What do you think?
Rate this book
The Enemy Within
One of Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s most acclaimed short stories becomes one of her most original novels.
February, 1964: Two men die in a squalid alley in a bad neighborhood. New York Homicide Detective Seamus O’Reilly receives the shock of his life when he looks at the men’s identification: J. Edgar Hoover, the famous, tyrannical director of the FBI, and his number one assistant, Clyde Tolson.
O’Reilly teams up with FBI agent Frank Bryce to solve the second high-level assassination in only three months. Because in November of the previous year, someone assassinated President John F. Kennedy. The cop and the FBI agent must determine if the same shadowy organization committed all three murders. To do so, they must act quickly before some of the nation’s most powerful men—from Kennedy’s brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, to the President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson—do something rash to keep Hoover’s secrets from ever becoming public.
In our world, Hoover kept his secrets until long after his death. In Seamus O’Reilly’s world, Hoover’s secrets get him killed. The Enemy Within offers alternate history so plausible that only Kristine Kathryn Rusch could have written it.
February, 1964: Two men die in a squalid alley in a bad neighborhood. New York Homicide Detective Seamus O’Reilly receives the shock of his life when he looks at the men’s identification: J. Edgar Hoover, the famous, tyrannical director of the FBI, and his number one assistant, Clyde Tolson.
O’Reilly teams up with FBI agent Frank Bryce to solve the second high-level assassination in only three months. Because in November of the previous year, someone assassinated President John F. Kennedy. The cop and the FBI agent must determine if the same shadowy organization committed all three murders. To do so, they must act quickly before some of the nation’s most powerful men—from Kennedy’s brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, to the President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson—do something rash to keep Hoover’s secrets from ever becoming public.
In our world, Hoover kept his secrets until long after his death. In Seamus O’Reilly’s world, Hoover’s secrets get him killed. The Enemy Within offers alternate history so plausible that only Kristine Kathryn Rusch could have written it.
ebook
First published April 1, 2014
7 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
1,366 books721 followersKristine Kathryn Rusch is an award-winning mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy writer. She has written many novels under various names, including Kristine Grayson for romance, and Kris Nelscott for mystery. Her novels have made the bestseller lists –even in London– and have been published in 14 countries and 13 different languages.
Her awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award to the John W. Campbell Award. In the past year, she has been nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus, and the Anthony Award. She is the only person in the history of the science fiction field to have won a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction.
In addition, she's written a number of nonfiction articles over the years, with her latest being the book "A Freelancer's Survival Guide".
She has also published as:
Sandy Schofield (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kristine Grayson - romances
Kathryn Wesley (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kris Nelscott - mysteries
Kris Rusch - historical fiction
Kris DeLake - romances
Her awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award to the John W. Campbell Award. In the past year, she has been nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus, and the Anthony Award. She is the only person in the history of the science fiction field to have won a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction.
In addition, she's written a number of nonfiction articles over the years, with her latest being the book "A Freelancer's Survival Guide".
She has also published as:
Sandy Schofield (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kristine Grayson - romances
Kathryn Wesley (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kris Nelscott - mysteries
Kris Rusch - historical fiction
Kris DeLake - romances
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 22, 2015
Originally posted at: http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2015/09/...
Since I am a Sidewise Awards judge, I should make an effort to read more books and stories that earned the Sidewise stamp of approval. I think a good place to start is the recent Sidewise Award winner for the long-form award, The Enemy Within by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. The book is actually an expanded version of Rusch's 2008 Sidewise winning short story "G-Men", which was originally published in the anthology, Sideways in Crime, which I own, but for whatever reason I don't remember the plot details. Wanting to judge The Enemy Within on its own merits, I decided not to reread the original short story. So what did I think of The Enemy Within?
The story centers around the death of J. Edgar Hoover, first director and founder of the FBI, and associate director Clyde Tolson, three months after the assassination of JFK. Both of their bodies were found in an alley next to a building known for homosexual parties. While the NYPD homicide detective Seamus O’Reilly tries to control the crime scene, the FBI sends out disgraced agent Frank Bryce to keep a lid on things to prevent Hoover's secret lifestyle from becoming public knowledge. Meanwhile, as news of the director's death spreads throughout the halls of power, Attorney General Robert Kennedy moves to secure Hoover's personal files that contain all the dirt he has dug up on anyone who has coveted power in the United States. He hopes to use this information not only to secure the presidency himself one day, but also to find out who was the real murderer of his brother and he increasingly expects that the mob was ultimately behind it.
