Edward Jay Epstein (1935–2024)

This is less than 100 pages, and has some very interesting aspects. He describes how he first got involved with looking at the Warren Comm report as a college student, and how that led to some very compelling contacts and questions. In doing research for a project he spoke with most of the members of the commission, and in later years spoke with various FBI and CIA officials/veterans.

The book is not organized as most books would be, but is generally just journal entries covering interviews show more and steps. A good portion relates to a former KGB official, who was either a defector or a double agent. The man supposedly would have known if Oswald had connections/support from Russia. The last part of the book deals with Cuba, and CIA efforts to kill Castro. There were significant steps during Sept-Nov of 1963. If that also involved double agents, did Castro know of those efforts? Did Cuba then either directly or indirectly influence Oswald? An earlier section chronicles Epstein's knowledge of Jim Garrison and his efforts to prosecute Clay Shaw. show less

This is a great book if you really want to learn how movie studios make their money. I know of some economics but I am not a wiz.

Epstein really breaks it down and it is a quick read. It's is a little disheartening that real thought-provoking movies are going to be few and far in between since they don't make any real money. Looks like it'll still be style over substance because style sells like mad.

Choosing to read this book is based on a fundamental question - is Edward Snowden a hero? Most people in the United States have an opinion of Snowden and my guess is that very few people who think he is a hero will be interested in reading this book. Epstein does a very thorough job of describing Snowden's background and then walking through the hours between when Snowden left Honolulu and when he exited the airport in Moscow. Epstein's reporting does an excellent job of asking some basic show more questions such as why did Snowden take so many documents and how did he as a contractor get access to such high level documents? The book often treads over the same ground and repeatedly makes the same point in different chapters but overall presents a clear and succinct argument that Snowden may not have had the best of intentions. Overall an enjoyable book which made me question my true opinion of Edward Snowden. show less

This was a great read for me. Looking at what others think, this book appears to be one of those that you either love or hate and there is just no in between. I loved it. The author is an investigative journalist for Vanity Fair magazine. He looks at a series of crimes that were either unsolved, solved but had questions surrounding the final outcome or solved but not necessarily a true solve.

Each chapter discusses a crime. They range from Jack the Ripper to Marilyn Monroe. From DSK and his show more discreditation thus successfully barring him from becoming President of France to money laundering, theft and the mafia's possible involvement in a Vatican conspiracy. Political assassinations, headline crimes and conspiracies - he touches on both the well known and the unknown.

Some of the headline crimes that have been rehashed a thousand times in the media are treated more cursorily with the interesting part being the authors conclusion based on his own and others research. On the less well known cases, he goes into great detail in order to lead the reader through the ins and outs of the case. In all cases, the authors draws a conclusion about what he thinks has occurred and if the crime was satisfactorily solved or not.

At the end of the book, he offers a reading list for those interested in delving further into these crimes. I liked the book because there were things I had never heard about or knew very little. I loved the style because it was like reading a compendium of articles rather than a book with an ongoing narrative.

That style of compiling articles is what may throw some readers. Those looking for an ongoing narrative thread from story to story will not be satisfied. Although he does group the crimes somewhat, these are basically stand alone stories - some short, some long. It also is not American centric. For people uninterested in crimes going on in other parts of the world, they might prefer to give this one a miss. For me, it was like a great cheese plate - lots of choices in different flavors and sizes. A great book for crime buffs. show less