This is the first book I've read about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.. I'm by far from being into conspiracy theories...but I feel this barely scratches the surface of the RFK murder. Sure, the book provides the somewhat more detailed explanation of K's assatination.

I have always been fascinated with JFK and this has lead me to read more about RFK as well. The information and details in this book were new for me. I found it all quite interesting. Sometimes history and books like this can be a bit dull, but I found this one kept my attention easily and held it.

A deeply fascinating and interesting journey told with much finesse. A factual recollection of a despairing period in American history. The death of JF Kennedy was one that resonated around the world at the time, now retold by one among the sadden. Recounted with a lot a flair that captivates your attention to the detail facts of what really happened. An interesting and intriguing journey back in times.

I received a ARC from the publisher and Net Galley for an honest review. Thank you to both Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this outstanding book.
The assassination of Robert Kennedy changed the fabric of our nation and affected us greatly with the loss of such a great man . . His death forever changed the face of politics in our country. This book is exemplary in detail and research to show different theories of his death and how one person was not possibly responsible. I found it extremely detailed and well written. .This is a book that leads one to think critically about this event in history and how the Kennedy family was targeted over time for assassination. As one who watched this unfold in our politics I was expecting the same theories yet again so over publicized in our history. This book is not that. It is a series of well researched new and old theories and documentation that challenge our Nation and give us pause for the loss of such a great man and show the reader that this was a conspiracy over time that grew against the Kennedy family. I read it over a long period of time to return to it and absorb the information as it is seeing the attacks on the Kennedy's in a new light. It also led me to do my own research and to have many interesting conversations about his murder discussing and recommending this book.. .
Thank you with gratitude for this excellent book. It is a very important book that should be used in all school history classes. Very well done to the author.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Thistle Publishing and the authors, Tim Tate and Brad Johnson, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Assassination of Robert F Kennedy.
I found the book to be extremely well written and informative. I was engrossed right from the start.
Definitely well worth a read.

This was a very fascinating read. Tim Tate and Brad Johnson clearly put so much time and research into it and while it sometimes gets a little bogged down with the details, it is always clear that they are so passionate about this topic. Their explanation of the events that took place on the night of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy is very plausible- I would say I completely believe it, but I want to read more about it before being absolutely sure. I try not to form my opinions on just one book/article and their arguments are clearly formed and back by facts and data, it's just that in this day and age we need to be careful of what we believe straight off the bat. I will definitely read more about this in the future.

The one main downside to the book is that it really leads the reader into what they want them to think, rather than letting the facts fend for themselves. This was clear from the onset, with the blurb on the cover stating what they believed and planned on showing, so it wasn't a big betrayal or anything like that, it just would have been nice to arrive at the end conclusion by myself instead of having my hand held.

I read pretty much any book on the Kennedy family I see, and I have a particular interest in RFK. This book had information about his assassination that I had not heard before. It goes through various theories of what might have occurred, what witnesses saw and what law enforcement tried to discourage them from saying, as well as logistical problems with the number of shots fired and the number of bullets Sirhan's gun would hold. This was well worth reading for anyone with an interest in the Kennedy family and I thought this was very well researched.

An excellent look at the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. This is a must read for all interested in the man and the politics of that era. Go grab a copy of this book for your shelves.

The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy: Crime, Conspiracy and Cover-Up - A New Investigation
by
Tim Tate

At 12.16am on Wednesday, June 5, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded in the kitchen service pantry of the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles. He had just won the California Primary, an important victory in his quest for nomination as the Democratic Party’s candidate in the US Presidential election late that year. A little over 24 hours later, he was pronounced dead.

A 24-year-old Palestinian immigrant, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, was captured in the pantry with a smoking gun in his hand. Eyewitnesses had seen him step out in front of Kennedy and begin shooting with a small calibre revolver. He fired all eight bullets in its chamber. In April 1969, Sirhan was convicted of Robert Kennedy’s murder and the wounding of five others. He was sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. He has been in prison – often in solitary confinement – ever since. Fifteen applications for parole have been rejected.

That is the official history of the murder of Robert F. Kennedy. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the assassination, award-winning investigative journalists Tim Tate and Brad Johnson uncover the true story.

