Corruption Of Blood (Hardcover)

Knowing the author was involved in the investigation of the assassination of JFK, I was distracted by constantly attempting to determine which parts of the book were fact and which were fiction. The description of Congressional interference had to be factual. His conclusion on the assassination plot is probably as open to debate as any other theory.

Be prepared for a long list of characters with aliases and code names. Having some knowledge of the actual people involved helps keep these characters straight as you continue to read.

I liked the book, except I felt it should be about 100 pages longer. By the time I was half way through the book, I realized something was going to bring this story to a rapid close. I was a bit disappointed with the way the author wrapped up the story. Too many things explained themselves too easily and numerous situations were left unresolved. But, then again, I guess that can also be said about the Warren Report.

I gave the story only three stars because, after a while into it, the Kennedy thing gets kind of muddy. It's really hard to keep all the characters and their interrelations straight (considering that some are good guys, some are known bad guys, some are mysterious and seldom-seen bad guys, some are good guys masquerading as bad guys, most have several aliases, and none of them use first names), and the political double-speak gets hard for me to digest. However, the "answer" in this book as to who killed JFK is sufficiently intriguing and satisfying for conspiracy theorists... and sufficiently absurd in its genesis to satisfy those with less tolerance for flights of fancy.

Much more interesting to me in this book is the sub-plot concerning Butch's wife Marlene, who delves into an investigation of her own, which (as seems to happen regularly in Butch Karp novels) winds up dovetailing neatly with her husband's. This book also introduces readers to the Karp family dog, Sweetie, the rescued Neapolitan mastiff that grows into the treasured family pet who spends half of his time drooling on Karp family belongings -- and the other half as Marlene's partner in vigilantism.

I would recommend first checking out this book in a library for a good preview... and while it does begin tantalizingly, remember what I said about its foggy middle and end. However, if you've been a hard-core Butch Karp fan, this is a necessary, although not especially noteworthy, addition to your Karp collection.