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A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963

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On November 22, 1963, a murder was committed in Dallas, Texas. The victim happened to be the president of the United States. More than forty years later, the case remains unsolved.

Nearly 80 percent of the American people don't believe that John F. Kennedy was killed by a lone gunman, and the House Assassinations Committee has found that the president was "assassinated as the result of a conspiracy." Yet the conspirators have never been identified or brought to justice. Until now.

And once you read this book, you'll know who killed JFK.

A Simple Act of Murder is the investigation that this case should have had from the beginning. America's most famous detective, Mark Fuhrman -- who has cracked some of the best-known and most puzzling crimes in American history -- cuts through the myths and misinformation to focus on the hard evidence. He examines the ballistics and medical records, scrutinizes photographs from the crime scene and the famous Zapruder film, and weighs the testimony of hundreds of witnesses.

Filled with vivid photos, informative diagrams, and original drawings by Fuhrman himself that show the evidence in a new light and make complex forensic matters clear and easily understood, this book is the visual record of the JFK assassination.

In this gripping and highly personal account, Fuhrman unveils a major clue that had been ignored for forty years -- a breakthrough that will change the debate over the assassination. Overturning accepted notions about the way the murder occurred, A Simple Act of Murder answers many questions that have plagued the American people ever since that fateful day in Dallas:


Was Lee Harvey Oswald the lone gunman, or was there a conspiracy?


Could the Magic Bullet have done everything the Warren Commission claimed it did?


What evidence was planted, suppressed, or destroyed?


What crucial piece of evidence was missed by all the government investigations, and even the independent researchers?


And, finally, who killed JFK?


The answers may surprise you.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

6 people are currently reading
233 people want to read

About the author

Mark Fuhrman

10 books96 followers
Former LAPD detective, true crime writer and talk radio host.

He is primarily known for his part in the investigation of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and his subsequent felony conviction for perjury.

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5 stars
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49 (26%)
3 stars
71 (38%)
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Stephanie .
1,197 reviews52 followers
March 26, 2008
I hated it. I recall vividly hearing the discussions on Mort Sahl's late-night show with Mark Lane, after he wrote Rush to Judgment, and wondering if we'd EVER know the truth about this murder. And in my guilty-pleasure-true-crime reading, I'd read a couple of things by Fuhrman and thought maybe he'd dig up something to send me toward one or the other of the theories (CIA? Mafia? LBJ?)

but no. He just looks at the whole forensic file about the magic bullet and concludes that it was a lone gunman. What a tool. Thanks for nothing, Mark.
Profile Image for Pete daPixie.
1,505 reviews3 followers
August 21, 2020
Did Mark Fuhrman contribute to the screwing up of the O.J. Simpson trial? Well, he certainly screwed up on this murder case investigation.
Here is a lone-nut did it, Oswald fired three shots from the T.S.B.D. & no conspiracy book. Mr Fuhrman joins the ranks of Bugliosi and Posner. Indeed the final sentence in this text is 'The case is solved.'
I have to agree with the late Jim Marrs when he wrote in his book 'Crossfire', "When it comes to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, don't trust any one source....don't trust even the government's basic documentation and pronouncements. Today the evidence of duplicity and fraud is too apparent to ignore."
The author believes that conspiracies were undertaken for different reasons, yet had the same result-to make it more difficult to solve the JFK assassination beyond a reasonable doubt. Sorry Mr Fuhrman, but Air Force One was informed by Bundy in the White House, just hours after the killing that a lone-nut killed the President and there was no conspiracy. The FBI report of 9th December '63 closed the case in the same manner, and the Warren Commission simply confirmed that verdict. These actions by Federal and government agencies were responsible for making it more difficult to solve the JFK assassination beyond a reasonable doubt.
In just over two hundred pages 'A Simple Act of Murder' runs roughshod through to its conclusion, ignoring expert testimonies and witness statements, yet adhering to many controversial aspects of so called evidence.
Even if people believe that Oswald took some part in the Dealey Plaza action, medical evidence, forensics, ballistics, photographic and witness experiences point overwhelmingly to conspiracy and many more than just three shots.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lori.
208 reviews29 followers
June 18, 2009
Surely Mark Fuhrman knew that analyzing the JFK assasination would bring him a great deal of naysayers and boobirds. But he did just that, with "A Simple Act of Murder". Despite the massive volume of text previously written and the sheer number of pictures, reenactments, scientific studies, etc., Mr. Fuhrman's tome is a relatively slim 240 pages - - not nearly as awe inspiring or threatening as Gerald Posner's "Case Closed".
Fuhrman attacks the questions head on. First, was Lee Harvey Oswald involved? If so, did he act alone or was he part of a larger conspiracy?
Furhman's analysis and research is very convincing, although serious conspiracy theorists aren't likely to change their tunes from one book. Background information on Jack Ruby is a lacking (for instance, Fuhrman does not delve into Ruby's connections with organized crime) but his research into the Magic Bullet and wound patterns, and whether Oswald could have fired all three shots is thorough and well thought out, if a bit heavy at times.
End result? Furhman provides an excellent case for the Kennedy assasination being the result of a single unhinged individual, desperate for acknowledgment, and not the work of a huge government cover up. Will this be the final word on the case? Probably not. But still an interesting and worthwhile read.
Profile Image for Lee Tracy.
61 reviews6 followers
November 30, 2017
James DiEugenio, an expert on the JFK assassination, wrote on an internet forum that Fuhrman privately does not agree with the official story: "That was a put up job. I know this since I was on his show twice about [DiEugenio's book] The Assassinations. He is a conspiracy guy through and through. He liked the book so much he invited me back after the first hour long interview. He especially liked the two part essay by Armstrong. What happened to Fuhrman had a lot to do with the Simpson trial. Dominick Dunne became infatuated with him. After he was disgraced, he did all he could to restore his life for him. Among which was getting him a talk show in Spokane. He wrote that book as part of his penance to the rightwing network Dunne was in cahoots with. Like I wrote in this essay about McAdams, this is one of the things the RW network demands of you to stay in their good graces."
Profile Image for Marianne Jay.
1,034 reviews16 followers
January 5, 2012
Being 6 years old the year JFK died I remember bits and pieces of that event. I remember them announcing that he died over the intercom in school and I also remember my dad jumping up and screaming OMG they shot him when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald

Through the years I have listened to the conspiracy theories and wondered if there was any validity to them - but Mark Furhman puts a lot of things into perspective. If Mark Furman was around in 1963 we would have had nary a whisper of conspiracy theory - because he puts everything in simple, straight terms.

JFK - it was a simple act of murder.
Profile Image for Cindy.
147 reviews3 followers
January 15, 2008
Single gunman, conspiracy...will we ever know the truth? Mark Fuhrman writes over my head with bullet trajectory, but his skill as a detective is apparent once again. Whether you are convinced after reading, I will let you decide, but whatever you decide, we as a nation were never the same after this horrific event.
Profile Image for Rae.
3,960 reviews
August 11, 2009
Nothing remarkable here. Fuhrman looks at the assassination evidence like a detective would and concludes that Oswald probably acted alone. Even he can't explain that "magic single bullet" though. And that's what really bugs me. The jury's still out in my mind.
Profile Image for Jason.
225 reviews
February 6, 2012
OJ DID IT!

haha just kidding.

Furhman disputes the Magic Bullet. However, that does mean he advocates two shooters. Furhman believes that first shot hit JFK in the back and exited his throat, the second shot hit Governor Connally and the third is the kill shot. Seems plausible.
Profile Image for Gabriel.
75 reviews
September 2, 2012
it was amazing! I don't know much about the assassination of the late president John F. Kennedy until i have read this book. Which gave me much information about the assassination which amuses so much. great work!
34 reviews
October 31, 2013
This is Mark Fuhrman's (Detective of OJ Simpson fame) account of the assassination of President Kennedy. He's basically of the opinion through research and evidence that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
Profile Image for Sharon.
27 reviews1 follower
May 28, 2010
I can't say I agree with Mark Fuhrman's assessment.
539 reviews3 followers
May 29, 2019
One of 450 (at least) books about John Kennedy's assassination.
108 reviews
October 27, 2020
Nothing new here but a retelling, or should I say repeating, of the same old stories of how the impossible happened to frame one guy who acted alone to kill JFK. The only thing I can say that was new was the way that he brought out all the "conspiracies" that did go on. But anyone that has read anything about JFK's assassination, already knew. These consist of the push by Hoover to make sure all evidence pointed to only one killer, botched autopsies, hidden or never seen information, the fact that the Warren Commission didn't even see the autopsy information, etc. I believe that there was someone that was figuring it out and she was killed and her files taken (and I'm sure destroyed) for getting too close. That would be Dorothy Kilgallen. And why isn't there any absolute proof that shows that Oswald even pulled the trigger? None. It could have been someone else in that corner pulling those shots off. Anyway, this book didn't help me to understand or learn anything new. Disappointed because I enjoyed Murder in Greenwich.
537 reviews6 followers
September 7, 2024
Mark Fuhrman, whom many will remember as the LAPD detective in the OJ Simpson trial, has looked carefully at the evidence from the JFK assignation and answers these questions:
1. Was Oswald the lone gunman, or was there a conspiracy?
2. Could the Magic Bullet (1 bullet theory) have done everything the Warren Commission claimed?
3. What crucial piece of evidence was planted, suppressed, or destroyed?
4. What crucial piece of evidence was missed by everybody?
5. Who killed JFK?
A fascinating analysis, for people who still are interested in what happened that fateful day in 1963, of the evidence that includes photos and diagrams.
I picked it up periodically over the space of several months. Of course, much of the content was horrifying.
Profile Image for John.
1,339 reviews27 followers
July 12, 2023
Another in and endless supply of JFK assassination books. This one concludes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
Profile Image for Lisa.
1,135 reviews1 follower
April 27, 2017
I'm certainly reluctant to praise the author because of the debacle of the O.J. Simpson murder trial, but I have to say, he has written one of the best books about his conclusion of the JFK assassination in concise fashion and has done the best job of tying up loose ends to reach a conclusion that I could easily believe, although we'll really never know the whole story for sure.

Basically, he thinks Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin; however, he does NOT buy into the "single bullet theory". Put simply, the accepted story for years was that of three shots by Oswald, one missed the car completely and the other two inflicted all the damage to Kennedy and Connelly. Fuhrman says all three bullets did hit one of the two men, and some of the proof of that is the dent in the frame at the bottom of the windshield and shattered glass which is absent from photos taken seconds before the shots, and appear just seconds after the shots. This is very obviously damage that had to come from behind the car and not in front of or to the side of the car when you see the pictures of the car. Makes sense, I must admit.

**#50 of 120 books pledged to read during 2017**
Displaying 1 - 21 of 22 reviews

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