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Three Bullets
IT WAS THE SHOT HEARD AROUND THE WORLD
On 22nd November 1963, John F. Kennedy's presidential motorcade rode through Dealey Plaza. He and his wife Jackie greeted the crowds on a glorious Friday afternoon in Dallas, Texas. BUT WHAT IF IT MISSED?
Mitch Newman is a photojournalist based out of Washington, D.C. His phone never rings. When it does, a voice he hasn't heard in years will tell him his former fiancée Jean has taken her own life. WHEN THE TRUTH IS BIGGER THAN ALL THE LIES
Jean was an investigative reporter working the case of a lifetime. Somewhere in the shreds of her investigation is the truth behind her murder. WHO WOULD BELIEVE IT?
For Mitch, piecing together the clues will become a dangerous one that will lead him to the dark heart of his country - and into the crossfire of a conspiracy...
On 22nd November 1963, John F. Kennedy's presidential motorcade rode through Dealey Plaza. He and his wife Jackie greeted the crowds on a glorious Friday afternoon in Dallas, Texas. BUT WHAT IF IT MISSED?
Mitch Newman is a photojournalist based out of Washington, D.C. His phone never rings. When it does, a voice he hasn't heard in years will tell him his former fiancée Jean has taken her own life. WHEN THE TRUTH IS BIGGER THAN ALL THE LIES
Jean was an investigative reporter working the case of a lifetime. Somewhere in the shreds of her investigation is the truth behind her murder. WHO WOULD BELIEVE IT?
For Mitch, piecing together the clues will become a dangerous one that will lead him to the dark heart of his country - and into the crossfire of a conspiracy...
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2019
30 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
R.J. Ellory
48 books459 followersRoger began his first novel on November 4th, 1987 and did not stop, except for three days when he was going through a divorce from his first wife, until July of 1993. During this time he completed twenty-two novels, most of them in longhand, and accumulated several hundred polite and complimentary rejection letters from many different and varied publishers.
He stopped writing out of sheer frustration and did not start again for eight years.
In the early part of September 2001 he decided to start writing again. This decision was based on the realization that it was the only thing he had ever really wanted to do.
Between August 2001 and January 2002 he wrote three books, the second of which was called ‘Candlemoth’. This was purchased by Orion and published in 2003. ‘Candlemoth’ was translated into German, Dutch and Italian, and has now also been purchased for translation in numerous other languages. The book also secured a nomination on the shortlist for the Crime Writers’ Association Steel Dagger for Best Thriller 2003. His second book, ‘Ghostheart’, was released in 2004, and his third book, ‘A Quiet Vendetta’, was released in August 2005. In 2006 he published ‘City of Lies’, and once again secured a nomination for the CWA Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of that year. His fifth book – ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ - was published in August 2006, and in the latter part of the year it was selected for the phenomenally successful British TV equivalent of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club, the Richard and Judy Book Club.
‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ went on to be shortlisted for the Barry Award for Best British Crime Fiction, the 813 Trophy, the Quebec Booksellers’ Prize, The Europeen Du Point Crime Fiction Prize, and was winner of the Inaugural Prix Roman Noir Nouvel Observateur. It has since been voted Best Thriller of 2009 in The Strand Magazine. The book was also optioned for film, and Roger has recently completed the screenplay for Oscar-winning French director, Olivier Dahan.
Following on from ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’, Roger released ‘A Simple Act of Violence’, again securing a nomination for Best British Crime Fiction of 2008. In late 2009 he released ‘The Anniversary Man’ to rave reviews.
He stopped writing out of sheer frustration and did not start again for eight years.
In the early part of September 2001 he decided to start writing again. This decision was based on the realization that it was the only thing he had ever really wanted to do.
Between August 2001 and January 2002 he wrote three books, the second of which was called ‘Candlemoth’. This was purchased by Orion and published in 2003. ‘Candlemoth’ was translated into German, Dutch and Italian, and has now also been purchased for translation in numerous other languages. The book also secured a nomination on the shortlist for the Crime Writers’ Association Steel Dagger for Best Thriller 2003. His second book, ‘Ghostheart’, was released in 2004, and his third book, ‘A Quiet Vendetta’, was released in August 2005. In 2006 he published ‘City of Lies’, and once again secured a nomination for the CWA Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of that year. His fifth book – ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ - was published in August 2006, and in the latter part of the year it was selected for the phenomenally successful British TV equivalent of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club, the Richard and Judy Book Club.
‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ went on to be shortlisted for the Barry Award for Best British Crime Fiction, the 813 Trophy, the Quebec Booksellers’ Prize, The Europeen Du Point Crime Fiction Prize, and was winner of the Inaugural Prix Roman Noir Nouvel Observateur. It has since been voted Best Thriller of 2009 in The Strand Magazine. The book was also optioned for film, and Roger has recently completed the screenplay for Oscar-winning French director, Olivier Dahan.
Following on from ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’, Roger released ‘A Simple Act of Violence’, again securing a nomination for Best British Crime Fiction of 2008. In late 2009 he released ‘The Anniversary Man’ to rave reviews.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
July 16, 2020
What if John F. Kennedy had not been assassinated in November 1963, would America be a different place today? And is the collective memory of this man, who served less than three years as president of the United States, an over-romanticised vision of the man?
As this story kicks off it’s clear that the attempt to kill JFK in Dallas on that fateful day has failed. Kennedy is still alive and in office and is planning for the forthcoming Democratic National Convention, hell bent on securing nomination for the upcoming presidential election. His brother Bobby is still the powerhouse behind his support team and he’s trying to rein in his elder sibling’s philandering which he perceives represents a significant risk to a second term, should it become known to the wider public. Bobby is confident they can pull it off, but winning the nomination is certainly not a given.
In parallel to this, photographic journalist Mitch Newman is drowning his sorrows and lamenting just how badly his life has run off-track. He knows he made a rash decision to abandon study and to leave the love of his life, Jean, at home as he chased fame and fortune as a war reporter in Korea. It didn’t work out for him in Korea and he returned home traumatised and heavily regretting his decision to leave. To rub salt in the wound, Jean had pulled the plug on the relationship whilst he was away and didn't reply to his many pleading letters. Now, some while later, a new level of grief has descended on him as he’s discovered that Jean has committed suicide. Can things possibly get any worse?
As Mitch struggles to deal with this latest blow he begins to learn more about how Jean spent the last months of her life. It seems that she had become a journalist herself after obtaining her degree and had become somewhat obsessed by the rumours surrounding the way in which Kennedy had narrowly won election to the presidency. Had something untoward taken place, had the election result somehow been rigged? It seems that she’d travelled to Dallas in late ’63 as she sought answers to these questions and soon after had taken her own life. But Mitch just couldn’t see the girl he’d admired and loved taking this drastic course of action; he knew he’d have to know more about her last days, if only to put his mind to rest and obtain some sort of closure.
As the tale unfolds the key figures from the time make their appearance: Jack Ruby, Lee Harvey Oswald and also those close to and working for JFK. The political intrigue is deftly handled as the Kennedy brothers and their team plot their way toward the key DNC showdown, and as the lovelorn Mitch gradually starts to piece together the events leading up to Jean’s death the tension racks up exponentially. We know that the two elements of the story will eventually collide but it’s by no means clear how this will all play out.
I’ve long admired Ellory’s ability to spin a yarn, I truly believe him to be a master storyteller. He’s like a British Stephen King in the way he’s able to grab a reader by the neck and haul them through to the end, breathless and gagging for more. This is certainly one of his most inventive novels and probably one of his very best. Highly recommended.
My sincere thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As this story kicks off it’s clear that the attempt to kill JFK in Dallas on that fateful day has failed. Kennedy is still alive and in office and is planning for the forthcoming Democratic National Convention, hell bent on securing nomination for the upcoming presidential election. His brother Bobby is still the powerhouse behind his support team and he’s trying to rein in his elder sibling’s philandering which he perceives represents a significant risk to a second term, should it become known to the wider public. Bobby is confident they can pull it off, but winning the nomination is certainly not a given.
In parallel to this, photographic journalist Mitch Newman is drowning his sorrows and lamenting just how badly his life has run off-track. He knows he made a rash decision to abandon study and to leave the love of his life, Jean, at home as he chased fame and fortune as a war reporter in Korea. It didn’t work out for him in Korea and he returned home traumatised and heavily regretting his decision to leave. To rub salt in the wound, Jean had pulled the plug on the relationship whilst he was away and didn't reply to his many pleading letters. Now, some while later, a new level of grief has descended on him as he’s discovered that Jean has committed suicide. Can things possibly get any worse?
As Mitch struggles to deal with this latest blow he begins to learn more about how Jean spent the last months of her life. It seems that she had become a journalist herself after obtaining her degree and had become somewhat obsessed by the rumours surrounding the way in which Kennedy had narrowly won election to the presidency. Had something untoward taken place, had the election result somehow been rigged? It seems that she’d travelled to Dallas in late ’63 as she sought answers to these questions and soon after had taken her own life. But Mitch just couldn’t see the girl he’d admired and loved taking this drastic course of action; he knew he’d have to know more about her last days, if only to put his mind to rest and obtain some sort of closure.
