What do you think?
Rate this book
The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald
- GenresFiction
341 pages, Unknown Binding
Published May 3, 2022
1 person is currently reading
41 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 20, 2022
I love speculative alternate history and this particular novel is definitely intriguing. It imagines that Jack Ruby was delayed on the fateful day he shot Lee Harvey Oswald and therefore, Oswald survived to be tried. It’s primarily from the prosecutions perspective and I enjoyed the procedural aspects of how they gathered evidence and interviewed witnesses. As a judge, Alsup writes with great knowledge and authority. He explains in his forward that much of the testimony was actually taken directly from the Warren Commission with some necessary embellishments.
It took me a while to keep straight the various parties involved, but as I became more familiar with the characters, I could appreciate their personalities and ambitions. I especially liked the federal prosecutor Abe Summer and his scrappy assistant, Elaine. Reporter Bebe gave a unique perspective from the press (and as a woman in a man’s dog-eat-dog profession). Oswald is as unlikeable as you would imagine. His defense attorney is tasked with the impossible, but manages to give the jury a remarkable story by having Oswald testify (razzle dazzle). The ambiguous conclusion wasn’t entirely satisfying, but it worked here. I went into this book not knowing all that much about the JFK assassination and now I feel pretty well-versed. Alsup did a great job with this reimagination of history.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
It took me a while to keep straight the various parties involved, but as I became more familiar with the characters, I could appreciate their personalities and ambitions. I especially liked the federal prosecutor Abe Summer and his scrappy assistant, Elaine. Reporter Bebe gave a unique perspective from the press (and as a woman in a man’s dog-eat-dog profession). Oswald is as unlikeable as you would imagine. His defense attorney is tasked with the impossible, but manages to give the jury a remarkable story by having Oswald testify (razzle dazzle). The ambiguous conclusion wasn’t entirely satisfying, but it worked here. I went into this book not knowing all that much about the JFK assassination and now I feel pretty well-versed. Alsup did a great job with this reimagination of history.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
March 25, 2025
If you know me, you know I’m fascinated by the JFK assassination and the possibility of a conspiracy. While I was too young for the 1980s miniseries that explored the idea of Oswald standing trial, I was immediately intrigued when I heard that William Alsup was releasing a novel based on that premise.
The book begins on Sunday, November 24, 1963, as Lee Harvey Oswald is being transferred out of the Dallas city jail. But unlike real events, Jack Ruby is seconds too late to assassinate him. With Oswald alive, the nation gets the trial that history never provided.
Alsup blends historical figures with fictional characters, such as defense attorney Abe Summers and investigator Elaine Navarro. The novel benefits from the (at the time) most recently declassified JFK assassination files, adding depth and credibility to the story. Since the book centers on Oswald’s trial, Alsup leans toward the lone gunman theory, but the novel presents enough doubt to keep readers engaged.
The first half of the book, where the defense team builds their case, was the weakest section for me. I’m used to the way John Grisham writes legal thrillers, with more dramatic build-up and creative liberties, whereas Alsup’s approach is more of a historical retelling. However, once the trial begins, the story shines. Oswald’s testimony is particularly compelling—Alsup’s depiction of how Oswald might have defended himself was so convincing that, for a moment, I almost believed he hadn’t pulled the trigger.
Overall, The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald is a fascinating “what if” exploration of one of the most controversial moments of the 20th century. Jack Ruby robbed history of the chance to determine Oswald’s guilt or innocence, but Alsup gives us an engrossing alternative reality where that trial takes place.
The book begins on Sunday, November 24, 1963, as Lee Harvey Oswald is being transferred out of the Dallas city jail. But unlike real events, Jack Ruby is seconds too late to assassinate him. With Oswald alive, the nation gets the trial that history never provided.
Alsup blends historical figures with fictional characters, such as defense attorney Abe Summers and investigator Elaine Navarro. The novel benefits from the (at the time) most recently declassified JFK assassination files, adding depth and credibility to the story. Since the book centers on Oswald’s trial, Alsup leans toward the lone gunman theory, but the novel presents enough doubt to keep readers engaged.
The first half of the book, where the defense team builds their case, was the weakest section for me. I’m used to the way John Grisham writes legal thrillers, with more dramatic build-up and creative liberties, whereas Alsup’s approach is more of a historical retelling. However, once the trial begins, the story shines. Oswald’s testimony is particularly compelling—Alsup’s depiction of how Oswald might have defended himself was so convincing that, for a moment, I almost believed he hadn’t pulled the trigger.
Overall, The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald is a fascinating “what if” exploration of one of the most controversial moments of the 20th century. Jack Ruby robbed history of the chance to determine Oswald’s guilt or innocence, but Alsup gives us an engrossing alternative reality where that trial takes place.
October 10, 2022
The author was masterful in how, in only the first 2 chapters / 20 pages, he dispatched the substantial psychological impediment: How does the reader overcome the historical fact that Jack Ruby killed Oswald the 3rd day after Oswald assassinated JFK? He does so with the transposition of a simple actual event. Inadvertence or happenstance changed history, albeit not the traffic fundamental event of Kennedy’s death.
The author, I highly regarded now retired federal judge with extensive prior litigation experience, weaves extensive accuracy of events and statements as was before the Warren Commission, with credible conjecture and also with the evolution of the legal standards and practices then governing the trial of criminal defenses. Compared with present timeframes, yes the trial prosecuting Oswald would have occurred as soon as portrayed in this novel.
The book captures the emotions that were the context of the tragic event as well as the reactions to political death and disruption that was the threshold for what devolved in these subsequent 60 years. A well-paced enjoyable read that also prompts reflection.
The author, I highly regarded now retired federal judge with extensive prior litigation experience, weaves extensive accuracy of events and statements as was before the Warren Commission, with credible conjecture and also with the evolution of the legal standards and practices then governing the trial of criminal defenses. Compared with present timeframes, yes the trial prosecuting Oswald would have occurred as soon as portrayed in this novel.
The book captures the emotions that were the context of the tragic event as well as the reactions to political death and disruption that was the threshold for what devolved in these subsequent 60 years. A well-paced enjoyable read that also prompts reflection.
July 11, 2024
I enjoyed this book. The author utilized The Warren Commission for the book and maybe only the Warren Commission. He never mentions, even in the Note from the Author, that Congress has determined there was a conspiracy and more records were released. He writes off Jim Garrison like he is a nut job. I wish he would have given a little more credibility to what we do know for building Oswald’s case. I also thought his explanation and intro of Tague was weird, when Tague has always been THE proof of the first bullet missing. However, I did enjoy the rest of the book overall.
November 11, 2023
I loved the premise of the book but could only get through about a third of it. It’s just way too tedious to get through and reads more like a case study than anything else. The author is clearly a talented researcher, but the writing falls short and is frankly just downright boring.
Read
January 23, 2023well done! The ending leave open the possibility that Ruby sneaked a pistol into the the court room. make a good movie
June 2, 2024
Parts of this book were interesting. Others kinda droned on. Author is a federal judge who went to State, so I wanted to support it. Not a beach book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews