Kennedy's Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby

 Kennedy’s Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby by Dan Abrams and David Fisher 400 pages

It seems each time there is a trial that the entire nation is watching, whether it be via newspapers, radio or television, it’s called “the trial of the century.” The 20^th Century had a number of the sensational trials.

First it was the 1905 trial of Henry K. Thaw, heir to coal and railway fortune, for the murder of renowned architect Stanford White. Following that was the 1924 trail of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb for the murder of fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks and their attempt to commit “the perfect crime.” Others that followed were the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping and murder (1932); the espionage trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg (early 1950s) and the O. J. Trial (1995).

Those are the ones that come easily to mind; I’m sure there were others. However, there is one forgotten “the trial of the century.” One that had millions of eyewitnesses: The murder of JFK assassinator Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby. Television cameras showed Ruby step out of crowd, shove a pistol into Oswald’s stomach and pull the trigger.

The writing team of Dan Abrams and David Fisher explores this trial in their new book, “Kennedy’s Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby.”

I admit that I have a rather morbid fascination with JFK and his death. One of the top questions I have on my to-ask-God list when I get to heaven is “who was behind the JFK murder?” There seems to be so many right answers to that question that they are all suspect.

Abrams and Fisher’s book opens with an overview of the assassination. Fortunately they do not rehash JFK’s death all over again or Oswald’s reasons. They do a fabulous job staying focused on what Jack Ruby did and his attempt for justice both behind the gun and behind bars.

Readers get a solid look at Jack Ruby and his life. I knew he was a nightclub owner and operator. He had bouts with depression and mental illness ran rampant through his family. To me, getting to know Ruby was far more interesting than the trial.

And the trial! What a circus! It makes the O.J. Trial look like a church picnic. All during the trial, Ruby sat staring straight ahead, seemingly detached and not much interested. For the defense was the Melvin Belli, “the nation’s most flamboyant lawyer.” For the prosecution, the “tough-as-Texas” Henry Wade. Presiding over the shenanigans was Judge Joe B. Brown, who “had been elected (to) his position. He was not a lawyer and lacked legal knowledge.”  Can you imagine someone with that lack of qualifications presiding over a high profile case today? Me either.

The antics that went on in that truly gave me a headache. I cannot imagine being on that jury. Heck, it took Judge Brown seventeen minutes just to read the charge against Ruby. How they were able to return a verdict in two hours and nineteen minutes is beyond me. I would still be trying to look pass the all the antics.

One thing that I did not care for, and subsequently glossed over, was when the authors gave a history of different things about and during the trial. That happened about five times, I believe.  Therefore “Kennedy’s Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby”  receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Day Lincoln Lost

 The Day Lincoln Lost by Charles Rosenberg   432 pages

I’ve been an admirer of Abraham Lincoln and his family since I first learned of him in grade school.  I’m always up for reading anything about him, be it fiction or fact.  I admit, however, that I was a tad skeptical of the premise of this novel, that Lincoln lost the 1860 election (that premise was born strictly from reading the title). Alternative history isn’t my thing.

I wasn’t sure how this story would start, but I was hooked from the very beginning. It’s Kentucky in 1860. Twelve-year-old Lucy Battelle, a slave, is about to be sold. It’s probably a good thing given that Riverview’s current master, Ezekiel Goshorn, is quite cruel and quite inept to run a plantation.  However, Lucy has heard what happens to slaves who are sold “Down South.” So she runs away.

She runs and runs. She is discovered in one of her hiding place, but her discoverer was an abolitionist. He takes her to Springfield, Illinois, where she is to be placed on the Underground Railroad. Goshorn also makes his way to Springfield. Unfortunately she is captured.

Across town, Abby Kelly Foster, a fiery abolitionist, is making a speech about the evils of slavery. Seems everyone, almost, who was any one is Springfield was there. After the speech, the crowd bursts out into the square and create a small riot, and Lucy escapes again.

Foster is arrested on inciting a riot and is jailed. She manages to convince Lincoln to represent her, although the damage that may be caused to the upcoming presidential election and the Republican Party is high.

