This thoroughly and meticulously researched examination of the assassination of Robert F Kennedy makes for some very interesting reading. Something in the investigation went very wrong and the many mistakes made at the time and the subsequent manipulation of the facts make it possible that now the truth will never be established about what actually happened and who actually fired the fatal shots. There was for sure some sort of cover-up and it would appear that the man actually convicted didn’t in fact kill Kennedy, however implicated he might have been. A fascinating account of some very murky goings-on.

Thistle Publishing are to be congratulated on publishing this excellent investigation into Robert Kennedy's death. Tim Tate and Brad Johnson have meticulously scoured files and records over many, many years to provide a forensically thorough analysis of the facts from that night in 1968. This is investigative reporting at its finest. Here are just two of the questions posed. How could Sirhan Sirhan's gun have fired 13 bullets when his gun magazine only held eight? How, when he was positioned in front of RK could the fatal bullet have entered just BEHIND Kennedy's ear? Was denying these facts just an example of incompetence on the part of the LAPD or is there something altogether more sinister yet to be uncovered? Certainly this book raises very real reasons for a fresh judicial enquiry. But this is about much more than just the assassination. Tate and Johnson also tell us a great deal about Bobby Kennedy himself and how he changed after the murder of his brother Jack.
He openly declared his deep concerns about the Vietnam war and infuriated Lyndon Johnson by so doing. He was constantly trying to prosecute Jimmy Hoffa, leader of the Teamster Union], to such an extent that Jimmy Hoffa wanted Bobby dead . He argued bitterly about not being kept "in the loop" by the CIA when they tried to have Castro murdered and in so doing made a bitter enemy in J. Edgar Hoover. So enemies, and dangerous ones at that, abounded and, in those days, there was no security provided by the police for presidential hopefuls so he was an easy target.
This book is also filled with quotations from RK's speeches, over the period 1965-8, and many of these are truly stirring and intensely observant of the gulf opening up between the haves and the have nots right across the USA. There can be no doubt that he was no longer the brash and abrasive man of his early years and, on reading this book, there is reason to believe he would have had both the intelligence and conviction to have become a truly reforming president.
This is a book that demands reading if, for nothing else, it shines a light on someone whose personal transformation demands respect and whose assassination was every bit as tragic as that of JFK - maybe even more so.

Being British and of an age where I would've only been a twinkle in my father's eye when this awful event occurred in June 1968 explains why I have no knowledge of the murder of Robert F. Kennedy, JFK's brother. He was killed five years after his brother was assassinated at Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. I am endlessly fascinated by JFK and the conspiracy theories surrounding his death so naturally this book gained my interest right away.

"The Assassination of Robery F. Kennedy" is an incredibly detailed look at the facts surrounding the case. It seems as thought the author's have researched meticulously in order to compile enough evidence to show in this book. There's no doubt that this will have taken an obscene amount of time to put together. This was an intriguing and thought-provoking read, I always enjoy learning about the various conspiracy theories whether it is with regard to 9/11, American and British involvement in the war in Syria, Tony Blairs decision to invade Iraq based on "evidence" of WMD or the assassinations of President JFK and his brother.

The authors clearly have a point-of-view on his assassination but the facts that were presented seemed to be fairly balanced which is not an easy feat. A compelling and engrossing book that history fans will appreciate, especially those into American history. Those who entertain the idea that things are not always as they seem will find this engaging too.

Tate and Johnson have taken particular care to make sure the writing is accessible, immersive and above all enjoyable for the reader. I have read a few books from this publisher and found each one to be excellent. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Thistle Publishing for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

As a person that has always been fascinated in John F Kennedy, I thought I'd learn more about Robert.
I will be honest, I had to read this book between other books as there was so much to take in.
Worth a read though, as there a ALOT of things I did not know about the build up to Bobby's assassination.

It was really interesting. It presented facts and hypothesis like never before. I didn't know that much about the assassination of RFK but this was extremely informative.

There were so many details that at times it was just boring. Also, I’m honestly not sure what to believe. Felt a bit too conspiracy theory-ish to me.

This is the first book I've read about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. While I'm not certain there was a conspiracy to kill Bobby Kennedy, I do believe that the subsequent investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department was less than competent.

It also seems that the man convicted for Kennedy's murder, Sirhan Sirhan, didn't get a fair trial. The failure to release police files on the case for 20 years seems to have been a decision deliberately designed to cloud the issues surrounding Kennedy's death and Sirhan's motives for killing him.

That said, I felt that the authors of this book were cherry-picking parts of the story to fit their claims of a conspiracy although their evidence of a cover-up seems solid enough.

I found it very significant that the autopsy of Kennedy, carried out by the then Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner for the County of Los Angeles, Thomas Noguchi, concluded that the fatal shot was fired into the back of Kennedy's head, behind the right ear, from an upward angle, and from a distance of no more than 0.5 to 3 inches. Every eyewitness to the Kennedy assassination stated that Sirhan Sirhan was in front of Kennedy when he fired. So how does a bullet from Sirhan's gun which is pointed at his victim's face, end up entering the back of his head? Unless of course it is another of those "magic" bullets which was responsible for the death of Bobby Kennedy's brother, John F. Kennedy in Dallas 5 years previously?

To me, this is the strongest argument in favour of a "second gunman" theory put forward by investigative journalists Tim Tate and Brad Johnson in this book.

However, other conspiracy theories about this case failed to convince. The evidence of a woman in a polka dot dress and an unidentified man accompanying Sirhan Sirhan in the Ambassador Hotel where the shooting took place seems speculative as does the claim that one of the hotel's security guards fired the fatal shots.

