JFK and Mary Meyer    by Jesse Kornbluth Order:  USA  Can Skyhorse, 2020 (2020) Hardcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Carrol Wolverton Too Many Coincidences ... Conspiracy theorists will love this fictitious love story/novel. Related are many strange, possibly connected, events and murders. It definitely raises questions. Why was JFK killed? Who did it? How many were involved? Why would one of his lovers be killed as well? Dorothy Kilgallen's death is also suspicious. She had copious Kennedy notes and (mistakenly) bragged about it. Why was Mary Meyer's diary burned and why did Kilgallen's Kennedy notes vanish? Mary Meyer was close to JFK, probably too close. She lived next door. She was one of the few women with whom he shared intellectual conversations and she possibly influenced Kennedy's less hawkish leanings. The CIA, military, and many of his legislative contemporaries felt otherwise; they wanted all-out war. Meyer was clearly intelligent and fun loving. She drank too much and drugged too much. Her ex was CIA employed and suspicious. She wound up being wiretapped. Clearly ahead of her time, Meyer assumed roles that no woman close to Washington power openly did in the 60's. She was connected; she was a socialite; she traveled in elite circles. She knew and met with Timothy Leary and obtained LSD through him. She supposedly introduced the president to such drugs, which were legal at the time. Clearly, she knew and did too much. This gave rise to theories about her untimely death. The man accused was found not-guilty. It was a bloody scene, and he had no blood on him. JFK supposedly told Mary he would divorce Jackie after the 1964 election, and they would get married. I find this highly unlikely considering the Catholic background of the Kennedy clan. Marriage didn't seem to stop Kennedy Senior from philandering. It certainly didn't stop the president, either. This was an era where women were considered window-dressing and a convenience for sex only. Footnotes here sometimes exceed dialogue and events and make for better reading. It's listed as a novel, as no one really knows actual conversations and involvement, but sufficient testimony exists to tie Mary Meyer closely to the president, which may have caused her demise. This is a novel with a bibliography. Instead of resolving any conspiracy theories, the book only adds to them. Mary was very suspicious of JFK's death, heart-broken, and vocal in her ideas about what really happened and who was involved. The price may have been her life in yet another conspiracy. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews