I enjoy the collaborations between Dan Abrams and David Fisher. Through them, I've learned a lot about the evolution of the US legal system, even if, at times, the details of trials can become a bit tedious. But that is also part of what's important in the legal process.

This title is similar to their others, but seems different because it deals with a very well-known event: Jack Ruby's murder of Kennedy's killer, Lee Harvey Oswald. I'd never been interested in all of the conspiracy theories around the two murders, so I read this book without much knowledge about Ruby and his possible motives. There are no surprising conclusions in this title, but I found reading about the trial itself within its historical setting fascinating. Recommended for those who enjoy history and legal intricacies.

You can tell this was very thoroughly researched, and at the same time, it is written in a very accessible manner. I learned alot about this most unusual trial, and the events surrounding this startling moment in American history. While those fascinated with the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination will undoubtedly devour this one, it would be a good suggestion for those who enjoy true crime or law related reads.

Love Dan Abrams books! That said- I especially liked this book because I lived in Dallas during the dark days of the assassination, the killing of the officer, Oswald and the trial of Jack Ruby.

I remember my elementary school self hearing the news of the president being shot on the loudspeaker. I remember my worry - my dad was at Market Hall waiting on his arrival and not knowing where it happened!

The book was a great depiction of the trial and a fair recounting of all the players. Enjoyed it greatly.

This might as well have been me reading the trial transcript. It got so bogged down in every objection, in every minuscule thing that happened, that I was so bored by what was surely fascinating in real life. I expected to really enjoy this. Instead I couldn’t make myself finish it. (DNF at 55%)

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 20th 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.

Excellent book. This is not a traditional crime gloss over like other true crime books. Instead, it is a detailed book about Jack Ruby and what drove him to kill Lee Harvey OSwald.