Part crime drama and part political thriller, The Enemy Within is what happens when fear and paranoia takes over after a nation loses two important political figures within months of each other. Many characters suspect a bigger conspiracy at work in both deaths and their suspicions seem reasonable. That being said, unlike JFK where we were told it was a lone wolf killer and many instead believe there was a conspiracy, with Hoover we know its a lone wolf killer, but everyone is told its a conspiracy. Although that may sound like a big spoiler, its not. Hoover's death and the identity of the killer become inconsequential in the face of the actual conspiracy that begins to form in the post-Hoover world.
I have disagreed with the Sidewise judges in the past about the best novels of the year (i.e. The Windsor Faction), but I have to say I could find nothing wrong with their choice of The Enemy Within. To be honest I am struggling to find anything to criticize. Admittedly it was on the short side, but that just means there was less padding or pointless scenes. The characters were well developed and interesting, the pace was good and all the decisions made regarding the alternate history could be seen as plausible given the circumstance. Rusch didn't pull her punches either when it came to discussing the controversial aspects of various historical figures, such as Hoover's sexuality and blackmail files, the mob ties of Kennedys and the dirty politics of LBJ.
As a book reviewer, I read a lot of novels of varying quality. Some are bad, many are good and a lot are just okay. The Enemy Within is one of those few books that is near flawless. It deserved to win the Sidewise Award and it deserves your time when you are looking for a new book to read. My only hope is that I can read more books like it during my tenure as a Sidewise judge.
Since I am a Sidewise Awards judge, I should make an effort to read more books and stories that earned the Sidewise stamp of approval. I think a good place to start is the recent Sidewise Award winner for the long-form award, The Enemy Within by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. The book is actually an expanded version of Rusch's 2008 Sidewise winning short story "G-Men", which was originally published in the anthology, Sideways in Crime, which I own, but for whatever reason I don't remember the plot details. Wanting to judge The Enemy Within on its own merits, I decided not to reread the original short story. So what did I think of The Enemy Within?
The story centers around the death of J. Edgar Hoover, first director and founder of the FBI, and associate director Clyde Tolson, three months after the assassination of JFK. Both of their bodies were found in an alley next to a building known for homosexual parties. While the NYPD homicide detective Seamus O’Reilly tries to control the crime scene, the FBI sends out disgraced agent Frank Bryce to keep a lid on things to prevent Hoover's secret lifestyle from becoming public knowledge. Meanwhile, as news of the director's death spreads throughout the halls of power, Attorney General Robert Kennedy moves to secure Hoover's personal files that contain all the dirt he has dug up on anyone who has coveted power in the United States. He hopes to use this information not only to secure the presidency himself one day, but also to find out who was the real murderer of his brother and he increasingly expects that the mob was ultimately behind it.
Part crime drama and part political thriller, The Enemy Within is what happens when fear and paranoia takes over after a nation loses two important political figures within months of each other. Many characters suspect a bigger conspiracy at work in both deaths and their suspicions seem reasonable. That being said, unlike JFK where we were told it was a lone wolf killer and many instead believe there was a conspiracy, with Hoover we know its a lone wolf killer, but everyone is told its a conspiracy. Although that may sound like a big spoiler, its not. Hoover's death and the identity of the killer become inconsequential in the face of the actual conspiracy that begins to form in the post-Hoover world.
I have disagreed with the Sidewise judges in the past about the best novels of the year (i.e. The Windsor Faction), but I have to say I could find nothing wrong with their choice of The Enemy Within. To be honest I am struggling to find anything to criticize. Admittedly it was on the short side, but that just means there was less padding or pointless scenes. The characters were well developed and interesting, the pace was good and all the decisions made regarding the alternate history could be seen as plausible given the circumstance. Rusch didn't pull her punches either when it came to discussing the controversial aspects of various historical figures, such as Hoover's sexuality and blackmail files, the mob ties of Kennedys and the dirty politics of LBJ.
As a book reviewer, I read a lot of novels of varying quality. Some are bad, many are good and a lot are just okay. The Enemy Within is one of those few books that is near flawless. It deserved to win the Sidewise Award and it deserves your time when you are looking for a new book to read. My only hope is that I can read more books like it during my tenure as a Sidewise judge.