This book is the result of more than 25 years’ painstaking forensic work. The authors have scrutinised more than 100,000 official documents, located previously unknown recordings, and conducted original new interviews with key figures in the case.

They show that Sirhan could not have fired the fatal bullets, reveal detailed evidence of a murderous conspiracy involving organised crime, and disclose CIA documents detailing successful experiments to create a hypno-programmed political assassin. The book also unmasks the likely identity of one of the most enduring mysteries in the case – the infamous ‘Girl in the Polka Dot Dress’.

My thoughts
rating 5 stars
I never pick up books like this one even though i love non fiction , but for some reason I decided to give it a try , especially when the publisher asked me if i was interested in review it , i sent them a message back saying thanks and i had already requested it from Netgalley which I had was sure when i get to it but I was going to give it a try. And I'm glad I did , its more then what I thought it was going to be , its more then just about the Kennedy family , its about a case that everyone that worked it seemed to want to try and hide facts or information from the public . Its about a case that some just wanted closed . While I don't know a hole lot about the case some of the information I do know because of what's been told on crime Tv shows i like to watch and that's that's been made available at various points in time over the last 50 years, but thanks to the hard work of the authors they bring to life and out in the open new information and new revelations, and some that were just not easy to find unless you had the inclination to dig deep into the LAPD files that were released in 1988 and the court proceedings since Sirhan was convicted.So if you want to know what I'm taking about then you must read the book. With that said I want to think Netgalley as well as they publishers for think of me and letting me read and review this book in change for my honest opinion.

It has been 50 years since the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Although I am not a conspiracy theorist and don't believe anyone other than Sirhan Sirhan shot RFK, it is still interesting to open one's mind to other interpretations and perspectives. This book adds to the litany of RFK Assassination books in a meaningful way.

Such an amazing and informative book. Very well researched. I sat down meaning to read for a short time, but read it all before I stopped. Anyone interested in history should read this book. As I read parts of it to my husband, he was hanging on every word. When it comes out, he will be buying it So well written. I learned so much that I never knew and it makes so much sense to me now. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review and no compensation.

On June 4th, 1968 in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles Robert Kennedy was assassinated. For many Americans the disbelief was palpable, they lost another great man, a former Attorney General, and a potential President of the USA. Following the assassination of Robert’s brother, President John F Kennedy in 1963, the whole Kennedy involvement in US politics became cloaked in conspiracy theories, murderous plots, government and criminal collusion, and cover-ups.

There is a wealth of information surrounding this tragic event so I initially had reservations as to what new material this book could contribute to the debate and body of knowledge. This book approaches the periods before, during and after the assassination, and the people associated with the events. It is all too easy to lay out facts in a chronological order and claim job done. Tim Tate and Brad Johnson do a sterling job of presenting a natural flow to the story, unravelling the compelling and detailed elements of the event.

Most books covering conspiracy theories tend to get so preoccupied with providing a compelling argument as to why their view is correct that they become blind to other pieces of information that don’t support their position. This is especially true when the amount of data is overwhelming. This book leaves much of that decision open to you. The narrative starts back with Robert’s life as Attorney General and his subsequent period following John’s assassination. The authors outline Robert’s thinking prior to his decision to run for President and why his change of direction, albeit against the advice of his other brother Teddy. The Kennedy’s had amassed considerable powerful enemies during their era in politics and many avenues of investigations should have been explored. Following Robert’s assassination by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan the flaws into the investigation are presented and the inconsistencies of during the trial and whether he was a lone assassin.

The detail in this book is quite significant, especially as it covers multiple perspectives and it does require focus and attention. I did not feel I was being manipulated or persuaded to follow the author’s view. I was issued with all information available regarding this subject and invited to make my own judgement. It left me with the desire and encouragement to explore and investigate further into this historical moment in history. I would highly recommend this book and invite the reader to make up their own minds.

Many thanks to Thistle Publishing Limited, and NetGalley for an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review.

