripes about Truman's overall writing style (or lack thereof), but they've lessened in intensity now that she's found in Mac Smith a decent sleuth. Too bad I know it won't last. (See my review for Murder in the Pentagon.)

...

Margaret Truman has woven together her knowledge of Washington
politics and a great mystery in "Murder at the Kennedy Center."
And she sure knows how to interweave a complicated plot. As soon
as Mac agrees to take a ace, he runs into countless problems:
Senator Ewald, it seems, has not be as...
his political supporters might believe; ...Soon a South American dictator and a
conservative evangelist muddy the waters even more.

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery, he learns more about his
friend than perhaps he had wanted to know. In a short period of
time, he has a long list of suspects!

Truman has done an excellent job of creating vivid characters and
developing a plot that will keep you alert. She has also managed
to mirror a number of contemporary politicians and headlines in
this novel; I think you'll have fun deciding who is being
modeled.

The description of a Democratic party gala is described with the intimacy of one who has actually attended such an affair. It is for this reason that the reader trusts the author in the other relevant portions of the plotting and structure of this well-told tale of mayhem in our nation's capital. This is a fine addition to the author's stunning series of mystery novels using the backdrop of the great institutions of Washington, D. C.

Although Sorenson's book might have taken a beating since Camelot's golden days, it remains an invaluable classic for those interested in Presidential biographies. Sorenson doccuments what he felt made Kennedy a leader....and what ultimately impacted us when he was assasinated.

Aside from personally destroying potential evidence in the Oswald case--a note from Oswald in November 1963 that could have shed light on Oswald's frame of mind around the time of the assassination--what does Hosty know to increase our understanding of the JFK assassination? He knows nothing about the real nature of Oswald's activities in New Orleans in 1963--events leading up to the assassination. He knows nothing about the possible role of the USG in the assassination. Forget about Cuba or Russia's role in the assassination events. Could they have switched key frames in the Zapruder film for the use of the Warren Commission? Hoover himself admitted to the FBI's role in this "mistake." Did the Cubans or Russians hide information from the Warren Commission? No, Allen Dulles did so. Did the Cubans or Russians manipulate the writing of the Warren Report? No, Gerald Ford admitted that he changed the language of the report regarding where one of the bullets struck Kennedy (making the report inaccurate but trying to force data into a preconceived notion). Try the books of Dick Russell or Jim Garrison or Gaeton Fonzi instead in order to gain understanding of the events of 1963.

Like I said in the title, it is an interesting read. Hosty deals with the assasination as he perceived it (and it was he who investigated Oswald). He also tries to brush off any conspiracy theories pertaining to the shooting, in particular Stone's "JFK". I must say he does a pretty good job at it, with his claims being solidly motivated. However, I still stubbornly choose to believe in the conspiracy.

Hosty's book provides a candid recounting of the tragic events of Nov. 22, 1963. While Hosty acknowledges his own mistakes, he tries to put the president's assassination in proper context and explain what was really happening behind "closed doors." An exciting read, and a must read for buffs. Hosty's candid recounting will surely get under the skin of conspiracy theorists.