The ballistics evidence for there being more bullets fired than those contained in Sirhan's gun and expert testimony that as many as 13 bullets had been fired is stronger but inconclusive - although most of it is far better than any of the "expert" evidence presented by Los Angeles police and those who prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan.

The book also details how, in the last 50 years, there have been numerous attempts to stage an inquiry into RFK's assassination and also to have Sirhan Sirhan paroled, but all have met with failure.

The final words go to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr who was aged 14 at the time of his father's death.
Earlier this year (2018), in an interview with The Washington Post, he said he believed that Sirhan did not kill his father, and that a second gunman was involved.

Being born in Britain and in the 70s I did not know much about Robert Kennedy's assassination, only that it had happened. The author's have researched the subject well and made the book an interesting and thought provoking read. Where would the world be now if this assassination had not occured? Why was so much evidence swept under the carpet? Who was the driving force behind it? I could go on and on!

I recently took an American History course in college and have become invested in learning more about our Country's history. I have always been fascinated by the Kennedy family and the conspiracy theories surrounding the deaths of JFK and RFK. I was so happy to receive this from Netgalley and became immersed in it. I could tell the painstaking effort the author took to ensure that the facts he was presenting were accurate and admired that attention to detail. This book provided me with information that I had not heard before and pieced together other bits of information that I hadn't thought to put together. Overall, this was an amazing read! Highly recommend!

Timed excellently well, The. controversial dilemma of was there another shooter on the scene of RFK's murder drives this detailed narrative that contextualises the times really well. The hope he represented we need now!! And I enjoyed the summaries of his message of social reform, brought home in addressing the gripes his enemies had with him.. racist war-mongers ... there is ample reportage from people on his team, and the 'man on the street'... okay it has a pov but it is a balanced one and that's difficult. Really loved this and. could not put it down .. brought back a time in my life as American! It also persuaded me that it is important to know the details of his assassination...

The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in June 1968 was a defining moment in American political history as it symbolised the end of that spirit of hope and a belief that change could be achieved that so personified the sixties. Kennedy was killed in a Los Angeles hotel moments after he delivered his California primary victory speech. He was shot dead as his entourage were taking him through a pantry to an awaiting news conference. It is of course pure speculation as to whether Kennedy would have achieved the Democratic Party nomination and then go on to win the presidential race. Nixon although he won a plurality of the popular vote by a narrow margin did win by a large margin in the Electoral College carrying most states outside of the north east and the deep south which were won by Wallace. However if he had somehow managed to become president the subsequent course of history would have been totally different with an ending of the Vietnam War and a concerted attempt to heal the racial and social divides that persist to this day.

This meticulous and well written book possessing a wealth of supporting evidence asks the central question was Sirhan Sirhan really the culprit? There is no question that Sirhan was there and fired eight shots that fateful night wounding several bystanders but as presented in the book all the forensic, ballistic and acoustic evidence points to the fact that up to 13 shots were fired and that would simply have not been possible from Sirhan's eight chambered gun. Most tellingly is the fact that the autopsy report indicated that the shot that killed Kennedy was fired at close range at the back of his head but all the eyewitnesses state that Sirhan was always in front of him and did not get close to Kennedy's back.

The overwhelming evidence would suggest to the presence of a second gunmen and by examining the willfully negligent and at times obstructive investigation by the Los Angeles police (witnesses were either ignored or bullied to change their statements and forensic evidence discounted) we come to the inevitable conclusion that this was either a conspiracy or simply the police had their man who ticked all the boxes and just wanted a quick conclusion. Why was not the the case of the infamous ‘"Girl in the Polka Dot Dress" not taken more seriously by the police?

I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means but there is enough evidence presented here to suggests that something does not add up and this whole case warrants a fresh investigation. This certainly was a cracking read as the book explores the murky world of CIA - Mafia collusion and the development of secretive hypno-programmed political assassin experimentation, could Sirhan have been a "Manchurian Candidate"? for he has always maintained no knowledge of the events.

This is certainly a richly thought provoking book that is engrossingly enjoyable and if nothing else it may lead you onto other books regarding this era. I certainly would recommend.

I received an electronic version of this book from NetGalley.

I was in junior high school and not a particular follower of the news when Senator Kennedy was shot and killed in Los Angeles. This event caught my interest, and for a period of time I read everything I could find about the Kennedy family. In that era, most of what I read could be best described as puff pieces. It was not until much later that the reading public began to get a glimpse of the seamier underside of America's so-called royal family.

All that aside, the untimely death by murder of anyone, public figure or not, is always a tragedy, and in order for justice to be done, the hunt is on to find out what happened, how it happened and who was responsible.

I never could figure out how Senator Kennedy got shot in the back and in the back of the head when all the eyewitnesses reported that the known shooter was in front of him. This book painstakingly sifts through the available evidence, and concludes that there was indeed a second shooter, and that Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted for the crime, might have been the victim of some mind control experiment in which he was "programmed" to play the assassin. It sounds farfetched, but the authors present evidence that such experimentation really did happen during that time period. What was not clear to me in my reading, however, is exactly how the conspirators maneuvered their patsy into position, at the right time and in the right place to start shooting, or how the victim was maneuvered into position to be shot at.

The book also lays out plausible evidence for the probable identity of the infamous "girl in the polka dot dress," and her possible role in the conspiracy.

As I was already skeptical of the "lone gunman" theory, I am no more or less convinced after reading this book that Senator Kennedy was the victim of an assassination conspiracy. Assuming the authors are recounting the evidence truthfully, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, there are a number of factors in the "official" story that do not add up. This book offers plausible theories to explain them. But chances are, at this late date, 50 years after, we will never know the identity of the alleged second shooter, nor why someone or a group of someones felt it necessary to remove Robert F. Kennedy.

All in all, an interesting and plausible read for those interested in this particular slice of American history.

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.