The Secret of the Century

Thirteen-year-old Jacob Zuckerman accompanies his grandfather, Abraham, to Dealey Plaza, Dallas, on the morning of November 22nd, 1963, to see President Kennedy’s motorcade. While the elder Zuckerman is absorbed in filming his now historic clip, Jake turns to his right and sees a man with a rifle, standing behind the picket fence atop the grassy knoll. Jake raises his camera and captures for eternity, a picture of the man as he takes the shot that explodes the President’s head. Was it a conspiracy? You bet it was. Hatched by the New Orleans Mafia and executed by their Corsican hitmen. And, by the way, including the very real compliance of Lyndon Johnson and J. Edgar Hoover, as well as the confusing entanglement of the hopeless patsy (Oswald) and the hapless accessory (Ruby). John F. Kennedy is killed by a man named Lucian Sarti. And Jake’s pursuit of Sarti and his cohorts halfway around the world, will help turn The Crime of the Century into The Secret of it. This story, meticulously researched, flows out like a symphony with mind-boggling twists and unexpected connections that will floor the reader. And now that it has been written, it lies panting, sweating, popping the surly bonds of its earthly casing in a delicious mixture of historical fiction, fantasy and intrigue. Enjoy.