The Final Witness: A Kennedy Secret Service Agent Breaks His Silence After Sixty Years
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- Author：Paul Landis
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Summary
Dallas， Texas。 November 22， 1963。 Shots ring out at Dealey Plaza。 The president is struck in the head by a rifle bullet。 Confusion reigns。
Special Agent Paul Landis is in the follow-up car directly behind JFK’s and is at the president’s limo as soon as it stops at Parkland Memorial Hospital。 He is inside Trauma Room #1， where the president is pronounced dead。 He is on Air Force One with the president’s casket on the flight back to Washington， DC; an eyewitness to Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office。
What he saw is indelibly imprinted upon his psyche。 He writes and files his report。 And yet 。 。 。 Agent Landis is never called to testify to the Warren Commission。 The one person who could have supplied key answers is never asked questions。
By mid-1964， the nightmares from Dallas remain， and he resigns。 It isn’t until the fiftieth anniversary that he begins to talk about it， and he reads his first books on the assassination。
Landis learns about the raging conspiracy theories—and realizes where they all go wrong。
Special Agent Paul Landis is in the follow-up car directly behind JFK’s and is at the president’s limo as soon as it stops at Parkland Memorial Hospital。 He is inside Trauma Room #1， where the president is pronounced dead。 He is on Air Force One with the president’s casket on the flight back to Washington， DC; an eyewitness to Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office。
What he saw is indelibly imprinted upon his psyche。 He writes and files his report。 And yet 。 。 。 Agent Landis is never called to testify to the Warren Commission。 The one person who could have supplied key answers is never asked questions。
By mid-1964， the nightmares from Dallas remain， and he resigns。 It isn’t until the fiftieth anniversary that he begins to talk about it， and he reads his first books on the assassination。
Landis learns about the raging conspiracy theories—and realizes where they all go wrong。
Reviews
Kathleen
，
Paul Landis quietly left the Secret Service six months after the assassination of JFK。 Although he tried to move on from that terrible time in his career， he did keep his notes and other personal momentos from that time。 He never read the Warren Commission Report and rarely talked about his time on Jacqueline Kennedy's detail。 Other books released about that time in our history caused him to question his own recollections。 He spoke to others who told him to preserve his memory of the events。 So Paul Landis quietly left the Secret Service six months after the assassination of JFK。 Although he tried to move on from that terrible time in his career， he did keep his notes and other personal momentos from that time。 He never read the Warren Commission Report and rarely talked about his time on Jacqueline Kennedy's detail。 Other books released about that time in our history caused him to question his own recollections。 He spoke to others who told him to preserve his memory of the events。 So Landis reread his notes and wrote this book。 It is basically a memoir of his time in the Secret Service which include details of protecting Eisenhower's grandchildren， the Kennedy children and finally Jacqueline Kennedy。 His memory of and his interaction with those he swore to protect is heartfelt。 His chapters detailing November 22， 1963 are heartbreaking。 His depiction of the occurrences of the day do not match those of other authors or of the Warren Commission report， but they are his detailed memories of that day。 。。。more
Ethan
，
Despite the title， the author spends most of the book detailing things that have nothing to do with the Kennedy Assassination。 For example， there’s a thrilling two hundred word paragraph about the parking lot where he had to park his first day as a Secret Service agent。 Truly riveting stuff。 And then， when it actually gets to the assassination， it’s covered so briefly it’s almost comical。 This was barely worth the time it took to read， and that’s accounting for the fact that I did so at work and Despite the title， the author spends most of the book detailing things that have nothing to do with the Kennedy Assassination。 For example， there’s a thrilling two hundred word paragraph about the parking lot where he had to park his first day as a Secret Service agent。 Truly riveting stuff。 And then， when it actually gets to the assassination， it’s covered so briefly it’s almost comical。 This was barely worth the time it took to read， and that’s accounting for the fact that I did so at work and was paid for all of it。 。。。more
Kenya
，
I listened to the audiobook。 I love history。 I think there has always been someone else that shot JFK not just one person。
Teresa
，
A somewhat interesting memoir， but not at all what I was expecting。
She-Rah
，
Starts slow， but then I couldn’t put it down。 Really interesting read。