As the tale unfolds the key figures from the time make their appearance: Jack Ruby, Lee Harvey Oswald and also those close to and working for JFK. The political intrigue is deftly handled as the Kennedy brothers and their team plot their way toward the key DNC showdown, and as the lovelorn Mitch gradually starts to piece together the events leading up to Jean’s death the tension racks up exponentially. We know that the two elements of the story will eventually collide but it’s by no means clear how this will all play out.
I’ve long admired Ellory’s ability to spin a yarn, I truly believe him to be a master storyteller. He’s like a British Stephen King in the way he’s able to grab a reader by the neck and haul them through to the end, breathless and gagging for more. This is certainly one of his most inventive novels and probably one of his very best. Highly recommended.
My sincere thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 2, 2019
I am a sucker for any books about or set around the assassination of JFK. I loved this!!! The narrator was fantastic, he did a great Kennedy voice too.
June 30, 2019
Camelot revisited...
It’s the summer of 1964 and the Democratic Convention is on the horizon, when they’ll have to decide whether they will support President Jack Kennedy as their nominee for another four years. Scandal is beginning to swirl around him, though – over vote-rigging and corruption in the last election, over his increasing health problems and questions about his mental stability, over the many women with whom he is rumoured to have had affairs. When young journalist Jean Boyd is found dead, her mother can’t believe the official line that Jean committed suicide. So she asks Mitch Newman, an old lover of Jean’s, to look into it. Mitch’s investigations will soon take him to Dallas where, back in the previous November, Jean had been following a lead relating to the President’s visit there...
If you’re confused, don’t be. This is an alternative history, based on the premise that JFK did not die in November 1963. Ellory speculates as to how the Presidency would have played out if Kennedy had remained in office – would the scandals of which we’re all now aware have become front and centre during his re-election campaign? Was he fit, physically and mentally, for another four years? Would the Democrats have stuck by him if he lost the Camelot glamour that inspired a generation? Would Jackie have been able to tolerate another four years of his blatant philandering? All interesting questions, and Ellory’s research felt solid to me so that, although he perhaps takes some aspects a little further than my credibility was wholly willing to follow, it nevertheless felt mostly chillingly possible.
The other strand of the story is Mitch’s investigation into Jean’s death, and unfortunately this worked less well for me. Mitch has never got over Jean although they split up when they were barely adults, and we are treated to endless descriptions of his feelings of guilt, loss and self-loathing, all of which bored me to distraction. Ellory even chooses to include several of the love letters Mitch sent to Jean after their break-up, all of which reveal nothing more startling than that he was sorry and still loved her. (Poor Jean – if she was anything like me, she probably only read the first three...) Ellory repeats and repeats how Mitch feels today, how he felt back then, how he felt when he was in Korea during the war. The book could have lost ninety per cent of all this, and been considerably better for it.
It’s a pity because otherwise this strand is interesting too. Basically, it’s the story of the real assassination, only changed to reflect the fact that in the book the assassination doesn’t come off. But real people show up – Jack Ruby, Lee Oswald, etc. – and Ellory treads a line between the official account and the various major conspiracy theories. I’m not hugely knowledgeable about the details of the event, but it all seemed to tie in well with what is known as far as I could tell.
It all leads up to a satisfying thriller ending, which again teeters precariously on the edge of credibility but doesn’t quite fall off. The whole presents a dark, dark picture of the Kennedy clan, exaggerated in places (I assume) to achieve a thriller effect, but sadly mostly only too believable. If you can put up with all Mitch’s endless regrets or, like me, skim read past most of them, then the what-if? features make this an interesting and enjoyable read. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Orion.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
It’s the summer of 1964 and the Democratic Convention is on the horizon, when they’ll have to decide whether they will support President Jack Kennedy as their nominee for another four years. Scandal is beginning to swirl around him, though – over vote-rigging and corruption in the last election, over his increasing health problems and questions about his mental stability, over the many women with whom he is rumoured to have had affairs. When young journalist Jean Boyd is found dead, her mother can’t believe the official line that Jean committed suicide. So she asks Mitch Newman, an old lover of Jean’s, to look into it. Mitch’s investigations will soon take him to Dallas where, back in the previous November, Jean had been following a lead relating to the President’s visit there...
If you’re confused, don’t be. This is an alternative history, based on the premise that JFK did not die in November 1963. Ellory speculates as to how the Presidency would have played out if Kennedy had remained in office – would the scandals of which we’re all now aware have become front and centre during his re-election campaign? Was he fit, physically and mentally, for another four years? Would the Democrats have stuck by him if he lost the Camelot glamour that inspired a generation? Would Jackie have been able to tolerate another four years of his blatant philandering? All interesting questions, and Ellory’s research felt solid to me so that, although he perhaps takes some aspects a little further than my credibility was wholly willing to follow, it nevertheless felt mostly chillingly possible.
The other strand of the story is Mitch’s investigation into Jean’s death, and unfortunately this worked less well for me. Mitch has never got over Jean although they split up when they were barely adults, and we are treated to endless descriptions of his feelings of guilt, loss and self-loathing, all of which bored me to distraction. Ellory even chooses to include several of the love letters Mitch sent to Jean after their break-up, all of which reveal nothing more startling than that he was sorry and still loved her. (Poor Jean – if she was anything like me, she probably only read the first three...) Ellory repeats and repeats how Mitch feels today, how he felt back then, how he felt when he was in Korea during the war. The book could have lost ninety per cent of all this, and been considerably better for it.
It’s a pity because otherwise this strand is interesting too. Basically, it’s the story of the real assassination, only changed to reflect the fact that in the book the assassination doesn’t come off. But real people show up – Jack Ruby, Lee Oswald, etc. – and Ellory treads a line between the official account and the various major conspiracy theories. I’m not hugely knowledgeable about the details of the event, but it all seemed to tie in well with what is known as far as I could tell.
It all leads up to a satisfying thriller ending, which again teeters precariously on the edge of credibility but doesn’t quite fall off. The whole presents a dark, dark picture of the Kennedy clan, exaggerated in places (I assume) to achieve a thriller effect, but sadly mostly only too believable. If you can put up with all Mitch’s endless regrets or, like me, skim read past most of them, then the what-if? features make this an interesting and enjoyable read. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Orion.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
January 4, 2021
an alternative crime thriller based in 1964 USA and JFK is seeking re-election and a journalist has committed suicide or has she, her ex partner goes in search of answers
March 1, 2019
What if the assassination of President John F. Kennedy never happened - but there was a conspiracy? What might have occurred in Dallas on November 22, 1963 is the premise of R.J. Ellory's latest novel "Three Bullets". Instead of the death of a popular young president, we are presented with the dark side of "Camelot , the court of JFK with his brother Bobby and the "Irish Mafia" fighting a desperate battle to ensure Kennedy wins the Democratic nomination and gains a second term as President of the United States.
We meet Mitch Newman, a washed-up photojournalist based in Washington, D.C. One night he receives a phone call from Alice Boyd, mother of Mitch's former fiancee Jean. Mitch and Jean broke off their engagement when he left to go to Korea as a war photographer. After a breakdown which brought him home just a few months later, Mitch tried desperately to reconcile with Jean, to no avail. Now, her mother tells him that Jean has taken her own life.
From then on, things start to get weird. All of Jean's papers in her apartment are taken away by a policeman and men claiming to be work colleagues of Jean - except they weren't who they said they were. Mitch reads material written by Jean at her mother's home. Those documents also disappear. With only a few sketchy clues to work on, Mitch - fired by his undying love for Jean - starts to investigate, beginning with a trip to Dallas. It seems she was working on an expose of the Kennedy family's rigging of the election which elected JFK. Mitch becomes convinced that her death was not suicide.
Writing about Kennedy v Nixon election, which Kennedy won by the narrowest of margins, Jean makes a damning observation: "The only good thing about whichever candidate wins this election is that it the other one didn't."
So begins a journey into the dark heart of the U.S.A's political landscape in the 1960's - an alternative history of the Kennedy presidency after November 1963. There are details of Kennedy's countless sexual liasons with women and his reliance on various pills and potions - all of which were barely mentioned by the US media until long after his death. We learn of the desperate measures taken by Kennedy's men to ensure his nomination and re-election - events which actually happened prior to JFK's visit to Texas.(It's a fact that Kennedy told advisers he expected a tough re-election campaign because of his support of civil rights. Indeed, his historic Civil Rights Act, introduced in June 1963, was stalled in Congress when he died.)
There is also a wealth of detail on the Secret Service's role in protecting the President and his family and how they deal with the hundreds of death threats which were directed at JFK.
As well as Kennedy himself, his brother Bobby and the politicians and fixers in Kennedy's cabinet, real characters such as Jack Ruby appear in the story while others, such as Mafia bosses and union boss Jimmy Hoffa, are also mentioned. Some of the women who were among Kennedy's sexual conquests play a major part. And, of course, there's Lee Harvey Oswald.
