I love history. I love reading historical fiction and historical non-fiction. In 2019, Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch began their “Conspiracy” series. It started with The First Conspiracy about the filed plot to kill George Washington. Then there was The Lincoln Conspiracy which was about a failed plot to kill Lincoln. This was followed by The Nazi Conspiracy which told of the failed plot to kill Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin.

This time around it is the JFK Conspiracy which is about a plot to kill Kennedy before he even entered the office as President.

I had never heard this story before, but it was very good. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling authors of The Nazi Conspiracy and The Lincoln Conspiracy comes a true, little-known story about the first assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy, right before his inauguration.

Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president of the United States, is often ranked among Americans’ most well-liked presidents. Yet what most Americans don’t know is that JFK’s historic presidency almost ended before it began—at the hands of a disgruntled sociopathic loner armed with dynamite.

On December 11, 1960, shortly after Kennedy’s election and before his inauguration, a retired postal worker named Richard Pavlick waited in his car—a parked Buick—on a quiet street in Palm Beach, Florida. Pavlick knew the president-elect’s schedule. He knew when Kennedy would leave his house. He knew where Kennedy was going. From there, Pavlick had a simple plan—one that could’ve changed the course of history.

Written in the gripping, page-turning style that is the hallmark of Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch’s bestselling series, this is a slice of history vividly brought to life. Meltzer and Mensch are at the top of their game with this brilliant exploration of what could’ve been for one of the most compelling leaders of the 20th century.

Meltzer and Mensch do such a wonderful job presenting this. There are the familiar characters that we all know: Bobby Kennedy, Joseph Kennedy, and Jackie Kennedy. There are names from behind the scenes, like the men of the Secret Service, too. The book does a wonderful job describing to readers the plan to kill Kennedy. It also shows some of the more “touching” moments with Jackie Kennedy and all that she went through.

I suppose any book about JFK would have to talk about the assassination, and they save that for the end of the book. It all ties together really. Clint Hill is the Secret Service man who is assigned to protect Jackie Kennedy. He is also the agent in those chilling pictures from Dealy Plaza who runs to the President’s car and jumps on the back after the shots are fired.

I have yet to be disappointed by this series. I hope that they continue to find stories like this one to enlighten readers.

4.5 out of 5 stars.