Mersi
，
I may be biased since I've known the author for several years， but this was so good！ I read it in Paul's voice， and I learned so many secrets that he had about the assassination of JFK。 I suggest anyone who is into history and nonfiction to give it a read。 I may be biased since I've known the author for several years， but this was so good！ I read it in Paul's voice， and I learned so many secrets that he had about the assassination of JFK。 I suggest anyone who is into history and nonfiction to give it a read。 。。。more
J。R。 Whitsell
，
Good insight into the life of a Secret Service agent， and what it was like protecting Jacqueline Kennedy。 The new testimony regarding the “magic bullet” is interesting， but doesn’t， on its own， add or take away from the findings of the Warren Commission。
Laura
，
It was a good book， I have read many about the Kennedy’s and have always enjoyed the subject。 This was well written and interesting to hear the author’s perspective。 I gave four stars as the title， description， discussions for the book lead me to believe it was going to be more about Dallas and the found bullet than the author’s life and work as a the Secret Service agent。 All in all I would recommend if the subject of JFK and/or Jackie is of interest to you。
David Britten
，
An interesting take on the JFK assassination by a young agent at the scene， but unfortunately， it comes far too late to overcome the many conspiracies or even correct the historical record。 Far too many motives and key players make any single explanation just another cover-up effort。 A cloud of mystery hung over both the assassinations of Lincoln and Garfield， and Kennedy’s untimely death will likely never be fully and truthfully explained， as well。
Rachael
，
An Intriguing Glimpse into History - 4。5 Stars"The Final Witness" by Paul Landis is a compelling nonfiction audiobook that delves into the intricate world of the Secret Service during the Kennedy administration。 While it has faced criticisms for not offering groundbreaking revelations about the assassination， I found it to be an engaging and accessible introduction to this historical event。One of the most appealing aspects of this audiobook is its concise length， running for approximately 6 1/2 An Intriguing Glimpse into History - 4。5 Stars"The Final Witness" by Paul Landis is a compelling nonfiction audiobook that delves into the intricate world of the Secret Service during the Kennedy administration。 While it has faced criticisms for not offering groundbreaking revelations about the assassination， I found it to be an engaging and accessible introduction to this historical event。One of the most appealing aspects of this audiobook is its concise length， running for approximately 6 1/2 hours。 It's an ideal starting point for those like me， who are eager to explore the enigma of the Kennedy assassination but aren't experts on the subject。 While it's true that the book doesn't focus extensively on the assassination itself， the narrative takes its time to set the stage， offering an insightful look into the author's early life and how he found himself in the Secret Service。 I personally appreciated this background information， as I find it enriching to learn about the lives of ordinary people who played extraordinary roles in history。Paul Landis， one of the youngest Secret Service agents during the Kennedy era， shares captivating anecdotes from his time serving the Kennedy family。 These stories offer a unique glimpse into the inner workings of the Secret Service and his interactions with JFK， Mrs。 Kennedy， and their children， particularly Caroline Kennedy。 The author's fondness for Caroline shines through， making this aspect of the book particularly endearing。The audiobook provides interesting details about Mrs。 Kennedy's travels leading up to the assassination and her grief after the tragic loss of her son， Patrick Kennedy。 This personal insight into the Kennedy family adds depth to the narrative。While Landis was not directly involved in the events of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas， his first-hand account of what he observed and experienced on that fateful day is both intriguing and valuable， even if it was recorded decades later。 His claim to have taken a missing bullet from the car remains a point of contention， and some readers may find it unnecessary。 However， it did not detract significantly from the overall narrative for me。The storytelling is well-paced， making it an engaging listen。 The audiobook offers a comprehensive account of the events， and I enjoyed Landis's narrative style。 It has motivated me to explore further books on the subject， and I look forward to reading Clint Hill's works in the future。In conclusion， "The Final Witness" is a suitable choice for those interested in Secret Service history or seeking an introductory understanding of the Kennedy assassination。 If you're looking for an exhaustive examination of the event， you may need to explore other sources。 Nonetheless， I found this audiobook an enjoyable and informative journey through history， with a special focus on Mrs。 Kennedy and the Kennedy children that set it apart from the rest。Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts。 。。。more
John
，
I’m an avid reader of all things having to do with the Kennedy assassination。 Perhaps this is due to me attending one our federal academies at the time of the assassination。 A person doesn’t read this type of book for enjoyment。 The effort is more towards one’s personal edification and perhaps understanding the event。 Having said that， this book is not well written。 You learn all about the author， perhaps from age 3 and up to his service time with the Secret Service。 About two or three pages are I’m an avid reader of all things having to do with the Kennedy assassination。 Perhaps this is due to me attending one our federal academies at the time of the assassination。 A person doesn’t read this type of book for enjoyment。 The effort is more towards one’s personal edification and perhaps understanding the event。 Having said that， this book is not well written。 You learn all about the author， perhaps from age 3 and up to his service time with the Secret Service。 About two or three pages are devoted to his action in pocketing the bullet that was supposedly found on the rear seat of the presidential vehicle and why it appeared later on the stretcher at Parkland Hospital。 The author seems to indicate he didn’t have any reason for his actions which obviously outside of proper evidence protocols。 I’m also troubled by the number of times and events where it is stated the author didn’t remember the event or what happened， but then seems to remember the bullet incident with clarity。To be truthful， had I purchased this book， I would have considered the money not well spent。 In my case it was a library book， so a reasonable book to read。 。。。more
Dave Schaafsma
，
I just read yet another JFK murder theory book， but saw that Hoopla was featuring this， too， so I listened to it this weekend。 What's seductive about it is that Paul Landis is the last surviving witness of the JFK assassination。 A secret service agent still in his twenties， he was initially assigned to protect Eisenhower's grandchildren， then JFK's kids， then Jackie， with his partner， Cliff， which means he was within feet of the actual murder。Much of this book I'll admit I listened to at an acce I just read yet another JFK murder theory book， but saw that Hoopla was featuring this， too， so I listened to it this weekend。 What's seductive about it is that Paul Landis is the last surviving witness of the JFK assassination。 A secret service agent still in his twenties， he was initially assigned to protect Eisenhower's grandchildren， then JFK's kids， then Jackie， with his partner， Cliff， which means he was within feet of the actual murder。Much of this book I'll admit I listened to at an accelerated speed， as it focuses on Landis's life leading up to the assassination， but unless you are a budding secret agent， you don't really care about his getting into a frat or taking trips out west with his buddies。 In his defense， the first half establishes that he's Everyman， just like us， grew up middle class， from the midwest， a patriot who would come to love working with the Kennedy family， especially the elegant Jackie。 But the majority of readers （including me） just wanted him to get the main event。There are some troubling revelations from Landis， including one potentially important piece of information， but most of them are actually troubling about him。 I mean， I believe he is telling the truth here， but given he never told the cops of the FBI what he knew sixty years ago， he becomes an unreliable witness to the authorities。So， riding in the car behind the Kennedys， he thought he heard three shots， thought they had come from behind him， later determining they had probably come from the Book Depository。 But he knew JFK was dead before he left the car。 He had undeniable proof， not to get too specific。 Landis was traumatized by the killing and within a year， unable to sleep well， probably suffering from what we know now to be ptsd， he quit the secret service and never looked back。 And by that I mean he actually never read the Warren Report or ANY other book about the killing！ His buddy Cliff testified to the Warren Commission， but Landis was never asked to （in spite of the fact he was so close）。 He turned down interview opportunities from the press， and says he refused to think about it for more than fifty years！Then， in his eighties， he was given a copy of Six Seconds in Dallas， and he read it and found flaws in it。 He doesn't say， disappointingly， what other accounts he read and found flawed， but he says his book began when he started taking notes on that book。 Key problem for him is that he says he found a bullet on the seat behind Jackie， didn't want to leave it there， slipped it in his pocket， later put it on JFK's gurney， and never told anyone about it til now。 He doesn't discuss what he thinks that means， but leaves it to us to determine its significance。 