The plot takes the reader down several blind alleys and Mitch seems in the grip of an obsession as he tries to piece together various clues surrounding events in Dallas in November 1963 - until the action moves to Atlantic City and Kennedy's date with an alternative destiny.
Finally, there's a fabulous twist to this tale which shocks Mitch to his core. This is a fascinating thriller and will surely give JFK assassination conspiracy theorists some incredible new material.
My thanks to the Orion Publishing Group and to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
We meet Mitch Newman, a washed-up photojournalist based in Washington, D.C. One night he receives a phone call from Alice Boyd, mother of Mitch's former fiancee Jean. Mitch and Jean broke off their engagement when he left to go to Korea as a war photographer. After a breakdown which brought him home just a few months later, Mitch tried desperately to reconcile with Jean, to no avail. Now, her mother tells him that Jean has taken her own life.
From then on, things start to get weird. All of Jean's papers in her apartment are taken away by a policeman and men claiming to be work colleagues of Jean - except they weren't who they said they were. Mitch reads material written by Jean at her mother's home. Those documents also disappear. With only a few sketchy clues to work on, Mitch - fired by his undying love for Jean - starts to investigate, beginning with a trip to Dallas. It seems she was working on an expose of the Kennedy family's rigging of the election which elected JFK. Mitch becomes convinced that her death was not suicide.
Writing about Kennedy v Nixon election, which Kennedy won by the narrowest of margins, Jean makes a damning observation: "The only good thing about whichever candidate wins this election is that it the other one didn't."
So begins a journey into the dark heart of the U.S.A's political landscape in the 1960's - an alternative history of the Kennedy presidency after November 1963. There are details of Kennedy's countless sexual liasons with women and his reliance on various pills and potions - all of which were barely mentioned by the US media until long after his death. We learn of the desperate measures taken by Kennedy's men to ensure his nomination and re-election - events which actually happened prior to JFK's visit to Texas.(It's a fact that Kennedy told advisers he expected a tough re-election campaign because of his support of civil rights. Indeed, his historic Civil Rights Act, introduced in June 1963, was stalled in Congress when he died.)
There is also a wealth of detail on the Secret Service's role in protecting the President and his family and how they deal with the hundreds of death threats which were directed at JFK.
As well as Kennedy himself, his brother Bobby and the politicians and fixers in Kennedy's cabinet, real characters such as Jack Ruby appear in the story while others, such as Mafia bosses and union boss Jimmy Hoffa, are also mentioned. Some of the women who were among Kennedy's sexual conquests play a major part. And, of course, there's Lee Harvey Oswald.
The plot takes the reader down several blind alleys and Mitch seems in the grip of an obsession as he tries to piece together various clues surrounding events in Dallas in November 1963 - until the action moves to Atlantic City and Kennedy's date with an alternative destiny.
Finally, there's a fabulous twist to this tale which shocks Mitch to his core. This is a fascinating thriller and will surely give JFK assassination conspiracy theorists some incredible new material.
My thanks to the Orion Publishing Group and to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.
March 26, 2019
What if JFK wasn’t killed at Dallas? What might have happened during the full term of his presidency? Three Bullets breathes new life into the greatest controversy of 20th century American politics by approaching it from an entirely new angle. The result is a radically refreshed story – a genuinely gripping page-turner with a deeply personal quest at its centre and the fate of a nation hanging in the balance.
With a deceptively simple sidestep, author RJ Ellory creates the backdrop for an inventive and original conspiracy thriller, one which takes actual events, people and places and subtly adjusts their significance and our interpretations.
All the key players are present and correct: John, Jackie, Bobby and the entire Kennedy team at the White House; Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby in Dallas. If you enjoy the West Wing or House of Cards then you’ll find plenty of political intrigue to keep you entertained.
But the JFK conspiracy is just the backdrop to the core story, an intimate investigation into an apparent suicide. Freelance photographer Mitch struggles to accept that his childhood sweetheart – long since estranged – killed herself. Did she really take an overdose when her single-minded devotion to her scoop threatened to end her career? Motivated by loss and guilt, Mitch starts to pull together the pieces of an extremely sinister puzzle, attempting to redeem the wretched mistakes of his past without drowning a bottle of bourbon.
Mitch himself could so easily be a genre stereotype straight out of central casting; he ran away to make his fortune as a war reporter in Korea, and he ran right back again when the going got tough. But Ellory takes those superficial characteristics and gives them real substance – and then confounds our expectations with genuinely unpredictable revelations from Mitch’s history.
None of the social and political debate slows the story, which is an engaging, rapid read. I was hooked from the opening chapters and couldn’t resist barrelling through the whole book in two, massively indulgent, immersive sessions. I could kinda see where the story was heading, but the payoff was just about perfect.
If you’ve not tried one of Ellory’s American crime-thrillers before then I recommend you start with this one. It’s accessible and intriguing; an absorbing experience with a tight plot and well-crafted characters. Maybe the writing isn’t quite as lyrical or as inventive as in some of his other novels – but the storytelling is superb.
9/10
There are more reviews and recommendations of crime-thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
With a deceptively simple sidestep, author RJ Ellory creates the backdrop for an inventive and original conspiracy thriller, one which takes actual events, people and places and subtly adjusts their significance and our interpretations.
All the key players are present and correct: John, Jackie, Bobby and the entire Kennedy team at the White House; Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby in Dallas. If you enjoy the West Wing or House of Cards then you’ll find plenty of political intrigue to keep you entertained.
But the JFK conspiracy is just the backdrop to the core story, an intimate investigation into an apparent suicide. Freelance photographer Mitch struggles to accept that his childhood sweetheart – long since estranged – killed herself. Did she really take an overdose when her single-minded devotion to her scoop threatened to end her career? Motivated by loss and guilt, Mitch starts to pull together the pieces of an extremely sinister puzzle, attempting to redeem the wretched mistakes of his past without drowning a bottle of bourbon.
Mitch himself could so easily be a genre stereotype straight out of central casting; he ran away to make his fortune as a war reporter in Korea, and he ran right back again when the going got tough. But Ellory takes those superficial characteristics and gives them real substance – and then confounds our expectations with genuinely unpredictable revelations from Mitch’s history.
None of the social and political debate slows the story, which is an engaging, rapid read. I was hooked from the opening chapters and couldn’t resist barrelling through the whole book in two, massively indulgent, immersive sessions. I could kinda see where the story was heading, but the payoff was just about perfect.
If you’ve not tried one of Ellory’s American crime-thrillers before then I recommend you start with this one. It’s accessible and intriguing; an absorbing experience with a tight plot and well-crafted characters. Maybe the writing isn’t quite as lyrical or as inventive as in some of his other novels – but the storytelling is superb.
9/10
There are more reviews and recommendations of crime-thrillers over at http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
April 17, 2019
Having now read all of R J Ellory's books and given each book a rating of either 9/10 or 10/10, you just know that you won't get a sensible review from me on this guy's work - I'm totally and utterly biased!
Every book, every story, just reels you in - every page is to be absorbed, enjoyed, and to be marvelled at.
Whereas repetition of certain details can annoy from many writers, the reverse is true with R.J. - he manages to do this with an emphasis that extends the tension, and underlines the importance of what is coming next.
This current book, revolving around the Kennedy/Oswald nightmare of 1963, is blitzed out of the history books, and JFK lives on. Meanwhile our intrepid reporter/investigator Mitch Newman is chasing round Dallas etc after his ex-girlfriend has supposedly committed suicide.
It all gets suspicious and mixed up with JFK and his shenanigans on the side, and all in all it makes for a marvellous read.
Didn't give it the full Monty rating wise because I was so damned put out that the story didn't play fully out as I wanted.
I wanted more.....
And the real annoying part of this current book?
I've now got to wait a good few months or more before this author produces his next book!
Somehow other authors, to my mind anyway, never produce that kind of epic frustration.
Read it....and believe.
Every book, every story, just reels you in - every page is to be absorbed, enjoyed, and to be marvelled at.
Whereas repetition of certain details can annoy from many writers, the reverse is true with R.J. - he manages to do this with an emphasis that extends the tension, and underlines the importance of what is coming next.
This current book, revolving around the Kennedy/Oswald nightmare of 1963, is blitzed out of the history books, and JFK lives on. Meanwhile our intrepid reporter/investigator Mitch Newman is chasing round Dallas etc after his ex-girlfriend has supposedly committed suicide.
It all gets suspicious and mixed up with JFK and his shenanigans on the side, and all in all it makes for a marvellous read.
Didn't give it the full Monty rating wise because I was so damned put out that the story didn't play fully out as I wanted.
I wanted more.....
And the real annoying part of this current book?
I've now got to wait a good few months or more before this author produces his next book!
Somehow other authors, to my mind anyway, never produce that kind of epic frustration.
Read it....and believe.
January 23, 2019
Terrific conspiracy thriller - review to follow close to publication date.
October 21, 2019
Slechte Republikeinse fan fiction
March 2, 2019
I have always thought that RJ Ellory was an exceptional thriller writer who has never received the acclaim he rightfully deserves.
