The Legacy - Softcover

Frey, Stephen W.

3.76

908 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451190157 ISBN 13: 9780451190154

Publisher: Onyx, 1999

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When he receives word that his estranged father has died, commodities trader Cole Egan discovers that he has inherited a previously unknown videotape of the John F. Kennedy assassination, which may hold the key to a thirty-year-old conspiracy. Reprint.

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Review:

The central feature of this Stephen Frey novel is a fascination with the Kennedy assassination and the answer that conspiracy junkies have long believed: that the United States government has been involved in covering up the existence of a second gunman ever since that fateful day in November 1963. In Frey's world, while the government was not responsible for the assassination, the belief that evidence of a conspiracy would have pushed the Cold War into a hot one "forced" those at the top to keep that evidence to themselves.

The novel's prologue sets the stage as a struggling actress goes to Dallas and films the motorcade on a whim. Before she has even digested that she has captured one of the most memorable moments in American history, her camera is ripped from her grasp by a mysterious man. The chapter that follows jumps to 1998 as New York bonds trader Cole Egan receives a phone call telling him of his estranged father's death and of a package that awaits him in a safety deposit box. The package, of course, contains a video of the film stolen from the actress, and Cole realizes he is sitting on a gold mine: from the other side of Dealey Plaza, the tape shows the firing rifle denied by the Warren Commission.

Of course, the U.S. government has not gone to all the trouble of keeping such information secure for over 30 years just to let some upstart indebted bonds trader make a fortune selling the truth to the highest bidder. The novel takes flight as the dashing and resourceful Cole begins his quest to receive the benefits of his legacy while competently evading the knives, guns, and explosives of a super secret government agency. Not only is the government (portrayed as a surprisingly well-organized structure) intent on controlling the truth, so are those who might be accused of the assassination. Although Cole is initially confident about who the bad guys are, the suspense builds as the line separating allies and enemies dissolves, and our hero finds out quite a lot about himself, his father, and the lengths to which the government will go to keep its secrets. --Kimberly Crouch

From AudioFile:

An intriguing premise is hampered by choppiness despite the peerless narration of George Guidall. Cole Egan hardly knew his father. He's not terribly interested in the safe deposit key sent to him upon his father's death--until he discovers that his legacy is a video of a never before seen 8mm film of the Kennedy assassination, which proves that a second gunman was involved. Guidall's narration is smooth and seamless; aged and young, male and female voices are flawlessly portrayed, along with the terror, suspense and fear induced by Cole's pursuers. But gaps in the action, as well as major characters who are barely established, detract from the effect. Still, never ending interest in the Kennedy assassination will probably draw listeners to this production despite its flaws. M.A.M. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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