Well， he does say the Warren Report says a bullet was found on Governor Connolly's gurney， which he knows to be wrong。 But he doesn't even speculate on what actually happened。 He just leaves it to us to make what we will out of his revelation！Many historians are going to find his report problematic， in that he hid this information for decades， never said anything about what amounts to a late life （he's 89 this year， 2023） confession， of sorts。 His buddy Cliff wrote two books on his experiences （that I heard are much better）， but Landis never wrote anything， nor reflects on having read Landis's accounts， which is disappointing。His actual accounting--from the inside--of the assassination and aftermath is interesting and of course sad， but I am not sure what this account ultimately adds to the larger picture。 He doesn't take stands on conspiracy theories or any of that。 I'm glad to have read some of it， but I can't say I would recommend your reading it unless you are more hardcore assassination guy than me。 。。。more
Ryan
，
More than 200 pages here from Secret Service agent Paul Landis， whomst bReAkS HiS SiLenCe to say he’s the person who discovered and placed a nearly intact bullet on Kennedy’s stretcher at Parkland Hospital following the assassination。 （That’s it， that’s the revelation。）Landis’s book is an earnest memoir with a few nice stories about being on the protective details for Eisenhower’s grandchildren and for Kennedy’s family … but save the admittedly curious but otherwise non-impactful detail about th More than 200 pages here from Secret Service agent Paul Landis， whomst bReAkS HiS SiLenCe to say he’s the person who discovered and placed a nearly intact bullet on Kennedy’s stretcher at Parkland Hospital following the assassination。 （That’s it， that’s the revelation。）Landis’s book is an earnest memoir with a few nice stories about being on the protective details for Eisenhower’s grandchildren and for Kennedy’s family … but save the admittedly curious but otherwise non-impactful detail about the bullet discovery， there is zero new information about the assassination or its aftermath。It’s actually more of a strain to understand how Landis decided it wasn’t worth telling anyone that he’s the one who placed the bullet， which is suspected of causing multiple wounds to Kennedy and Texas Gov。 John Connally， where he did。There are obviously a lot of books about the Kennedy assassination and the Secret Service — actually， there are some outstanding books by Jerry Behn and Clint Hill that I would recommend an infinite number of times before I’d ever put this rather boring book into someone’s hands。Anyone can appreciate Landis’s service and his memories， though “The Final Witness” is presented as a dramatic untold story about one of the most consequential moments in American history — and it’s not。 。。。more
Liquidlasagna
，
odd in thata。 he plops down a bullet from the limosine on a stretcher in the hospital， and pretty much walks away， which isn't really what you'd think a Secret Service Agent would do with evidenceb。 No one really cared about his 'story' and do you think he was interviewed by the Warren Commission？c。 As an old man he doesn't really know what the Warren Commision's conclusions were as well。d。 Just a guy who plops down a bullet and goes， and quits within a year。It's just an odd memoir of one thing odd in thata。 he plops down a bullet from the limosine on a stretcher in the hospital， and pretty much walks away， which isn't really what you'd think a Secret Service Agent would do with evidenceb。 No one really cared about his 'story' and do you think he was interviewed by the Warren Commission？c。 As an old man he doesn't really know what the Warren Commision's conclusions were as well。d。 Just a guy who plops down a bullet and goes， and quits within a year。It's just an odd memoir of one thing that's confused some people， and adds a possible new story to the bullet， which helps clear us what others 'said' about the bullet on the stretcher。Essentially， you got a story， and you can see how it might contradict a ton of people in the 1960s with 'certain' statements about the said bullet， and who could count up to three or something。。。。。。。。。Basically just the actual story what's been talked about on the news for at least a year or so。 。。。more
Danny
，
Author Vince Palamara has clearly demonstrated that Paul Landis' account is suspicious， to put it mildly:-NO MENTION of his TWO Secret Service reports in which he firmly concludes that a shot came from the FRONT-NO MENTION of the fact that he demonstrated that the right rear of JFK's head was gone in 2016-NO MENTION of the importance and ramifications of the finding of this alleged whole bullet: the novice reader will be greatly confused as to WHY it matters-NO MENTION of this bullet discovery i Author Vince Palamara has clearly demonstrated that Paul Landis' account is suspicious， to put it mildly:-NO MENTION of his TWO Secret Service reports in which he firmly concludes that a shot came from the FRONT-NO MENTION of the fact that he demonstrated that the right rear of JFK's head was gone in 2016-NO MENTION of the importance and ramifications of the finding of this alleged whole bullet: the novice reader will be greatly confused as to WHY it matters-NO MENTION of this bullet discovery in 1963， 1983， 1988 or 2010 when given the chance。 。。。more