Though I was not alive when the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy occurred, I have always felt drawn to his story - more so than even John F. Kennedy's tragic assassination - because my parents, who were in college at the time, served as the co-chairs of the committee within their university to elect RKF for President. My father, a historian by nature, has told me many stories throughout my life about the many things that Bobby Kennedy did in his role as The United States Attorney General, and later as a Senator representing New York, especially as it related to Civil Rights. Thus, I have always respected and admired the legacy he left behind in his career that was cut entirely too short.

First, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that the authors did in researching this topic, and the "deep dive" they did to gather the information. I am an assistant professor at a major university, so I am well-versed in research and can appreciate the time and attention to detail that process often takes. It is not "glamorous" by any stretch, and it requires patience and dedication which is evident in the product the authors created with this in=depth biography. While there is a significant amount of information that is already known by most individuals who have read other biographies and/or watched documentaries about Robert F. Kennedy, there are some more details provided in this work, particularly as it relates to "The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress." The theories that are provided are plausible and appeal to the amateur investigator in us all.

Overall, this was a very thought-provoking and interesting read that was well organized, researched, and presented by the authors. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-constructed biography about a prominent figure in American history whose time was tragically cut short.

I have read a lot of books about the Robert Kennedy assassination and this is one of the best. There was a lot of information in this one that I have not seen before.

I find Kennedy conspiracies to be really fascinating, and so this book kept my interest. It appears to be well researched, and it is well written.

Prior to reading this I knew next to nothing about Bobby's assassination, aside from the fact that he was shot in Los Angeles by a man whose last name is the same as his first. I can tell you nearly every last detail of JFK's assassination a few years earlier, but am the exact opposite when it comes to my knowledge of RFK - yet another example of Bobby living in Jack's shadow. Given the timing of the book's release to coincide with the 50th anniversary, now was as good a time as any to start learning.

By nature I am not much into conspiracy theories, but there has always been something about the Kennedy family that has drawn me in. The glitz and glamour, the perfect family photos, lots of easy explanations for the attention they have garnered over the decades. So for me, the idea that two sons from this powerful family just happened to be assassinated within five years of one another, one as president and one as a presidential hopeful...there's something bigger at work. Tragedy befell the family often, but two assassinations, and by random lone gunman? Sorry not sorry, but I don't buy it. Especially after reading this one and exploring Bobby's death, the mishandling of the investigation, and the odd journey of the supposed assassin. That being said, I do not doubt that Sirhan Sirhan shot at Bobby, wounding others surrounding Kennedy as he exited that night. I just don't think he was the only one to do so.

It is clear from the start that the authors put blood, sweat, and tears into this book. The research is there, the pouring over of documents time and time again from the days and weeks and months after Bobby died. Not to mention the uncovering of additional evidence that had, prior to now, been unknown to the public. I also appreciated the fact that the authors took the time to go back and conduct new interviews with relevant people, instead of relying solely on interviews from the time that the assassination happened.

More than anything else, the forensics prove that Sirhan was not the only shooter in the pantry that night. I don't just mean because there were allegedly thirteen shots fired, which were accidentally captured on audio, or 'possible' bullet holes were identified in numerous locations within the pantry signifying that there must have been a second shooter, because how could a gun that could only hold eight bullets make thirteen holes? No, it comes down to the autopsy, plain and simple, as well as eyewitness statements and photographic evidence that Sirhan was in front of Bobby the entire time in the pantry. Not only that, but he was several feet away when he began firing. How is it then, that Thomas Noguchi, LA County's Chief Medical Examiner-Corornor, concluded that Robert F. Kennedy Jr died from a bullet fired into the back of his head? Noguchi's report was detailed and very specific in recounting the fatal shot, determining this based on his expert opinion, that it came from that back of Bobby's head at an upward angle. And even if one were to argue that maybe witnesses are mis-remembering, and Sirhan DID take a shot at Bobby from behind him, the distance calculated swiftly crushes that idea. Noguchi further determined that the fatal shot was fired from no father than three inches away from Bobby's head, perhaps as close to half an inch. Time and again witnesses made statements that Sirhan was in front of Bobby the entire time, and that he never got that close to him. There is simply no way for Sirhan to have fired that shot. Even Paul Schrade, one of Kennedy's aides, believes Sirhan did not assassinate Bobby. Schade was walking behind Bobby into the pantry and has stated to Sirhan directly, as quoted in the book, "You were never behind Bob, nor was Bob's back ever exposed to you."