Hopefully things will change and Three Bullets is an exceptionally clever, original, well thought through and plotted book which, it goes without saying, is also beautifully written.
I will not reveal the plot but just imagine if JFK had not been assassinated and what might have happened in that instance?
Read it and find out for yourself and you really will not be disappointed!
Hopefully things will change and Three Bullets is an exceptionally clever, original, well thought through and plotted book which, it goes without saying, is also beautifully written.
I will not reveal the plot but just imagine if JFK had not been assassinated and what might have happened in that instance?
Read it and find out for yourself and you really will not be disappointed!
June 23, 2020
Le jour où Kennedy n’est pas mort de R.J. Ellory, présentation
Dallas, quelques heures, Ed et son collègue trouvent une pile de cartons bien rangée. Ils pensent que le nouvel employé voulait se cacher. Après, ils mettent à jour une balle qui disparaît. Est-ce Harvey le responsable ?
Le 3 juillet 1964, Judith, maîtresse de Jack, sait qu’elle ne sert qu’au sexe. Il n’a aucun sentiment pour elle. Elle se sent seule.
Avis Le jour où Kennedy n’est pas mort de R.J. Ellory
Mitch est photographe journaliste. Le lecteur sait très vite qu’il n’a pas réussi sa vie, à l’âge de 35 ans. Il boit beaucoup et a de nombreux regrets mais lesquels ? Lorsqu’il reçoit un appel de la mère de Jean qui lui annonce que sa fille a été retrouvée morte pour cause de suicide, il replonge dans son passé pour enquêter sur un présent. Jeune, Mitch était tombé profondément amoureux de Jean et c’était réciproque. Mais elle ne lui a jamais pardonné qu’il veuille partir en Corée, comme journaliste. A son retour, peu de mois après, elle n’a jamais voulu le revoir, ni lui parler, malgré des lettres. Est-ce pour cela que Mitch n’a jamais réussi dans son métier ou dans sa vie personnelle ? Il n’a jamais réussi à dépasser ce qu’il a vécu d’horrible en Corée et la perte de Jean. Quand la mère de Jean lui demande, après lui avoir remis quelques documents de Jean, de confirmer ou pas la thèse du suicide, Mitch va osciller entre accepter et refuser. Mais le peu qu’il va mettre à jour, au départ, le conforte dans l’idée, que cette jeune femme lumineuse, coriace, opiniâtre, n’a pas pu se suicider.
C’est toujours avec une grande impatience que j’attends, chaque année, le nouveau roman de R.J. Ellory, auteur déjà rencontré deux fois, auteur très proche de ses lecteurs sur les réseaux sociaux et même en réel. R.J. Ellory réécrit l’histoire d’une des familles les plus puissantes des Etats-Unis, la famille princière comme elle était surnommée, la famille Kennedy, dont le destin n’a pas été tendre avec elle. Là, R.J. Ellory a imaginé que J.F. Kennedy n’a pas été assassiné et que la vie a continué, jusqu’à la future convention pour élire le candidat qui sera choisi pour l’élection présidentielle. Réécrire l’histoire tout en étant parfaitement documenté, R.J. Ellory le fait parfaitement. Je savais que JFK souffrait énormément au point qu’il ne pouvait pas assumer certaines fonctions. Je savais que le couple formé avec Jackie n’était pas celui des photos. Je savais que JFK avait de nombreuses maîtresses. D’ailleurs, le fameux suicide de Jean me fait penser à un autre suicide, celui de Marilyn Monroe.
Malheureusement, pour moi, j’étais dans un état de fatigue extrême lorsque j’ai lu ce roman. Le soir, très tôt, au bout d’un quart d’heure, je m’endormais. J’arrivais à lire quelques lignes entre midi et deux mais aussi le matin quand je prenais le bus. Malgré cette fatigue qui ne m’a pas fait apprécier ce roman à son juste niveau, mon sentiment est que ce n’est pas le meilleur d’Ellory pour moi. Mais ce n’est pas grave. J’ai constaté un petit changement dans le style de l’auteur. Il n’appuie pas autant ses propos en répétant certains mots, en insistant sur certains points pour démontrer que cela peut arriver à n’importe qui.
R. J. Ellory change de registre dans ce roman. Un roman où il réécrit l’histoire pour servir son héros qui est profondément étudié, comme dans tous ses romans. Ce n’est pas un roman psychologique comme il en a tant écrit, où il détaille les travers d’une société, les travers humains. Bien sûr, Mitch n’est pas tout blanc. A-t-il raté sa vie ? Il a vécu de nombreuses années avec le souvenir de son seul amour et les quelques mois passés en Corée. En définitive, la seule à bien le décrire est Jean. Et là, c’est le coup de massue. Il comprend tout, il comprend qui il est. Est-ce que cela va lui servir ? Très certainement. Cela lui permettra de donner une autre dimension à son enquête. Il sera plus opiniâtre même s’il n’arrive pas à donner les tenants et aboutissants. Malgré tout, avec une simple photo, il révélera ce qui s’est réellement passé ou pas. Car ne se trompe-t-il pas ?
En tous les cas, son héros est un écorché. Par une décision prise jeune car il pensait qu’il devait le faire sinon il se le serait reproché toute sa vie, car c’était dans l’ordre des choses, il a tout perdu, son âme et l’amour de sa vie. Des années passées à regretter. Etant donné qu’il n’a pas d’éléments en sa possession, son enquête sera longue, dure pour mettre bout à bout ce qu’il trouve. Pourquoi Jean est morte ? Qu’a-t-elle découvert à Dallas ? Est-ce que quelqu’un l’a fait taire parce qu’elle s’approchait trop de la vérité ? Pourquoi d’autres personnes ont un temps d’avance sur Mitch qui se sent et se sait observé, suivi ? La quête continue encore et toujours pour lui et on revient toujours à Oswald. Mitch a pris ses responsabilités sur ce coup-là. Arrive-t-il enfin à se connaître après cette hébétude, cet état de choc dans lequel la mort de Jean le plonge ?
J’ai apprécié cette dimension historique donnée par R.J. Ellory qui outre, JFK, donne le pouvoir à Bobby Kennedy qui oeuvre pour la fonction présidentielle, pour celui qui est élu. Car le Président, même s’il prend les décisions, semble être un véritable pantin.
Même si ce roman n’est pas un coup de coeur, à quand le prochain R.J. Ellory ?
Dallas, quelques heures, Ed et son collègue trouvent une pile de cartons bien rangée. Ils pensent que le nouvel employé voulait se cacher. Après, ils mettent à jour une balle qui disparaît. Est-ce Harvey le responsable ?
Le 3 juillet 1964, Judith, maîtresse de Jack, sait qu’elle ne sert qu’au sexe. Il n’a aucun sentiment pour elle. Elle se sent seule.
Avis Le jour où Kennedy n’est pas mort de R.J. Ellory
Mitch est photographe journaliste. Le lecteur sait très vite qu’il n’a pas réussi sa vie, à l’âge de 35 ans. Il boit beaucoup et a de nombreux regrets mais lesquels ? Lorsqu’il reçoit un appel de la mère de Jean qui lui annonce que sa fille a été retrouvée morte pour cause de suicide, il replonge dans son passé pour enquêter sur un présent. Jeune, Mitch était tombé profondément amoureux de Jean et c’était réciproque. Mais elle ne lui a jamais pardonné qu’il veuille partir en Corée, comme journaliste. A son retour, peu de mois après, elle n’a jamais voulu le revoir, ni lui parler, malgré des lettres. Est-ce pour cela que Mitch n’a jamais réussi dans son métier ou dans sa vie personnelle ? Il n’a jamais réussi à dépasser ce qu’il a vécu d’horrible en Corée et la perte de Jean. Quand la mère de Jean lui demande, après lui avoir remis quelques documents de Jean, de confirmer ou pas la thèse du suicide, Mitch va osciller entre accepter et refuser. Mais le peu qu’il va mettre à jour, au départ, le conforte dans l’idée, que cette jeune femme lumineuse, coriace, opiniâtre, n’a pas pu se suicider.
C’est toujours avec une grande impatience que j’attends, chaque année, le nouveau roman de R.J. Ellory, auteur déjà rencontré deux fois, auteur très proche de ses lecteurs sur les réseaux sociaux et même en réel. R.J. Ellory réécrit l’histoire d’une des familles les plus puissantes des Etats-Unis, la famille princière comme elle était surnommée, la famille Kennedy, dont le destin n’a pas été tendre avec elle. Là, R.J. Ellory a imaginé que J.F. Kennedy n’a pas été assassiné et que la vie a continué, jusqu’à la future convention pour élire le candidat qui sera choisi pour l’élection présidentielle. Réécrire l’histoire tout en étant parfaitement documenté, R.J. Ellory le fait parfaitement. Je savais que JFK souffrait énormément au point qu’il ne pouvait pas assumer certaines fonctions. Je savais que le couple formé avec Jackie n’était pas celui des photos. Je savais que JFK avait de nombreuses maîtresses. D’ailleurs, le fameux suicide de Jean me fait penser à un autre suicide, celui de Marilyn Monroe.