GUIDO S。
，
This book was very disappointing。 Landis fails to mention that he stated that a shot came from the front in his two Secret Service reports！ Also， he never said a thing about this bullet until now， 60 years later。。。suuuuuuuuuuure！ A massive amount of hype for nada。
Kenny Lookingbill
，
So， there is a bit of a misconception about the book and what it is， which the title doesn't really help and is a little suggestive， especially in the current environment surrounding the theories regarding the assassination。 You have to get to the end of the book to get to the part where he contradicts a specific finding of the Warren commission， but he makes no specific theory known。 Putting all of that aside， I found the story of being a presidential secret service agent very interesting， the So， there is a bit of a misconception about the book and what it is， which the title doesn't really help and is a little suggestive， especially in the current environment surrounding the theories regarding the assassination。 You have to get to the end of the book to get to the part where he contradicts a specific finding of the Warren commission， but he makes no specific theory known。 Putting all of that aside， I found the story of being a presidential secret service agent very interesting， the associated travel， and his interactions with two first families。 。。。more
William Loder
，
weak Added nothing to events of Nov 22，1963。 Not very interesting and nothing more than a memory jogger。 Still don’t know why a bullet was found on the seat of the President’s Car or how the so called magic bullet occurred。 Lacks curiosity and assessment。 Don’t recommend
Lailah
，
As other reviewers have noted， there is little in this book about the Kennedy assassination。 In the few pages that describe the events of that day， Mr。 Landis's admission that he not only came into the possession of key evidence， but then mishandled it - despite his training as a Secret Service agent - is astounding。 As is his claim that he never said anything because no one ever asked - again， despite his duty to report his actions and the events to his superiors。 Moreover， despite myriad infor As other reviewers have noted， there is little in this book about the Kennedy assassination。 In the few pages that describe the events of that day， Mr。 Landis's admission that he not only came into the possession of key evidence， but then mishandled it - despite his training as a Secret Service agent - is astounding。 As is his claim that he never said anything because no one ever asked - again， despite his duty to report his actions and the events to his superiors。 Moreover， despite myriad information that the public has come to know by osmosis over the many years since then， he claims to be completely unaware of the Warren Commission's conclusions and the controversies that this particular piece of evidence has caused。 One is left with the impression that Mr。 Landis is merely trying to justify and rationalize his actions， and that he royally fails to do so。 。。。more
Reeca Elliott
，
Special Agent Paul Landis was in the follow up car during President Kennedy’s assassination。 He will never forget his experience or the trauma he suffered because of this reality。 This is the story of his eyewitness account and his life as an agent。I fluctuated between 3-4 stars on this one。 This is more of a 3。5 star read。 So I rounded up。 I expected so much more about the assassination。 I felt there were quite a few inconsistencies。 For instance， the bullet found by the author but never really Special Agent Paul Landis was in the follow up car during President Kennedy’s assassination。 He will never forget his experience or the trauma he suffered because of this reality。 This is the story of his eyewitness account and his life as an agent。I fluctuated between 3-4 stars on this one。 This is more of a 3。5 star read。 So I rounded up。 I expected so much more about the assassination。 I felt there were quite a few inconsistencies。 For instance， the bullet found by the author but never really turned into anyone or discussed in detail with the powers that be。 He just placed it on the gurney。I did enjoy learning about his role in guarding the grandchildren of President Eisenhower and the Kennedy family。 The information about the general lives of the Kennedys is also fascinating。 It is the best part of the book！ This book is more about Paul Landis’ life as an agent rather than the assassination。This is narrated by Lane Hakel。 He definitely kept the story moving。Need a good book about the life of a Secret Service agent…THIS IS IT！ Grab your copy today。I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review。 。。。more