The book addresses several other points that seem to create the aura of assassination conspiracy and further fan those flames. There is discussion of Sirham being hypnotized or brainwashed, Manchurian Candidate style. Much is also made of witness statements about a man in a gold sweater and the Girl in the Polka Dot Dress. I don't draw more attention to her in jest, she is a very real piece of the puzzle latched onto by so many who claim it was a big murder conspiracy. This is all small potatoes to me when compared to the physical evidence, which might seem to be too dismissive, but the proof is there that Kennedy was killed by someone other than Sirhan. Unfortunately I do not think we will ever be able to answer the questions of 'who' and 'why'.

And perhaps there was no conspiracy to kill Bobby at all, which I know deviates from what I said in the opening paragraph. Perhaps a cover-up became mandatory when the investigators realized that the evidence there were recovering from the scene did not fit their initial assumptions and statements about Sirhan acting alone. Maybe they did destroy evidence and bully witnesses into recanting. But for what reason? The investigators didn't want to look incompetent? They did not want to bungle the case and have a re-play of the investigation surrounding Jack's assassination just five years earlier, where so many doubted then and still do today that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone? Unfortunately for those in power, whatever their reasons for the cover-up, that is exactly what happened anyway. Fifty years later, it is more than clear that there were two shooters that night. I don't think anyone is denying that Sirhan was in the pantry, that he had a gun, or that he fired it. He simply was not the only one.

Not too long ago Robert F. Kennedy, Jr met with Sirhan in prison, for several hours, presumably discussing every last detail of that night. RFK Jr came away from that time spent believing that the man before him had not murdered his father. Surely that alone merits re-opening the investigation.

In 1968, Robert F Kennedy was elected as the Democratic party's presidential candidate. Immediately afterward, he was shot and killed in the kitchen of the California hotel in which he was staying. Sirhan Sirhan, a Syrian, was arrested and convicted - but the story doesn't end there.

Tim Tate, an investigative journalist and documentarian, along with Brad Johnson, an award winning writer and producer, could not accept the government's account of the events of that fateful day, a day which transformed the very fabric of our nation.

1968 was a volatile time in American history: civil rights marches, feminist marches, the murder of Martin Luther King; the nation was being torn apart at the seams. The calm in this storm, often, was Robert Kennedy - Bobby - the younger brother to JFK, former Attorney General and darling of the Democratic Party. His murder and the subsequent government inquiries shocked the American people to their core. Sirhan Sirhan, a Syrian nationalist, immediately was taken into custody, charged and convicted of the crime. He has not, however, waivered through the years regarding his innocence.

Before this book was written, RFK, Jr, Bobby's son, met with Sirhan Sirhan - alone - for hours, just the two of them talking.  Attorney RFK, Jr. asked pertinent questions as any attorney would do. RFK, Jr. came away convinced, without doubt, that Sirhan Sirhan did not fire the fatal shot into his father's head. He is asking for a re-opening of the case.

As an historian and an admirer of the Kennedy family, I have read extensively about the family, each son, a few of the daughters and both assassinations - RFK and JFK. I know that while John was the flashier of the two brothers, Bobby was the reasonable, thoughtful, quiet one. I also have read Bobby's journals during a mid-east visit that he and John took before JFK was elected. While JFK was "squishy" on mid-east matters, particularly on the Israel-Palestine issue, Bobby was steadfast in his support of Palestinian and Muslim rights. He wrote extensively regarding his doubts and questions pertaining to Israel's policies against Palestine and Syria - and no, the Syrian problem is not a new thing, but rather was exacerbated during this time. Bobby supported Syria and the people there. Which begs the question, why would a Syrian kill the only presidential candidate who publicly supported their cause?