Malheureusement, pour moi, j’étais dans un état de fatigue extrême lorsque j’ai lu ce roman. Le soir, très tôt, au bout d’un quart d’heure, je m’endormais. J’arrivais à lire quelques lignes entre midi et deux mais aussi le matin quand je prenais le bus. Malgré cette fatigue qui ne m’a pas fait apprécier ce roman à son juste niveau, mon sentiment est que ce n’est pas le meilleur d’Ellory pour moi. Mais ce n’est pas grave. J’ai constaté un petit changement dans le style de l’auteur. Il n’appuie pas autant ses propos en répétant certains mots, en insistant sur certains points pour démontrer que cela peut arriver à n’importe qui.
R. J. Ellory change de registre dans ce roman. Un roman où il réécrit l’histoire pour servir son héros qui est profondément étudié, comme dans tous ses romans. Ce n’est pas un roman psychologique comme il en a tant écrit, où il détaille les travers d’une société, les travers humains. Bien sûr, Mitch n’est pas tout blanc. A-t-il raté sa vie ? Il a vécu de nombreuses années avec le souvenir de son seul amour et les quelques mois passés en Corée. En définitive, la seule à bien le décrire est Jean. Et là, c’est le coup de massue. Il comprend tout, il comprend qui il est. Est-ce que cela va lui servir ? Très certainement. Cela lui permettra de donner une autre dimension à son enquête. Il sera plus opiniâtre même s’il n’arrive pas à donner les tenants et aboutissants. Malgré tout, avec une simple photo, il révélera ce qui s’est réellement passé ou pas. Car ne se trompe-t-il pas ?
En tous les cas, son héros est un écorché. Par une décision prise jeune car il pensait qu’il devait le faire sinon il se le serait reproché toute sa vie, car c’était dans l’ordre des choses, il a tout perdu, son âme et l’amour de sa vie. Des années passées à regretter. Etant donné qu’il n’a pas d’éléments en sa possession, son enquête sera longue, dure pour mettre bout à bout ce qu’il trouve. Pourquoi Jean est morte ? Qu’a-t-elle découvert à Dallas ? Est-ce que quelqu’un l’a fait taire parce qu’elle s’approchait trop de la vérité ? Pourquoi d’autres personnes ont un temps d’avance sur Mitch qui se sent et se sait observé, suivi ? La quête continue encore et toujours pour lui et on revient toujours à Oswald. Mitch a pris ses responsabilités sur ce coup-là. Arrive-t-il enfin à se connaître après cette hébétude, cet état de choc dans lequel la mort de Jean le plonge ?
J’ai apprécié cette dimension historique donnée par R.J. Ellory qui outre, JFK, donne le pouvoir à Bobby Kennedy qui oeuvre pour la fonction présidentielle, pour celui qui est élu. Car le Président, même s’il prend les décisions, semble être un véritable pantin.
Même si ce roman n’est pas un coup de coeur, à quand le prochain R.J. Ellory ?
did-not-finish
October 28, 2019Luisterboek tijdens klusjes. Fijne voorleesstem en -ritme door Rik van de Westelaken. Maar het verhaal is niet wat ik ervan verwacht had. Ik ben tot zo'n 10% gekomen, maar de personages boeiden me nog niet en het plot was ook minder duidelijk en actievol dan dat ik verwacht had. Gewoon niet mijn kopje thee.
June 4, 2020
Peut-on écorner un mythe ? Mettre au centre d’un roman un mythe iconique et révéler l’aspect obscur de sa personnalité en risquant de se mettre à dos tous ceux qui pensent qu’il est indécent de « salir » la mémoire de quelqu’un ? Voilà un procédé sacrément osé. Ne vous y trompez pas, il ne s’agit pas ici de ternir le souvenir, il s’agit de poser la question de la vérité, de révéler ce que bon nombre de personnes, et notamment d’Américains ne veulent pas entendre : et si, leur président tant adulé n’était en fait qu’un homme faillible, faible parfois, aux nombreuses contradictions, à l’éducation pesante et psychologiquement anxiogène, aux tares nombreuses et inavouables ? Et si, Kennedy n’avait pas été assassiné ce 22 novembre 1963 à Dallas, que ce serait-il passé ? Comment aurait tourné l’Histoire ? Après Stephen King dans 22.11.63, RJ Ellory se livre ici à un formidable exercice de style : imaginer un évènement du passé qui aurait eu une issue différente.
Pour ce faire, et comme d’habitude avec Ellory, l’auteur place les personnages au centre de tout. L’intrigue navigue par delà eux, mais c’est bien eux qui jouent la partition de la musique du roman. On retrouve ici le charme de la plume incandescente de l’auteur, celle qui déclenche les émotions. Alors oui, difficile de susciter plus d’empathie que pour Joseph Vaughan (« Seul le silence ») ou Evan Riggs ( « Le chant de l’assassin ») ou encore Daniel Ford (« Papillon de nuit »), salement amochés par la vie. Et pourtant Mitch rejoint la liste des héros emblématiques d’Ellory dans leur capacité à susciter des émotions, mais aussi dans le souvenir éternellement palpable qu’ils laisseront. Même si j’ai trouvé ce personnage moins fort que ceux cités précédemment, il n’en reste pas moins touchant et terriblement attachant, de par ses années de vie ratées, une succession de mauvais choix, un ennemi sangsue : l’alcool.
Dans cette uchronie, Ellory construit son intrigue autour de Mitch, un journaliste free-lance dont l’ancienne petite amie Jean s’est suicidée. Ce suicide pose vite questions, car Mitch, très proche d’elle par le passé, ne la croit pas capable d’avoir commis un tel geste. Au cours de son enquête, il va découvrir que Jean s’intéressait elle aussi de très près à Kennedy, qui est alors en campagne pour un second mandat. (oui, souvenez-vous, il n’est pas mort)
La force du récit repose sur l’imagination fertile de l’auteur qui se prend au jeu d’imaginer comment Kennedy, alors en grande difficulté politique pourrait reconquérir le pouvoir. Si vous êtes familiarisé avec le système politique américain, vous saurez apprécier les alliances, les petits arrangements entre amis et le donnant-donnant nécessaire à la réélection d’un candidat. Les campagnes électorales se financent grâce à de grands industriels, des banquiers et une fois le candidat élu, ces gens-là réclament un retour d’ascenseur. « La présidence est une pièce de théâtre ; le président est un personnage qui a été choisi. Il y a de nombreux metteurs en scène, de nombreux producteurs, et il est rare qu’ils soient d’accord sur l’intrigue. » Ellory démontre fort bien comment le chef suprême est très loin de gouverner seul. Habilement, il établit ici combien la politique n’a pas réellement changé depuis ces années-là, et j’en veux pour preuve le terrible choc de l’arrivée au pouvoir de Trump. La politique n’est qu’un ignoble puits sans fond dans lequel se repaît la lie que forment ces hommes égocentriques et assoiffés de pouvoir, ambitionnés par un seul but : la quête de l’autorité suprême.
Ellory est ici fidèle à lui-même dans ses codes de narration : une écriture immersive, une plume noire, des personnages charismatiques, une histoire d’amour. Un savant mélange, un habile dosage, un très bon synopsis de départ, et dès les premières pages c’est l’immersion totale dans son imaginaire.
Le 4 juillet 1964, Ellory imagine que la loi sur les droits civiques a enfin été votée. Ce jour est « celui où l’Amérique s’est libérée des derniers vestiges de l’injustice », le pays a voté l’égalité de traitement entre blancs et noirs. Aujourd’hui, 3 juin 2020, nous vivons avec les images de la mort par étouffement, en direct, de Georges Floyd, les menaces de Trump d’envoyer l’armée face aux émeutes, la garde nationale dominant les rues. Nous sommes bien loin des vœux pieux de Kennedy, extrapolés par la plume de RJ Ellory. L’auteur n’aurait pas pu imaginer l’incroyable résonance de l’actualité par rapport à ce moment clé imaginé dans le roman. Néanmoins, à titre tout à fait personnel, je salue le pouvoir de l’imagination, l’audace de la trame, la connaissance du système politique américain et l’attachement immédiat ressenti pour les personnages, fabuleuse force de l’écrivain. Aujourd’hui, il fait partie des plus grands écrivains du noir, capables de susciter une empathie rarement égalée. Une plume noire. Une plume puissante.
Pour ce faire, et comme d’habitude avec Ellory, l’auteur place les personnages au centre de tout. L’intrigue navigue par delà eux, mais c’est bien eux qui jouent la partition de la musique du roman. On retrouve ici le charme de la plume incandescente de l’auteur, celle qui déclenche les émotions. Alors oui, difficile de susciter plus d’empathie que pour Joseph Vaughan (« Seul le silence ») ou Evan Riggs ( « Le chant de l’assassin ») ou encore Daniel Ford (« Papillon de nuit »), salement amochés par la vie. Et pourtant Mitch rejoint la liste des héros emblématiques d’Ellory dans leur capacité à susciter des émotions, mais aussi dans le souvenir éternellement palpable qu’ils laisseront. Même si j’ai trouvé ce personnage moins fort que ceux cités précédemment, il n’en reste pas moins touchant et terriblement attachant, de par ses années de vie ratées, une succession de mauvais choix, un ennemi sangsue : l’alcool.