KP
，
Thank you to the publisher， author， and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for my honest rating and review。 4/5I found this book to be incredibly interesting。 As somebody who was born well after the Kennedy assassination， I don’t have the emotional ties to the event that I hear when people who lived through the event talk about it。 I also just know/knew the bare minimum facts about the situation。 This book covers a lot of the early adult life of the author prior to b Thank you to the publisher， author， and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for my honest rating and review。 4/5I found this book to be incredibly interesting。 As somebody who was born well after the Kennedy assassination， I don’t have the emotional ties to the event that I hear when people who lived through the event talk about it。 I also just know/knew the bare minimum facts about the situation。 This book covers a lot of the early adult life of the author prior to becoming a secret service agent。 These stories were captivating and really a lot of fun！ I enjoyed reading about his adventures hitchhiking across the country and his mischievous pranks gone wrong。The stories about his early days of working as a secret service agent included great deal of humor and sometimes left me wondering how he didn’t get fired！ （To be fair， it seems he wondered the same thing at times。）He really doesn’t get into the assassination until about 70% into the book。 If you’re looking for a deep dive into just that tragedy， this isn’t it。 If you want a nice memoir about the life of a secret service agent who worked under three presidents， this is it！ 。。。more
Jane Stellfox
，
nothing newThis book is boring to say the least。 I have read at least 35 books concerning Kennedy assignation。 Sanding he withheld important information for years。 Do not waste your money
Madison ✨ （mad。lyreading）
，
This book's title is extremely misleading。 You think you're getting a deep dive into the Kennedy assassination through the eyes of a secret service agent。 This is merely a memoir by the author of his life up to his retirement from the secret service。 I personally found the first 60% to be very boring， and once we got to the Kennedy assassination， it was just a recounting of a traumatic experience for the author。 This would have been more interesting had he explored his trauma further and discuss This book's title is extremely misleading。 You think you're getting a deep dive into the Kennedy assassination through the eyes of a secret service agent。 This is merely a memoir by the author of his life up to his retirement from the secret service。 I personally found the first 60% to be very boring， and once we got to the Kennedy assassination， it was just a recounting of a traumatic experience for the author。 This would have been more interesting had he explored his trauma further and discussed his healing process， but he basically said， "It was very difficult， and I had to step down from the secret service because of it。" While he's allowed to not talk about it， maybe don't publish a book about a traumatic event you witnessed if you don't want to discuss the trauma surrounding it。Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this audio ARC in exchange for this audio ARC。 。。。more
Michael
，
This review contains "spoilers。"The Final Witness is a memoir in search of an angle。 Landis， a former secret service agent， details his early life， which is decidedly dull， and his tales of working protection for the families of JFK and Eisenhower are only mildly interesting or illuminating， and so Landis’ book relies heavily on selling itself as a new piece to the assassination of President Kennedy， even though only a fraction of the book is about that day in Dallis。 Landis’ big revelation abou This review contains "spoilers。"The Final Witness is a memoir in search of an angle。 Landis， a former secret service agent， details his early life， which is decidedly dull， and his tales of working protection for the families of JFK and Eisenhower are only mildly interesting or illuminating， and so Landis’ book relies heavily on selling itself as a new piece to the assassination of President Kennedy， even though only a fraction of the book is about that day in Dallis。 Landis’ big revelation about pulling a fully intact bullet from the president’s limousine at Parkland and then tossing it on a gurney， （even in what one imagines was complete chaos）， in order to preserve it as evidence seems so strange and difficult to understand。 The memoir strikes me as a very old man’s attempt to be remembered and not someone—at long last—trying to bring some truth to light。 。。。more
Lisa
，