Aside from the political fall out that such an act would cause, the forensic evidence never has matched Sirhan Sirhan. In all of the photographs taken, Sirhan is standing in front of RFK when the shot was fired. This is well documented. Yet the bullet fired was to the back of Kennedy's head. This alone should have raised doubts into the government inquiry, and for many it did. However, no amount of questioning would alter the government's findings: Lone shooter, Sirhan Sirhan.

Tate and Johnson have conducted extensive research into all of the areas of this assassination and they have presented a well laid out, thoughtful review of the murder, arrest and subsequent inquiry. They concluded, as did RFK, Jr., that Sirhan Sirhan might have been complicit in the murder, but he was not the actual murderer. This does, of course, imply a conspiracy. While I don't actually believe in conspiracies, as such, I do believe in government machinations and cover-ups. The US has thousands of government cover-ups on record now that once were considered "conspiracies" to the lay American. When governments lie in order to create war against innocent people, an inquiry into the death of a "bothersome" political candidate isn't far-fetched at all. Remember, too, who ultimately went on to win that election and ask yourself, in retrospect, if he was a trustworthy man. Hardly.

In an interview with The Washington Post, as well as many other venues since, Robert Kennedy, Jr. has pointedly stated that Sirhan did not kill his father, that there had to been another gunman in the room and that a new investigation must be opened. I cannot think of a greater endorsement for this cause than his statement.
I already have admitted to being a Kennedy fanatic and, most likely, would have read this book regardless. It is, however, an excellent book, thoroughly researched and expertly written. The writing is so engrossing that I could not put it down until I turned the very last page - and then I went online to read more! It covers not only the assassination, but the tumultuous times surrounding it. It has been fifty years since this tragedy and it is past time that, as Americans, we address this issue.

I never have been more grateful to receive a book to review than I was this one! My appreciation to @TimTate and @BradJohnson, not only for the book but for their time spent on its research. Thank you, also, to Thistle Publishing Co. and #Netgalley for this opportunity.

Arguably, the most famous of the Kennedy clan after President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy was killed fifty years ago by a lone assassin's bullet. Why was he killed and by whom are questions still open for debate.

I have to confess that I am addicted to any book about the 1960s assassinations. Place the words Kennedy, King, Malcom X, Medgar in the book title and my purchase is assured. While this book was a rehash of the facts of the murder, new and previously understated details made this book a satisfying read.

The format is a comprehensive brew of everything that was whispered about this murder. While half of the book was not new for me the other half was worth the time spent. This book will get anyone up to speed in Lovers of contemporary history will relish this time while those who hold disdain for political mysteries will be bored.

#TheAssassinationOfRobertF.kennedy #NetGalley

Very well written book on the assassination of Robert Kennedy and the man who was arrested for the crime. i have seen programs on this death, but just recently started reading books about the assassination. I found this book to be well written and flowed very easily. A lot was covered in this book and it does make you think. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I was finishing my freshman year at the University of Maryland when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. This incident was fresh on the heels of the assassination of Martin Luther King and the race riots of D.C. and Baltimore. In truth, it felt to me like every good person who had come forward to help our nation achieve greatness and fairness for all of us, was being struck down. And just five years after JFK had been killed. What an unbelievable tragic loss for his family and Ethel left alone with all of those little children. I was so upset by it all, that I turned from listening to the news and had soured to the idea that our nation could improve.

This book was the first time in fifty years that I have read of any further investigation into any of these assassinations. I think I became interested in reading this book, because I heard that Bobby Kennedy, Jr. thought Sirhan Sirhan was innocent. I have often thought that JFK's assassination was not investigated properly and that we will never know the truth. I now believe that the CIA had both JFK and RFK killed, though I've had that suspicion for a long time.

The overwhelming amount of research that these authors put into this book is just amazing. I think what clinched it for me was the forensic evidence that the fatal shot was inflicted from behind RFK and only inches from his head. That and the fact that there were 13 shots fired, but Sirhan's gun only held 8 bullets. It's obvious to me that the police were trying to make everything fit what they believed to be what happened there, but their idea of how the crime was committed was incorrect.

I couldn't put this book down. It was very easy to read and, of course, fascinating to see the facts uncovered.

I received a free e-copy of #TheAssassinationOfRobertF.Kennedy from #NetGalley for an honest review.