I really enjoyed this book. It started a countdown to Kennedy's death. It tells it from both Oswald and Kennedys lives. I found this book very interesting. It was well researched, and put together in very comprehensive way. Anytime they switched perspective or dates, you were told. You were given history of what happened without it being slow. I was sad when the book ended because I wanted more.
The narration was really good. The narrator was easy to understand and had a good pace and tone.

I was a little disappointed in this book. I guess I was expecting some new revelations that just weren't there. If you are a student of the Kennedy assassination then this story was familiar to you. There might be a little more of a deep dive into the background of Oswald and how he got to the Book Depository on that November day. I'm afraid that there just isn't anything new to tell on this story and there have been some really good books written.

The author's comparison of the Dallas assassination to the Titanic tragedy was both insightful and entertaining. This was a stimulating read. It made me rethink the way we process information, not just about the assassination, but also in general. Despite some segments being a bit tedious with facts, this book does make compelling points from multiple perspectives. All in all, I would definitely recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audiobook ARC.

As a JFK buff (though not the conspiracy kind), I was looking forward to listening to this book. And it was worth the wait! Though it may not contain anything earth-shattering, the book does a good job of explaining and summarizing the new documents that have been released. It also contains a very concise and interesting day-by-day look at the year leading up to the assassination. I also enjoyed all of the information regarding the tendency of presidents before and including JFK to want to be up close and intimate with the public, and how that changed drastically in the aftermath of Dallas. Well-written and worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was so informative and there was so much new information from items that have recently been declassified. Listening to this I really don't know how Oswald wasn't constantly on government watch lists. This was fascinating, I would highly recommend it.

This book about the Kennedy Assassination doesn't uncover some new groundbreaking information, but it is still informative. It covers the time period since the 50th anniversary of the assassination and the present day. There are two main aspects to this book. One is the "coincidences, routines, and blind "luck"" that brought Kennedy and Oswald together for their moment in history. The other part is the release of documents from the government about the assassination and analyzing if these documents show us if there was a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy or not.

Even though I had read about most of this information, I did read some details I hadn't known before. I did like how author Paul Brandus weaved together all of this vast information into a story even though he was doing a chronology of the events for part of the book. For the document release analysis, it was clear that Brandus believes that Oswald acted alone and that the documents didn't show any compelling information to the contrary and actually reinforced the "lone gunman" conclusion of the Warren Commission. The only part I didn't really like was that the author was kind of snarky when dismissing conspiracy claims. But he definitely got his views across.

Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Countdown To Dallas: The Incredible Coincidences, Routines, and Blind “Luck” that Brought John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald Together on November 22, 1963
Paul Brandus
I still remember where I was on that fateful day. It was November 22, 1963, I was a fourth grader in Mrs. Jean Raley’s class. She stepped out of the classroom and soon stepped back in. Her face was pale, her voice was strained as she said, “Children, the President of the United States has been shot.” Sixty decades have since passed and yet I still remember watching the video/film of the open car, of Jackie Kennedy crawling across the trunk grabbing part of the President’s skull, of the funeral and of John saluting his father’s coffin.
Over the years there has been much speculation and unanswered questions: why was security so lax, was there more than one shooter, was Castro involved, and was Oswald a Soviet Agent. Author Paul Brandus looks at the evidence including recently unclassified documents from the FBI and CIA in an effort to clear up some unanswered questions. He looks at the background and actions of the President and of Oswald. Among the facts presented by the author: Oswald wanted to murder Dwight Eisenhower, the lax security was normal for the era, Oswald had violent tendencies from his childhood.
This is a fascinating book although some areas were a little dry. I am curious as to whether conspiracy theorists will change their point of view on the assassination of John F. Kennedy?

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to his audiobook.

UMMMMMMM this one is hard to rate- so I am going to 3. I did hear it- it started off a little dull.
BUT I wanted this opinion. I think there was a lot of research, but it wont "disprove" anyone feeling some sorty of way on a conspiracy theory.

I just wanted a view on the day and got a view.

This was an interesting read that shines some light on the events that lead up to the Dallas shooting. At times this read was a little dry but very factual and at other times shows the author's sarcasm at events of the time. It does bring up some good points and looks at things from multiple points. Overall this was a good read.