Dans cette uchronie, Ellory construit son intrigue autour de Mitch, un journaliste free-lance dont l’ancienne petite amie Jean s’est suicidée. Ce suicide pose vite questions, car Mitch, très proche d’elle par le passé, ne la croit pas capable d’avoir commis un tel geste. Au cours de son enquête, il va découvrir que Jean s’intéressait elle aussi de très près à Kennedy, qui est alors en campagne pour un second mandat. (oui, souvenez-vous, il n’est pas mort)
La force du récit repose sur l’imagination fertile de l’auteur qui se prend au jeu d’imaginer comment Kennedy, alors en grande difficulté politique pourrait reconquérir le pouvoir. Si vous êtes familiarisé avec le système politique américain, vous saurez apprécier les alliances, les petits arrangements entre amis et le donnant-donnant nécessaire à la réélection d’un candidat. Les campagnes électorales se financent grâce à de grands industriels, des banquiers et une fois le candidat élu, ces gens-là réclament un retour d’ascenseur. « La présidence est une pièce de théâtre ; le président est un personnage qui a été choisi. Il y a de nombreux metteurs en scène, de nombreux producteurs, et il est rare qu’ils soient d’accord sur l’intrigue. » Ellory démontre fort bien comment le chef suprême est très loin de gouverner seul. Habilement, il établit ici combien la politique n’a pas réellement changé depuis ces années-là, et j’en veux pour preuve le terrible choc de l’arrivée au pouvoir de Trump. La politique n’est qu’un ignoble puits sans fond dans lequel se repaît la lie que forment ces hommes égocentriques et assoiffés de pouvoir, ambitionnés par un seul but : la quête de l’autorité suprême.
Ellory est ici fidèle à lui-même dans ses codes de narration : une écriture immersive, une plume noire, des personnages charismatiques, une histoire d’amour. Un savant mélange, un habile dosage, un très bon synopsis de départ, et dès les premières pages c’est l’immersion totale dans son imaginaire.
Le 4 juillet 1964, Ellory imagine que la loi sur les droits civiques a enfin été votée. Ce jour est « celui où l’Amérique s’est libérée des derniers vestiges de l’injustice », le pays a voté l’égalité de traitement entre blancs et noirs. Aujourd’hui, 3 juin 2020, nous vivons avec les images de la mort par étouffement, en direct, de Georges Floyd, les menaces de Trump d’envoyer l’armée face aux émeutes, la garde nationale dominant les rues. Nous sommes bien loin des vœux pieux de Kennedy, extrapolés par la plume de RJ Ellory. L’auteur n’aurait pas pu imaginer l’incroyable résonance de l’actualité par rapport à ce moment clé imaginé dans le roman. Néanmoins, à titre tout à fait personnel, je salue le pouvoir de l’imagination, l’audace de la trame, la connaissance du système politique américain et l’attachement immédiat ressenti pour les personnages, fabuleuse force de l’écrivain. Aujourd’hui, il fait partie des plus grands écrivains du noir, capables de susciter une empathie rarement égalée. Une plume noire. Une plume puissante.
October 26, 2020
Een boek met JFK en Jackie Kennedy op de cover, ja dan heb ik meteen al zoiets dat boek moet ik lezen. Hup zonder de achterflap te lezen. Tja dat had met dit boek toch beter wel kunnen doen. Ja het boek gaat wel over JFK, maar de geschiedenis wordt hier duidelijk op te schop gegooid. Het is een zogenaamde What-if boek.
In het verhaal volgen we Mitch Newman die de dood van zijn ex verloofde, een jounaliste gaat onderzoeken. Het leidt tot aan Kennedy. Wat was Jean op het spoor? Dan vraag je je nu zeker af hoe zo een what if?
Wel het onderzoek van Mitch speelt zich af in de zomer van 1964, de meesten van ons weten wel dat Kennedy in november 1963 werd vermoord. Ik moest echt wel even schakelen van huh? Hoe kan dat nu? Ja achterflap niet lezen hè. Het gaat er om dat de aanslag in Dallas mislukt is en Kennedy voor een tweede ambtsperiode wil gaan.
Het boek is dus gedeeltelijk fictie, al worden de roddels en complot theorieën er wel in verwerkt zoals de vermeende buitenechtelijke relaties van Kennedy en het plotseling overlijden van deze vrouwen. Ruby en Oswald ja die hebben ook hun aandeel in het verhaal. Rode draad is echter het onderzoek van Mitch.
Ik heb me tijdens het lezen vaak afgevraagd wat nu de zin van dit verhaal is. De geschiedenis kun je niet veranderen, was dat in sommige gevallen maar waar. Het verhaal draagt dan ook nergens aan toe. Daarnaast blijven de personages oppervlakkig. Mitch wordt op een gegeven moment erg eentonig met zijn zelfverdriet. Je hoopt als dan toch door de schrijver de geschiedenis verandert, wordt het complot rondom Kennedy uitgediept wordt om dan ieder geval de moord op Kennedy te voorkomen, want dat weet je als lezer bijna zeker dat dat alsnog gaat gebeuren.
Samengevat: Een boek dat waarbij ik bij het kopen beter eerst de achterflap had moeten lezen. Dan had ik toch wel even nagedacht of die aan de JFK collectie zou toevoegen. JFK en Jackie Kennedy een zogenaamd koningspaar uit Amerika waar ik graag over lees. Alleen was het hier net even anders. Een semi thriller, want superspannend was het verhaal zeker niet. Als de derde kogel gemist had, ja dan had de wereld er misschien iets anders uitgezien. Een journalist op zoek naar het verhaal van zijn overleden verloofde… Dat is waar het grotendeels omdraait in het boek. Met alle bekende aspecten, alleen in een ander tijdsbestek.
In het verhaal volgen we Mitch Newman die de dood van zijn ex verloofde, een jounaliste gaat onderzoeken. Het leidt tot aan Kennedy. Wat was Jean op het spoor? Dan vraag je je nu zeker af hoe zo een what if?
Wel het onderzoek van Mitch speelt zich af in de zomer van 1964, de meesten van ons weten wel dat Kennedy in november 1963 werd vermoord. Ik moest echt wel even schakelen van huh? Hoe kan dat nu? Ja achterflap niet lezen hè. Het gaat er om dat de aanslag in Dallas mislukt is en Kennedy voor een tweede ambtsperiode wil gaan.
Het boek is dus gedeeltelijk fictie, al worden de roddels en complot theorieën er wel in verwerkt zoals de vermeende buitenechtelijke relaties van Kennedy en het plotseling overlijden van deze vrouwen. Ruby en Oswald ja die hebben ook hun aandeel in het verhaal. Rode draad is echter het onderzoek van Mitch.
Ik heb me tijdens het lezen vaak afgevraagd wat nu de zin van dit verhaal is. De geschiedenis kun je niet veranderen, was dat in sommige gevallen maar waar. Het verhaal draagt dan ook nergens aan toe. Daarnaast blijven de personages oppervlakkig. Mitch wordt op een gegeven moment erg eentonig met zijn zelfverdriet. Je hoopt als dan toch door de schrijver de geschiedenis verandert, wordt het complot rondom Kennedy uitgediept wordt om dan ieder geval de moord op Kennedy te voorkomen, want dat weet je als lezer bijna zeker dat dat alsnog gaat gebeuren.
Samengevat: Een boek dat waarbij ik bij het kopen beter eerst de achterflap had moeten lezen. Dan had ik toch wel even nagedacht of die aan de JFK collectie zou toevoegen. JFK en Jackie Kennedy een zogenaamd koningspaar uit Amerika waar ik graag over lees. Alleen was het hier net even anders. Een semi thriller, want superspannend was het verhaal zeker niet. Als de derde kogel gemist had, ja dan had de wereld er misschien iets anders uitgezien. Een journalist op zoek naar het verhaal van zijn overleden verloofde… Dat is waar het grotendeels omdraait in het boek. Met alle bekende aspecten, alleen in een ander tijdsbestek.
April 12, 2019
Kennedy. JFK. The words inevitably scream out 'assassination' -- then 'controversy', 'conspiracy'. There can be nothing new to say on the subject, surely? RJ Ellory has a lot that's new to say, and he says it with magnificent effectiveness in Three Bullets. You've read the blurb, so I'll not repeat it. You've maybe read other reviews, so I'll not repeat them. What I will say is that like all books by this author the secret lies in the telling as much as in the tale.
Right from the start, the reader is presented with a reconstruction which should feel entirely familiar … then the ground is pulled away and the ending shifts from history to fiction. Just like that. And that is the way of the remainder of the books. An improbably ordinary character in an improbably extraordinary situation, It's a study in obsession, frustration, dawning understanding and finally redemption. Or not. By the time the story was told, in a depth which is so much this author's trademark, you will be ready for anything, for any revelation, hoping that you're going to be surprised.