For this to be a book regarding the Kennedy assassination， there was not a lot of talk regarding the topic。Where this was an interesting and informative book， much of the book was spent discussing his life and or experiences with the Secret Service。 When the assassination does occur the author does give some conspiracy theories as to the events of the day。Overall this was just an okay read for me but I thought that the main focus on the book would be the assassination as opposed to what the majo For this to be a book regarding the Kennedy assassination， there was not a lot of talk regarding the topic。Where this was an interesting and informative book， much of the book was spent discussing his life and or experiences with the Secret Service。 When the assassination does occur the author does give some conspiracy theories as to the events of the day。Overall this was just an okay read for me but I thought that the main focus on the book would be the assassination as opposed to what the majority of the book discussed。 。。。more
Candy
，
I’ve always been fascinated by anything to do with the Kennedy assassination。 When I found out this book was written by an eye witness and someone who knew and protected the Kennedy’s I knew I needed to listen to it。 Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy。 I listened to it in two days and was really wrapped up in Paul Landis story。 If you like history and especially like reading about the Kennedys you definitely need to read this book。
Matt
，
First and foremost， a large thank you to NetGalley， Paul Landis，， and Dreamscape Audio for providing me with a copy of this publication， which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review。A long-time fan of all things Kennedy assassination related， I was intrigued when I came across this book by Paul Landis。 Telling of being a member of the Secret Service， Landis explores his time on the presidential detail， including some important years with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy。 Landis was one of First and foremost， a large thank you to NetGalley， Paul Landis，， and Dreamscape Audio for providing me with a copy of this publication， which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review。A long-time fan of all things Kennedy assassination related， I was intrigued when I came across this book by Paul Landis。 Telling of being a member of the Secret Service， Landis explores his time on the presidential detail， including some important years with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy。 Landis was one of the agent who saw President Kennedy get shot， though he admits that things were going much too quickly。 Filled with nightmares for years thereafter， Special Agent Landis shares some of his most personal moments to an event whose ultimate truth remains a mystery to the general public。Paul Landis loved all things American。 When he finished high school and would be faced with joining the military draft， he turned to government work to keep him stateside。 After being accepted into the Treasury Department’s training program， Landis soon found himself within the Secret Service， where he would be charged with helping protect some of the most important people in the country。 Landis worked alongside the Eisenhower grandchildren ， keeping them safe and learning the ropes in a job that requires precision and attention to detail。Landis was able to move up the ranks and eventually was assigned a position on the presidential detail when the Kennedys took over in the White House。 He spoke of greeting President Kennedy every morning and remained baffled that Kennedy would return the greeting by name。 Landis fills the pages of the book with stories about protecting the First Family， though never deigns to smear them or tell salacious details。When the Kennedys made their way to Texas on a junket ahead of the 1964 presidential election， Landis was among the agents tasked with protecting the family， specifically Jacqueline Kennedy， who was as friendly as she was elegant。 Landis speaks of the whirlwind time spent in the state， including luncheons and various events， all of which would require a great attention to he surroundings。When the presidential limousine passed through Dealey Plaza in Dallas on November 22nd， 1963， Special Agent Landis remembers the event clearly， though admits that things were a blur as they passed so quickly。 Kennedy came around the corner， was shot， and all hell broke loose， leaving people scrambling and Landis rushing to protect the First Lady as they rushed off to the hospital。 Landis speaks of the stoic nature of Mrs。 Kennedy and how she would not leave her husband’s side， even when death was imminent。In the aftermath， Landis remained on her detail and kept an eye on her for months to come， revisited by horribly haunting nightmares related to the assassination。 It was all too much for him， forcing Landis to resign soon thereafter and live a quieter life。 This is his breaking the silence and sharing what he knew about those fast moments， many of which he documented clearly in his reports and journals。While I had been hoping for something more assassination focussed， Paul Landis does a great job at exploring his entire time as a member of the Secret Service。 The wonderful narrative style found within the pages of this book help to provide a great memoir for everyone to enjoy with ease。 