If you have ever loved a larger than life conspiracy theory book, Dead Ringer by Chris Hauty is absolutely for you. It pulls you in from the first chapter and never lets go. The story takes real historical events and threads of truth about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and spins them into a high-octane pursuit for answers that stretches across the country, where danger hides behind every clue and every revelation propels you deeper into the chase.
I love the way this story weaves through true historical facts, real people, and plausible motives that connect key figures across decades and continents. The layers of history, politics, and religion are perfectly stacked, creating a relentless hunt that feels like running side by side with Joe Mingus, a fallen Secret Service agent, and Joseph Verdugo, a brilliant Jesuit professor with secrets of his own. Let’s not forget the assassin on a divine mission, the financier pulling the strings, and the political leader being molded to serve unseen powers. I cannot even begin to tell you how many rabbit holes I went down while reading this book — and that made the experience even more addictive.
And those letters underneath each chapter number? Did I try to decode them myself? Yes. Did I fail? Also yes. Will I keep trying? Again yes. That is the magic of Hauty’s storytelling — it does not just hand you the truth, it dares you to chase it. Every chapter hums with tension, every reveal cracks open a deeper mystery, and by the end you are left questioning how much of it might actually be real.
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