And you will be. Honest.
Right from the start, the reader is presented with a reconstruction which should feel entirely familiar … then the ground is pulled away and the ending shifts from history to fiction. Just like that. And that is the way of the remainder of the books. An improbably ordinary character in an improbably extraordinary situation, It's a study in obsession, frustration, dawning understanding and finally redemption. Or not. By the time the story was told, in a depth which is so much this author's trademark, you will be ready for anything, for any revelation, hoping that you're going to be surprised.
And you will be. Honest.
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August 28, 2022Généralement j'aime beaucoup Ellory, mais je dois admettre que celui-ci me déçoit. J'en suis à la moitié et je n'aime pas particulièrement le roman.
Je ne crois pas que l'angle abordé soit le plus intéressant ni que les motifs du personnage principal (qui se lamente beaucoup sur des événements ayant eu lieu 15 ans plus tôt...) soient profonds. Les vices du président sont déjà exposés et je ne sais pas ce qu'on pourrait apporter d'intéressant. Il a fallu plus de 150 pages pour que l'histoire commence...
À voir lorsque j'aurai terminé ma lecture, mais mes attitudes sont très basses.
Je ne crois pas que l'angle abordé soit le plus intéressant ni que les motifs du personnage principal (qui se lamente beaucoup sur des événements ayant eu lieu 15 ans plus tôt...) soient profonds. Les vices du président sont déjà exposés et je ne sais pas ce qu'on pourrait apporter d'intéressant. Il a fallu plus de 150 pages pour que l'histoire commence...
À voir lorsque j'aurai terminé ma lecture, mais mes attitudes sont très basses.
April 16, 2019
Another beautifully and intelligently written story by RJ Ellory! I always race through his books too quickly so I tried to take my time with this one, until the last quarter and then I had to keep reading in one sitting until I’d finished it. It’s a unique idea, re-imagining history and It worked brilliantly. The author writes so eloquently, he elevates crime thrillers to a different level somehow. I’m already looking forward to his next book.
April 29, 2019
Ik houd erg van de boeken van Ellory. Een heerlijke stijl. Niet alles is even briljant als A Quiet Belief in Angels maar dit is ook weer een uitstekend verhaal dat zich afspeelt begin jaren 60 waarin Kennedy niet is vermoord in Dallas op 22 november 1963. Laat je meevoeren!
August 24, 2020
Dallas, 22 novembre 1963, le cortège de Kennedy traverse la ville et arrive à Dealey Plaza ... et continue sa route. Ce jour là, Kennedy ne meurt pas.
En juin 1964, Mitch Newman reçoit un appel d’Alice Boyd qui lui annonce la mort de sa fille Jean, l’ex fiancée de Mitch.
Il s’agirait d’un suicide mais Mitch n’y croit pas. Il n’a pas vu Jean depuis 15 ans mais la connaît trop bien, elle n’a pas pu se suicider.
Il décide alors d’enquêter sur le reportage que Jean était en train de réaliser.
I’m découvre qu’elle s’intéressait au clan Kennedy et aux rumeurs de fraudes à l’élection de 1960 qui a mené JFK à la Maison Blanche.
Mais très vite il a d’autres soupçons. Jack Ruby, une association communiste, Lee Harvey Oswald, des disparitions de jeunes femmes semblent s’entremêler dans une enquête qui le dépasse.
Un roman dans lequel on retrouve les magouilles de la politique américaine, les scandales a étouffer rapidement et une population toujours plus facilement manipulée.
Que serait il arrivé si JFK n’avait pas été assassiné à Dallas ?
Un thème toujours intéressant qui tourne autour d’un des grands mythes du 20eme siècle.
Cependant, il y a malheureusement pas mal de longueurs et les apitoiements du personnage principal sont trop répétitives et finissent pas lasser au dépend de l’intrigue.
La fin est un peu précipitée (alors qu’elle est bien trouvée) par rapport à la longueur du roman.
En juin 1964, Mitch Newman reçoit un appel d’Alice Boyd qui lui annonce la mort de sa fille Jean, l’ex fiancée de Mitch.
Il s’agirait d’un suicide mais Mitch n’y croit pas. Il n’a pas vu Jean depuis 15 ans mais la connaît trop bien, elle n’a pas pu se suicider.
Il décide alors d’enquêter sur le reportage que Jean était en train de réaliser.
I’m découvre qu’elle s’intéressait au clan Kennedy et aux rumeurs de fraudes à l’élection de 1960 qui a mené JFK à la Maison Blanche.
Mais très vite il a d’autres soupçons. Jack Ruby, une association communiste, Lee Harvey Oswald, des disparitions de jeunes femmes semblent s’entremêler dans une enquête qui le dépasse.
Un roman dans lequel on retrouve les magouilles de la politique américaine, les scandales a étouffer rapidement et une population toujours plus facilement manipulée.
Que serait il arrivé si JFK n’avait pas été assassiné à Dallas ?
Un thème toujours intéressant qui tourne autour d’un des grands mythes du 20eme siècle.
Cependant, il y a malheureusement pas mal de longueurs et les apitoiements du personnage principal sont trop répétitives et finissent pas lasser au dépend de l’intrigue.
La fin est un peu précipitée (alors qu’elle est bien trouvée) par rapport à la longueur du roman.
March 24, 2024
Rating : 4/5
I've had it for a while and just read it without really knowing what I was getting myself into. I really liked the author's writing and his way of describing the actions. I admit I had a lot of trouble with all the names of the characters, but after making a table to write down everyone and understanding that there were several different points of view it was easier. I most likely should have read up on JFK before reading it because it would have made reading much easier. However, I think that not having been aware of anything allowed me to follow the investigation better and to be thrilled by the suspense. I really liked the character of Mitch who testifies to very powerful things and experiences that we could not even imagine. The final plot twist of the epilogue was perfect ! Quick to read thanks to its short and gripping chapters, Three Bullets takes us into American politics and the geopolitical situation of the time. If you like investigations and politics, this book is made for you !
I've had it for a while and just read it without really knowing what I was getting myself into. I really liked the author's writing and his way of describing the actions. I admit I had a lot of trouble with all the names of the characters, but after making a table to write down everyone and understanding that there were several different points of view it was easier. I most likely should have read up on JFK before reading it because it would have made reading much easier. However, I think that not having been aware of anything allowed me to follow the investigation better and to be thrilled by the suspense. I really liked the character of Mitch who testifies to very powerful things and experiences that we could not even imagine. The final plot twist of the epilogue was perfect ! Quick to read thanks to its short and gripping chapters, Three Bullets takes us into American politics and the geopolitical situation of the time. If you like investigations and politics, this book is made for you !
December 11, 2023
Ellory schrijft onderhoudend en het idee, wat als Kennedy niet was vermoord, is leuk. Waarom werkt het dan niet? Vooral de schier oneindige vragen die de hoofdpersoon zichzelf stelt gaan nogal irriteren. Daarnaast zit er weinig lijn in het verhaal en misschien wel het belangrijkste. Het wordt nergens spannend.
March 9, 2021
John F. Kennedy van zijn voetstuk.
Wat als...Kennedy niet vermoord zou zijn?
Interessant plot. Matig uitgewerkt.
Wat als...Kennedy niet vermoord zou zijn?
Interessant plot. Matig uitgewerkt.
March 18, 2019
I was drawn to this book because it's alternate history, but it's much more than that. Three Bullets is set in a world of early 1960's USA where the plot to assassinate President Kennedy in Dallas failed. The, now infamous, date of 11th November 1963 and the man Lee Harvey Oswald hold no significance. We follow Mitchell as he investigates his ex-girlfriend's apparent suicide; Jean was a journalist who seems to be investigating something to do with JFK himself. This book is crime fiction, political thriller, with touch of a love story.
I was worried that the story revolved around US politics and that it would be a bit dry and preachy. Luckily, it is neither. The author doesn't even allude to the current political climate in the US, which I was happily surprised at! I was also concerned that i would struggle to understand what was going on if the story revolved around the American political system, but the story is woven around the politics and it works really well as a novel. There is a theme of "What if?" in the novel; the obvious one being "What if JFK had lived through that fateful day in Dallas?". But we're also presented with other questions: "What if Jackie had married Bobby Kennedy instead?" or "What if Mitch hadn't gone to Korea?".
Mitch and Jean's relationship is explored in an effective way. We look back as their doomed romance unfolds, and Ellory explores the motivation, emotions, and heartbreak, that are within a relationship. It's a good way to keep the story grounded and on a human scale...an alternate history of such a major event could have been too big to handle, but the exploration into Jean and Mitch's history means it maintains the humanity. The love letters were a nice touch and the reveal towards the end was very clever and meant our perceptions of them changed.
This novel has a very smart mix of real people and events, and fictional characters and fictional events. There are a few threads that I'm sure are based on theories and suspicions about JFK, but they written about in a clear and concise way that adds to the story, instead of the sounding like the ramblings of a conspiracy fanatic. I loved the reveal near the end where we learn what this has really been about. Overall, the ending was both good storytelling and realistic.