Succinct and yet full of detail， Landis speaks clearly， keeping things humorous as he details the events working within the Kennedy White House， including that fateful day in Dallas。 That he was plagued with regrets， confusion， and nightmares is no shock， as Landis details through the latter portion of the book。 Short chapters keep the reader pushing forward and a great sense of patriotism keeps Landis from seeming to be just another agent wanting his time in the limelight。 While the book was not what I fully expected， I was pleasantly surprised by the detail offered and would love to her more about Landis’ time on the front lines， protecting the First Family。Kudos， Mr。 Landis， for a wonderful perspective here， told with such relaxed nature。 Love/hate the review？ An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings。wordpress。com/ 。。。more
Marty Doskins
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Right off the top， if you want another Kennedy assassination conspiracy book， this is not it。 However， this is a very nice memoir from one of the lesser known Secret Service agents that was with the Kennedys on that fateful day in Dallas in November 1963。 Paul Landis gives us some background about his time before getting his job at the Secret Service。 But most of the book are his memories of working with the Eisenhower grandchildren and especially being on First Lady Jackie Kennedy's detail。 The Right off the top， if you want another Kennedy assassination conspiracy book， this is not it。 However， this is a very nice memoir from one of the lesser known Secret Service agents that was with the Kennedys on that fateful day in Dallas in November 1963。 Paul Landis gives us some background about his time before getting his job at the Secret Service。 But most of the book are his memories of working with the Eisenhower grandchildren and especially being on First Lady Jackie Kennedy's detail。 These are very vivid and complete details and I found them to be a very interesting account。 He doesn't go into any conspiracy theories， but just gives us his personal look at the Secret Service and the Kennedy assassination。You may notice a one-star rating on this book from a particular reviewer。 They state that they never even read this book and gave it a low rating based on some articles they had read。 I find this totally unfair to the author。 I don't know how you can even give a rating if you haven't read the book。Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sam Hughes
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So。。。 the conspiracy behind the Kennedy assassination is my Roman Empire。。。From 11/22/63 in both book and TV show format to the various podcasts， documentaries， and articles I've consumed that have speculated the placement and who was really involved that day in Texas will stay on my mind， with each passing day。 I am so thankful to Dreamscape Media， Paul Landis， and Netgalley for granting me access to this profoundly interesting audiobook before it's projected to be published on October 10， 2023 So。。。 the conspiracy behind the Kennedy assassination is my Roman Empire。。。From 11/22/63 in both book and TV show format to the various podcasts， documentaries， and articles I've consumed that have speculated the placement and who was really involved that day in Texas will stay on my mind， with each passing day。 I am so thankful to Dreamscape Media， Paul Landis， and Netgalley for granting me access to this profoundly interesting audiobook before it's projected to be published on October 10， 2023。 。。。more
Socraticgadfly
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Another seeming conspiracy theory book， even though co-author （sic） James Robenalt， in his Vanity Fair piece reviewing a book he helped write （ethics， anybody？） pushed back hard against this。 Given that and other things， this is more on why I say that， I one-star in advance and likely won't read。 （So it's a review bomb！）I have updated my blog post linked above based on a piece from Gerald Posner's Substack。 With that information， the book is even worse than I first thought。And， while Landis hims Another seeming conspiracy theory book， even though co-author （sic） James Robenalt， in his Vanity Fair piece reviewing a book he helped write （ethics， anybody？） pushed back hard against this。 Given that and other things， this is more on why I say that， I one-star in advance and likely won't read。 （So it's a review bomb！）I have updated my blog post linked above based on a piece from Gerald Posner's Substack。 With that information， the book is even worse than I first thought。And， while Landis himself may not be a conspiracy theorist， there may be a good argument for Robenalt to be one。 Sadly， I don't think Posner has pursued that more， and wasn't really looking at Robenalt as co-author， not just assistant， at the time he first talked。 。。。more
Tag
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the final witness a kennedy secret service agent breaks his silence after sixty years