Thurston Clarke's gripping account of the last months of the life of President John F. Kennedy weaves together his public and private life and addresses the most tantalizing mystery of all - not who killed him but who he was when he was killed, and where he would have led his country and the world. This re-examination of a critical period looks at all the areas of the president's fascinating life: the progress he made towards ending the Cold War, passing the Civil Rights Act and withdrawing US troops from Vietnam, as well as his grief at the death of his infant son Patrick, his ongoing battle with ill health and his renewed determination to be a good husband and father.The resulting portrait reveals the essence of this charismatic man, his personal transformation and the emergence of a great president. It also explains the widespread and enduring grief following his assassination, mourning the loss of his remarkable promise, which had become increasingly evident during his last hundred days.Thurston Clarke has written eleven widely acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction on travel and modern history including Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America. His articles have appeared in Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The Washington Post and many other publications.'His enthusiasm is infectious . . . he entertains and illuminates, writing gracefully, and with a fine sense of irony . . . He's funny and he's fair and he swims well against powerful cultural cross-currents' New York Times Book Review
'Poignant, fascinating, entertaining and informative... reminds us exactly how much did happen in that time span and of how many tantalising hints he left behind' Financial Times
'Brilliantly captures Kennedy's entire life through the prism of his final months... the hero, like the devil, is in the detail' Mark Mason, Spectator Book of the Year
'Wonderfully vivid' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
'A vivid portrait of Kennedy as an immensely complex human being: by turns detached and charismatic, a hard-nosed politician and a closet romantic, cautious in his decision making but reckless in his womanizing' Michicklo Kakutani, New York Times
'A superb piece of writing - richly detailed and, considering that the end is all too well known, surprisingly enthralling' Frank Gannon, Wall Street Journal
'The great merit of Clarke's account is that it encompasses both sides of Kennedy: the statesman and the chancer; the moralist and the opportunist' David Runciman, New Statesman
'A superb book... has the ominousness of a Shakespearean tragedy' Roger Lewis, Daily Mail
