The Ultimate Quickie Booklist for the Chronically Curious and Mildly Conspiratorial
1. The Devil’s Chessboard by David Talbot
Main theory: The CIA, particularly Allen Dulles, played a far deeper role than the public knows… or wants to believe.
Affiliate link
Why it hits: Reads like a political thriller, but it’s meticulously sourced. If you read one book, make it this.
2. Final Judgment by Michael Collins Piper
Main theory: Explores Mossad’s potential involvement and connections between organised crime, intelligence, and international power structures.
Affiliate link to kindle version
Note: Harder to find now, some say it’s “too hot for mainstream shelves.”
Why it’s interesting: Even skeptics say it asks the kind of questions others won’t touch.
3. Someone Would Have Talked by Larry Hancock
Main theory: Exactly what it says on the tin – follows the breadcrumb trail of leaks, whispers, and ignored insiders.
Bookshop link
Why it stands out: Combines fact with plausible speculation, making a case for a deep cover-up over time.
4. Best Evidence by David S. Lifton
Main theory: JFK’s body was altered before the autopsy, to literally change the evidence.
Bookshop link
(cheapest I’ve found is £199 so you might want to look around)
Why it’s unforgettable: It’s the forensic rabbit hole… where the medical evidence becomes the story.
5. Inside the Assassination Records Review Board (5 vols.) by Douglas P. Horne
Main theory: The ARRB wasn’t just reviewing documents – it stumbled upon deep inconsistencies that still haven’t been addressed.
Note: Long, detailed, and not for the faint of heart (or short of time).
Vol 1 is here
Why it’s essential: For the JFK researcher who wants primary source juice.
6. Cosmic Trigger: The Final Secret of the Illuminati by Robert Anton Wilson
Main theory: Reality is a trip, and so is the JFK assassination ~ especially when viewed through chaos magick, Discordianism, and Timothy Leary’s contact list.
Affiliate link
Why it’s fun: Not strictly a JFK book ~ but it puts the conspiracy in context. Mind-bending and playful. (n.b. I put this in for comic relief but seriously if you’ve never read and RAW –now might be the time)
7. JFK to 9/11: Everything Is a Rich Man’s Trick by Francis Richard Conolly (with documentary tie-in)
Main theory: Connects Kennedy’s death to a global elite power grab stretching through to 9/11.
Affiliate link
Watch on YouTube (3+ hrs): Here’s a link
Why it’s interesting: Over the top? Maybe. But it helped many people start asking questions.
8. Under Cover of Night by Sean Fetter
Main theory: A new take tying JFK to covert networks operating behind the Cold War facade.
Affiliate Link
Why it’s notable: New book on the block. Sets out to demonstrate LBJ was suspect number one.
9. The Killing of a President by Robert Groden
Why it hits: A striking photographic deep dive into the JFK assassination –from the motorcade to the aftermath– packed with visuals, documents, and diagrams. A go-to for anyone wanting to see the case laid out frame by frame.
Affiliate link
Fun fact: Groden brought the Zapruder film to national TV in 1975, making sure the world saw the “head snap” for the first time.
10. Not in Your Lifetime by Anthony Summers
Main theory: There was a conspiracy, and Oswald didn’t act alone. Summers builds the case using newly released files and decades of interviews.
Affiliate link
Why it hits: Balanced and deeply researched. A great starting point for those wanting both detail and digestibility.
11. The Dark Side of Camelot by Seymour Hersh
Main theory: JFK’s public image was a façade. Behind it: corruption, cover-ups, and secret deals.
Affiliate link
Why it hits: More political scandal than assassination theory, but it contextualises why some wanted him out.
12. End of Days by James L. Swanson
Main theory: A meticulous, hour-by-hour account of JFK’s final day, focusing on the events leading up to and following the assassination.
Affililaite link
Why it hits: For readers seeking a comprehensive timeline of November 22, 1963, this book offers a detailed narrative without venturing into speculative theories. While it doesn’t explore conspiracy angles, it provides valuable context and insight into the day’s events.
Incidentally: Just two months before his assassination, JFK and Jackie filmed a lighthearted spy spoof where he jokingly staged being shot. It was part of a mock thriller project~eerily foreshadowing real events. Humour, perhaps, to cope with very real fears.
Incidentally on a Sidebar:
Many individuals connected to the JFK assassination: whether witnesses, investigators, or side characters – died under odd or sudden circumstances not long after November 22, 1963.
Oswald. Ruby. Florence Smith. Gary Bannister. Mary Pinchot Meyer. Jim Caddy. Gayle Underhill.
Coincidence? You decide.
Sidebar on a sidebar: The JFK Faked His Death Theory for the wild-side of conspiracy fans.
Main theory: He staged the assassination because he knew he was a marked man.
Watch: JFKX (affiliate link)
Why it breaks your brain: It asks you to believe that everything was theatre – including the Zapruder film.
“There are so many JFK books out there, from wild theories to sober analysis, we barely scratched the surface. Maybe we’ll circle back one day…”
BONUS BREADCRUMBS (because my next post is about Marilyn Monroe books in my actual shop).
13. Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summers
Main theory: Marilyn’s ties to the Kennedy brothers ran deeper – and darker – than anyone wanted to admit.
Affiliate link
Why it’s poetic-tragic: A tragic starlet. A dangerous triangle. One of the greatest adjacent mysteries to JFK’s death.
(Side note: if she had faked her death too, we’d absolutely be rooting for her.)
Don’t just follow the trail of breadcrumbs ~ question why the crumbs are shaped like ducks, who baked the loaf, and why it’s always a confusing recipe.
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