I was worried that the story revolved around US politics and that it would be a bit dry and preachy. Luckily, it is neither. The author doesn't even allude to the current political climate in the US, which I was happily surprised at! I was also concerned that i would struggle to understand what was going on if the story revolved around the American political system, but the story is woven around the politics and it works really well as a novel. There is a theme of "What if?" in the novel; the obvious one being "What if JFK had lived through that fateful day in Dallas?". But we're also presented with other questions: "What if Jackie had married Bobby Kennedy instead?" or "What if Mitch hadn't gone to Korea?".
Mitch and Jean's relationship is explored in an effective way. We look back as their doomed romance unfolds, and Ellory explores the motivation, emotions, and heartbreak, that are within a relationship. It's a good way to keep the story grounded and on a human scale...an alternate history of such a major event could have been too big to handle, but the exploration into Jean and Mitch's history means it maintains the humanity. The love letters were a nice touch and the reveal towards the end was very clever and meant our perceptions of them changed.
This novel has a very smart mix of real people and events, and fictional characters and fictional events. There are a few threads that I'm sure are based on theories and suspicions about JFK, but they written about in a clear and concise way that adds to the story, instead of the sounding like the ramblings of a conspiracy fanatic. I loved the reveal near the end where we learn what this has really been about. Overall, the ending was both good storytelling and realistic.
March 22, 2019
Mitch and Jean were an item; engaged and heading for a life together until early in the 1950's Mitch, a photo journalist made the decision to head off to Korea. It was a mistake, one that cost him his relationship with Jean and when he returned 4 months later, his attempts to rekindle their romance were met with rejection, letters remained unanswered and he had to accept she was no longer part of his life. Nobody was more surprised than him when on Independence day 1964, over a decade later he received a phone call from her mother telling him that Jean had taken her own life. But things don't quite add up, her mother claims its a lie, why are the police on the door of her apartment, who are the people who falsely claimed to be colleagues of hers and removed all her papers, why had investigative journalist Jean been in Dallas and what did current President John F Kennedy have to do with it?
Retelling history as it may have come to pass if those fatal shots fired on 22 Nov 1963 hadn't happened, this book is part fiction, part fact. Set in a period of history that still raises a lot of questions that theme is cleverly followed through in this latest book by RJ Ellory.
Three Bullets is not just a fictional account of a journalists obsession with uncovering the truth about what happened to the woman he loved, its also a well researched and well written journey into the dark side of the powerful Kennedy Administration.
As his suspicion that something is very definitely not right about Jeans death grows Mitch finds himself obsessed with seeking out the truth. This book had me reading long into the night as I followed Mitch on his journey, worried that he may himself end up in the crosshairs and become another statistic in the political cover ups.
An interesting read, totally recommended for anyone interested in the Kennedy era - from start to finish this one had me engrossed and unable to put it down. One of those books that you'll remember reading.
My thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy for review purposes.
Retelling history as it may have come to pass if those fatal shots fired on 22 Nov 1963 hadn't happened, this book is part fiction, part fact. Set in a period of history that still raises a lot of questions that theme is cleverly followed through in this latest book by RJ Ellory.
Three Bullets is not just a fictional account of a journalists obsession with uncovering the truth about what happened to the woman he loved, its also a well researched and well written journey into the dark side of the powerful Kennedy Administration.
As his suspicion that something is very definitely not right about Jeans death grows Mitch finds himself obsessed with seeking out the truth. This book had me reading long into the night as I followed Mitch on his journey, worried that he may himself end up in the crosshairs and become another statistic in the political cover ups.
An interesting read, totally recommended for anyone interested in the Kennedy era - from start to finish this one had me engrossed and unable to put it down. One of those books that you'll remember reading.
My thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy for review purposes.
December 25, 2021
Comme le titre l’indique, nous sommes dans les années 60 aux États-Unis et le président Kennedy n’a pas été assassiné…
Nous suivons Mitch Newman, journaliste free-lance qui apprend la mort de son amour de jeunesse Jean. Elle se serait sucidée mais lui n’y croit pas une seconde ! Il se fait la promesse de découvrir ce qu’il s’est passé et tombe finalement sur une grosse enquête autour du clan Kennedy…
Ambiance noire garantie avec un personnage principal auquel on s’attache rapidement du fait de sa fragilité face à ce drame et son courage à démêler la vérité !
Ce qui m’a énormément plu :
• la plume de l’auteur ultra fluide
• les dialogues accrocheurs et bien tournés
• la période historique qui me fascine entre guerre froide, crise du Vietnam et machination politique
• un rythme parfait grâce aux chapitres courts et intenses
• l’enquête addictive et très intéressante où s’entremêle plusieurs pistes
• la morale de fin que je vous laisse découvrir 😉
---------------
As the title suggests, we’re in the 60s in the US and President Kennedy has not been assassinated...
We follow Mitch Newman, a freelance journalist who learns of the death of his childhood love Jean. She’s said to have killed herself but he doesn't believe it for a second! He makes a promise to find out what happened and finally stumbles upon a big investigation around President Kennedy.
A dark atmosphere with a main character to whom we get attached because of his fragility in the face of this drama and his courage to unravel the truth!
What I really liked :
• the author's ultra-fluid writing style
• the catchy and well-written dialogue
• the historical period which fascinates me between the Vietnam war and political machinations
• a perfect rhythm thanks to the short and intense chapters
• the addictive and interesting investigation where several leads are intertwined
• the moral at the end that I let you discover 😉
Nous suivons Mitch Newman, journaliste free-lance qui apprend la mort de son amour de jeunesse Jean. Elle se serait sucidée mais lui n’y croit pas une seconde ! Il se fait la promesse de découvrir ce qu’il s’est passé et tombe finalement sur une grosse enquête autour du clan Kennedy…
Ambiance noire garantie avec un personnage principal auquel on s’attache rapidement du fait de sa fragilité face à ce drame et son courage à démêler la vérité !
Ce qui m’a énormément plu :
• la plume de l’auteur ultra fluide
• les dialogues accrocheurs et bien tournés
• la période historique qui me fascine entre guerre froide, crise du Vietnam et machination politique
• un rythme parfait grâce aux chapitres courts et intenses
• l’enquête addictive et très intéressante où s’entremêle plusieurs pistes
• la morale de fin que je vous laisse découvrir 😉
---------------
As the title suggests, we’re in the 60s in the US and President Kennedy has not been assassinated...
We follow Mitch Newman, a freelance journalist who learns of the death of his childhood love Jean. She’s said to have killed herself but he doesn't believe it for a second! He makes a promise to find out what happened and finally stumbles upon a big investigation around President Kennedy.
A dark atmosphere with a main character to whom we get attached because of his fragility in the face of this drama and his courage to unravel the truth!
What I really liked :
• the author's ultra-fluid writing style
• the catchy and well-written dialogue
• the historical period which fascinates me between the Vietnam war and political machinations
• a perfect rhythm thanks to the short and intense chapters
• the addictive and interesting investigation where several leads are intertwined
• the moral at the end that I let you discover 😉
October 28, 2019
Dit was de eerste keer dat ik iets van Ellory las. Het gegeven was goed: wat als Kennedy nu eens niet op 22 november 1963 was vermoord?
Het boek begint goed, maar het goede begin zet niet door. Bij het middenstuk krijg ik een beetje het vlees-noch-vis gevoel want echt thrillerspannend is het allemaal net niet. Tegen het einde pikt het verhaal weer enigzins op. Ellory geeft een aardige twist aan de bekende en bestaande geschiedenis. De epiloog vind ik erg sterk. Al met al een ruime drie sterren, maar zeker geen vier. Vanwege de prettige schrijfstijl toch afgerond naar boven.
Het boek begint goed, maar het goede begin zet niet door. Bij het middenstuk krijg ik een beetje het vlees-noch-vis gevoel want echt thrillerspannend is het allemaal net niet. Tegen het einde pikt het verhaal weer enigzins op. Ellory geeft een aardige twist aan de bekende en bestaande geschiedenis. De epiloog vind ik erg sterk. Al met al een ruime drie sterren, maar zeker geen vier. Vanwege de prettige schrijfstijl toch afgerond naar boven.
February 6, 2020
Who doesn’t like a Kennedy story eh!? This was an intriguing twisted reality scenario and created lots of thought about the Kennedy’s and that era but the book did drag in the middle, the story lost any momentum and more than once I questioned myself on whether to continue. Mitch, the main character is far from lovable or relatable, his story wasn’t even all that interesting- too much feeling sorry for himself but certainly more on the plot and the back story of Kennedy, Ruby & Oswald in this reality would’ve made it a better page turner for sure
April 11, 2019
I've not stayed up past midnight, trying to find out the conclusion to a book for a long time...the last time could well have been reading the last RJ Ellory tome. Quite simply a master story teller!
So what if JFK wasnt shot in November 1963?
So what if JFK wasnt shot in November 1963?
September 21, 2023
A fascinating twist on the Kennedy Assassination. I won’t say any more because I don’t want to spoil it for you.
December 7, 2019
Een leuk what If verhaal over JFK.
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