March 6, 2017
Interesting take on the struggle for the political Power in the America of the `60`s and the way the FBI was organised at that time.
It made me real curious to read some of the real lifes of the characters involved here, from Bobby Kennedy (shot in real life, like his brother, by a Palestinian guy!!! :O) to J. Edgar Hoover, the founder of the FBI or the powerfull figure of the American President, Lyndon B. Johnson.
Good story from the beginning to the end.
It made me real curious to read some of the real lifes of the characters involved here, from Bobby Kennedy (shot in real life, like his brother, by a Palestinian guy!!! :O) to J. Edgar Hoover, the founder of the FBI or the powerfull figure of the American President, Lyndon B. Johnson.
Good story from the beginning to the end.
April 29, 2024
WHO KILLED J. EDGAR HOOVER?
Early in 1964 two aging men lie dead of gunshots in the back. They’re sprawled on the pavement in an alley in a seedy uptown neighborhood. One is J. Edgar Hoover, the legendary Director of the FBI. The other is Assistant Director Clyde A. Tolson, Hoover’s lover. But when police rush to the vicinity, they discover not two bodies but five, all of them FBI agents. The others are Hoover’s bodyguards and his driver. And when the FBI belatedly shows up, a turf battle erupts over jurisdiction. It’s resolved only when the two most senior men on the scene reluctantly agree to share the case. Both are crack investigators. And they’re both aware that, just three months after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, all hell is going to break loose. This is the set-up in Katrine Kathryn Rusch’s clever and suspenseful alternate history mystery, The Enemy Within.
A CAST OF COMPELLING CHARACTERS
Detective Seamus O’Reilly had one of the highest closure rates in the NYPD. Like most cops in the city, he hates the FBI. And it’s his case by law. He knows that no matter what pressure they might try to bring on him, he’s going to lead the investigation. The most he will do for his counterpart, Special Agent Francis Xavier Bryce, is to share updates on the case. Of course, Bryce and his superiors will be working the case, too. O’Reilly can’t prevent that.
But these two men are far from the only players in this highest-of-all-stakes murder investigation. Bryce’s boss, Special Agent in Charge in the FBI’s New York Regional Office Eugene Hart is determined to suppress the information that Hoover and Tolson were gay. That they were is well known within the Bureau but not to the public. And they’d never live down the embarrassment if the truth got out. Because Hoover had led a virtual crusade against homosexuality.
However, other men, even higher in the government pecking order, are interested, too. Much higher. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. And President Lyndon B. Johnson. Two politicians, both ruthless and vindictive, see opportunity in this case. And they’ll stop at nothing to make the most of it.
CLASHING AGENDAS AND SECRET FILES
On one level, The Enemy Within is a story of clashing agendas. Detective O’Reilly wants the truth to come out, whoever might be embarrassed by it. Special Agent Bryce wants to get back in the good graces of his bosses, who have sidelined him for having mouthed off once too often about how stupid they are. SAC Hart wants to cover up the truth. And the Attorney General and the President? Simple. Kennedy wants to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of the mob, which he knows was behind the President’s assassination. And Johnson wants to gain possession of J. Edgar Hoover’s secret blackmail files that have kept him on the job for forty years.
In fact, those secret files are at the heart of this story. Once word leaks to Washington, a titanic battle erupts among Hoover’s acolytes in the upper reaches of the FBI, the Attorney General, and the President. Watching what happens is a colorful example of how government actually works.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katrine Kathryn Rusch has won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History twice as well as the Hugo, twice as well. But her writing ranges over multiple genres, including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and mainstream fiction. She has published more than forty novels, ten novellas, and five collections of short fiction. She has also coauthored nineteen other books. Rusch was born in 1960. She is American.
Early in 1964 two aging men lie dead of gunshots in the back. They’re sprawled on the pavement in an alley in a seedy uptown neighborhood. One is J. Edgar Hoover, the legendary Director of the FBI. The other is Assistant Director Clyde A. Tolson, Hoover’s lover. But when police rush to the vicinity, they discover not two bodies but five, all of them FBI agents. The others are Hoover’s bodyguards and his driver. And when the FBI belatedly shows up, a turf battle erupts over jurisdiction. It’s resolved only when the two most senior men on the scene reluctantly agree to share the case. Both are crack investigators. And they’re both aware that, just three months after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, all hell is going to break loose. This is the set-up in Katrine Kathryn Rusch’s clever and suspenseful alternate history mystery, The Enemy Within.