It’s quite interesting to watch/hear Lincoln decide what to do.  He takes the case and hope for the best. The trial becomes a circus, with the election coming closer and closer.  Then the story goes into an in-depth look that Constitution’s Twelfth Amendment, which was quiet apropos given that the United States, when I was reading this, was undergoing a crisis of leadership. The Twelfth Amendment is about the Electoral College, which I don’t really understand. Therefore given all that about the Twelfth Amendment and that Lincoln didn’t lose anything as far as the title is concerned, The Day Lincoln Lost receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

House of Evil

House of Evil: The Indiana Torture Slaying by John Dean, 231 pages

In July of 1965, Gertrude Baniszewski, a 37 year old mother of seven living in Indianapolis, agreed to care for 16 year old Sylvia Likens and her 15 year old sister Jenny in exchange for 20 dollars a week.  In October, police responding to an emergency call found Sylvia dead, emaciated, her body covered in bruises, burns, and open sores, the words "I'm a prostitute and proud of it!" carved into her stomach beneath a branded "3".

Horrific as it was, Sylvia's torture and death would blend into the background of child abuse if not for the identity of the perpetrators.  As it came out, not only did Gertrude abuse the girl, her children were also encouraged to join in, and their friends participated, too.  It became a neighborhood game to put out cigarettes on Sylvia's body or push her down the stairs.  Her three oldest children were arrested along with six neighbors, Gertrude was ultimately convicted of first degree murder, her eldest daughter of second degree murder, and three boys of manslaughter.

This book tells the story poorly, although how much of this is due to a failure on Dean's part and how much the result of conflicting stories and foggy details is unclear.   It seems as if, in a case with so many witnesses, a better account could have been constructed despite the obvious difficulties, but Dean seems to have relied almost exclusively on courtroom testimony - House of Evil was originally published soon after the trial and it is unclear how much it has been updated.  The children are portrayed more like preteens than the teenagers they were.  There is a natural reluctance to defame the victim, but Dean loses a great deal of credibility when he seemingly accepts the transparent lie that Sylvia found a set of gym clothes lying in the street - important because it ties in with claims by the tormentors that Sylvia had been caught stealing on other occasions.  Worst of all, the chronology is vague and confused, making it extremely difficult to chart the escalation of abuse and the manner in which the abusers fed off each other, which is the key narrative.  Instead, the story is a catalog of seemingly random horrible things that horrible people did to an almost entirely innocent girl.

Who Let the Dog Out

Who Let the Dog Out by David Rosenfelt
324 Pages


"A lawyer by day-and then only when he's forced to take on new cases-Andy Carpenter's true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. So it's frightening when Willie calls him to say the alarm has gone off at the foundation building, and there's clearly been a break-in. It turns out that a recently rescued dog, nicknamed Cheyenne since her arrival at the foundation, has been stolen. Andy and Willie track the missing dog to a house in downtown Paterson, New Jersey and sure enough, they find the dog...standing right next to a dead body. The man had been gruesomely murdered mere minutes before Andy and Willie arrived. Could it be a coincidence? Or could the dog theft somehow be connected to the killing? Andy takes Cheyenne safely back to the foundation building, and that should be the end of his involvement, but Andy's curiosity-and his desire to keep the dog from further harm-won't let him stop there. The cops have just arrested a man named Tommy Infante for the murder, but as Andy looks into the circumstances surrounding the break-in and the dog theft, he starts to wonder if Infante might actually be innocent. And when Andy takes Infante on as a client and starts searching in earnest for evidence that will exonerate him, what Andy starts to discover terrifies him. The murder might be just one small cog in a plot with far-reaching implications, and unless Andy can uncover the truth in time, thousands of lives could be in imminent danger."

I like Rosenfelt's writing style but his plots are starting to wear thin with elaborate conspiracies.  I wish he would keep the action in the courtroom because that is the true strength of the books. 

Hounded

(Coming in July)

Hounded by David Rosenfelt
384 Pages

The latest Andy Carpenter mystery has Andy involved in a new case where he has to defend his policeman friend from the charge of murder.  As usual, the case takes a twist as a larger conspiracy is uncovered.

This is an enjoyable series with a lot of courtroom procedural information.  Rosenfelt likes to play up the dog angle with not only the title but the cover art, but dogs are an inconsequential tangent to the main storyline.  

Gods of Guilt

Gods of Guilt – Michael Connelly 387 Pages

The Lincoln Lawyer is back with a new case, murder and he finds he knew and once represented the victim. Things are of course not what they seem and Mickey Haller finds himself embroiled in a deep cover up that threatens his life and the lives of those around him if he doesn’t figure out what is going on.

A fully enjoyable novel from Michael Connelly.