A CAST OF COMPELLING CHARACTERS
Detective Seamus O’Reilly had one of the highest closure rates in the NYPD. Like most cops in the city, he hates the FBI. And it’s his case by law. He knows that no matter what pressure they might try to bring on him, he’s going to lead the investigation. The most he will do for his counterpart, Special Agent Francis Xavier Bryce, is to share updates on the case. Of course, Bryce and his superiors will be working the case, too. O’Reilly can’t prevent that.
But these two men are far from the only players in this highest-of-all-stakes murder investigation. Bryce’s boss, Special Agent in Charge in the FBI’s New York Regional Office Eugene Hart is determined to suppress the information that Hoover and Tolson were gay. That they were is well known within the Bureau but not to the public. And they’d never live down the embarrassment if the truth got out. Because Hoover had led a virtual crusade against homosexuality.
However, other men, even higher in the government pecking order, are interested, too. Much higher. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. And President Lyndon B. Johnson. Two politicians, both ruthless and vindictive, see opportunity in this case. And they’ll stop at nothing to make the most of it.
CLASHING AGENDAS AND SECRET FILES
On one level, The Enemy Within is a story of clashing agendas. Detective O’Reilly wants the truth to come out, whoever might be embarrassed by it. Special Agent Bryce wants to get back in the good graces of his bosses, who have sidelined him for having mouthed off once too often about how stupid they are. SAC Hart wants to cover up the truth. And the Attorney General and the President? Simple. Kennedy wants to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of the mob, which he knows was behind the President’s assassination. And Johnson wants to gain possession of J. Edgar Hoover’s secret blackmail files that have kept him on the job for forty years.
In fact, those secret files are at the heart of this story. Once word leaks to Washington, a titanic battle erupts among Hoover’s acolytes in the upper reaches of the FBI, the Attorney General, and the President. Watching what happens is a colorful example of how government actually works.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katrine Kathryn Rusch has won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History twice as well as the Hugo, twice as well. But her writing ranges over multiple genres, including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and mainstream fiction. She has published more than forty novels, ten novellas, and five collections of short fiction. She has also coauthored nineteen other books. Rusch was born in 1960. She is American.
July 20, 2020
Fairly typical for KKR, but relatively straightforward. Technically it's an alternate history book, but since it only plays forward the consequences of the history-changing event about two days, it doesn't give a particularly full sense of how things were altered. (That's a little unfair, there's a lot of political maneuvering that would obviously be quite consequential - but we don't see the results play out.) And it's largely a police procedural (not surprising, given the author), competently done but nothing earth-shattering. A quick, fun read.
January 6, 2019
Good Counterfactual
This is an interesting “what if” story, based on existing evidence and theories of the Kennedy assassination. It is a nice fast paced read.
This is an interesting “what if” story, based on existing evidence and theories of the Kennedy assassination. It is a nice fast paced read.
December 22, 2020
Hoovers death brings old enemies together
J edgar hoover is found dead. President Johnson must work with old rival Robert Kennedy to save the republic in its darkest hour.
J edgar hoover is found dead. President Johnson must work with old rival Robert Kennedy to save the republic in its darkest hour.
July 25, 2021
Well written and fast paced thriller about a slightly alternate history of US politics in the sixties centred around the assassination of J Edgar Hoover.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
June 8, 2025
Interesting premise turned into a plodding procedural with loose ends left all over the place. A complete waste of time.
March 2, 2016
An unusual take on the alternative history novel
Rusch spins a fast-paced, entertaining and suspenseful thriller that starts with the murder of J.Edgar Hoover only a few months after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Smart, speculative, we'll done.
Rusch spins a fast-paced, entertaining and suspenseful thriller that starts with the murder of J.Edgar Hoover only a few months after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Smart, speculative, we'll done.
June 12, 2017
Hooked immediately and couldn't put this done until I got to the end.
October 31, 2016
A thriller that has it all and kept me turning the pages long after I should have been doing other things! Loved it, and will be reading more of Rusch's books. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews