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JFK: The Smoking Gun
by
"It's the gunshot that echoed around the world - but who pulled the trigger? McLaren unravels the cold case of the 20th century." - Andrew Rule, bestselling author of Underbelly
Assassination? Conspiracy? Evidence of the shocking truth is finally revealed.
On 22nd November 1963, the 35th president of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and his wife Jackie were taking ...more
Assassination? Conspiracy? Evidence of the shocking truth is finally revealed.
On 22nd November 1963, the 35th president of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and his wife Jackie were taking ...more
Audio CD
Published
December 15th 2013
by Bolinda Audio
(first published January 1st 2013)
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I never believed the Warren Commission was anything but a sham and I have read so many conspiracy theories over the years and I now truly believe that Colin McLaren has uncovered the devastating truth. I won't say anymore for fear of spoiling the book for other readers, except to say, this is the only book you ever need to read about the assassination of JFK.
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I thought this was a brilliant read and in my opinion what Colin McLaren is alleging is quite plausible and makes a lot of sense. Fifty years after the assassination of JFK there still seems to be a huge interest and many,many more conspiracy theories but I believe this book dispels many of these. I was shocked and saddened by some of the revelations in this book but unlike many other books on this subject it actually left me satisfied that this matter has finally been put to rest. I know that m
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WOW.. always been fascinated with everything to do with JFK and particularly his assassination. And always wondered.. there were so many inconsistencies with the investigations and the eye witness reports and total cock-ups by the different authorities and the Warren Commission (the author of this book describes it as the Commission of Omissions).
The books starts off with a deep background check of Less Harvey Oswald, his wife Marina and Jack Ruby. So I am thinking, right he is going for the lon ...more
The books starts off with a deep background check of Less Harvey Oswald, his wife Marina and Jack Ruby. So I am thinking, right he is going for the lon ...more

Retired and highly decorated Australian homicide detective Colin McLaren brings his years of investigative experience to bear on the case that has fascinated generations and spawned any number of elaborate conspiracy theories: the "assassination" of US President John F Kennedy. Four years of exhaustive research applying a thorough tooth comb to all 27 volumes of the Warren Commission Report, the transcripts of the House Select Committee on Assassinations, and the records of the Assassination Rec
...more

Yeaaaaah,... NO.
This story that the author claimed would make a great Hollywood movie but not the ASSASSINATION of John F. Kennedy.
Mr. McLaren presented a lot of great points and evident that are certainly convincing to people who don't know more details and don't know how to analyze nor dig deep into real dirt because absolutely what Mr. McLaren said is NOT what actually happened that day.
No way in hell that a secret service agent would shoot a fatal shot -directly and ACCIDENTALLY- to the hea ...more
This story that the author claimed would make a great Hollywood movie but not the ASSASSINATION of John F. Kennedy.
Mr. McLaren presented a lot of great points and evident that are certainly convincing to people who don't know more details and don't know how to analyze nor dig deep into real dirt because absolutely what Mr. McLaren said is NOT what actually happened that day.
No way in hell that a secret service agent would shoot a fatal shot -directly and ACCIDENTALLY- to the hea ...more

This is the first theory I have ever seen regarding the assassination of JFK that has made sense. As far as I'm concerned, the verdict is in, and the killer was....well, you'll have to read the book. Meticulously researching over a number of years, the author has discovered the truth that the Warren Commission buried in thousands of pages. An excellent read. Highly recommended.
...more

Dec 21, 2013
Simone
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
great-aus-reads-2013
Initially I was reluctant to read another book about JFK. It's not that I'm not interested in the topic, just that there have been so many conspiracy theories, explanations etc and I thought this was just another one. However the fact that it was written by an Australian detective piqued my interest and then after watching the documentary of the same name, I was very keen to read the book.
Colin McLaren is a retired detective who has worked on some of the most gruesome crime scenes in Australia. ...more
Colin McLaren is a retired detective who has worked on some of the most gruesome crime scenes in Australia. ...more

A very detailed and convincing account of the killing of JFK. In my opinion answers pretty conclusively two of the key questions surrounding the assassination:
1) The magic bullet issue
2) The exploding bullet, the final shot to hit, and ultimately kill President Kennedy.
If you are interested in history....I strongly suggest reading this book.
1) The magic bullet issue
2) The exploding bullet, the final shot to hit, and ultimately kill President Kennedy.
If you are interested in history....I strongly suggest reading this book.

Mind blowing, thought provoking, thoroughly well researched and written. The irony here really is that such a well investigated and highly researched book makes me question even further what it states though. I understand the author to be s former detective and trust he has provided a balanced and accurate view of all of the evidence; but... how can I know that without reading the 3 metre high pile of papers?
The funny thing also is that the theory to pay to rest all conspiracy theories that this ...more
The funny thing also is that the theory to pay to rest all conspiracy theories that this ...more

What a fascinating book! Like anyone else, I had always heard much about JFK and what happened on that fateful date in November of 1963, but I had never really thought much about what might have actually took place. There are many conspiracy theories out there but this book does a marvellous job in looking purely at the evidence and many witness statements to come up with an answer - the result, I found, was astounding! Something I had actually never really heard of or considered before. The boo
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This is an excellent book but it is clearly written by a detective. He gets a bit repetitive and way too carried away with detail. I was satisfied when he said, in connection with the three shots, that forty people described the last two as being close together. I did not need a list of all forty variations in description. He does this sort of thing regularly and it distracts from his narrative. In the same way he describes the Warren Commission report as being awash with detail which obscures t
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What an amazing read. Anyone who is interested in the assassination of JFK needs to read this book. It finally reveals the ineptitude and cover up of this investigation and what really happened. There is no conspiracy. Extraordinarily well researched and written - although a little repetitive at times. Highly recommended.

A very good read and a well-researched and constructed argument. It didn’t get 5 stars from me due to poor editing. There was way too much repetition. I found pretty much nothing in Chapter 15 that hadn’t been said at least once before. I went from enjoying the book to being quite frustrated. Keep going though, it is wrapped up well.

Presents an interesting argument, but there are no references so it's hard to know how credible this book is
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To say there wasn't some sort of a cover-up and that Oswald acted alone would be a masterpiece of understatement.
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I should have spotted it - the garish cover and large print, the lack of any notes or bibliography. This professes to be a report of serious investigation, but is simply 'pulp non-fiction'. It's rare that a book makes me so angry that I throw it across the room. This was one of those books.
Colin McLaren, a retired detective from Australia, goes to great lengths to establish his credibility as an investigator, then proceeds to exaggerate, embellish, misquote and misinterpret his way through the b ...more
Colin McLaren, a retired detective from Australia, goes to great lengths to establish his credibility as an investigator, then proceeds to exaggerate, embellish, misquote and misinterpret his way through the b ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Nov 04, 2013
Kathryn
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
reading-list-2014
I watched a documentary of this book last year, with the 50th anniversary of the assassination of JFK. Colin McLaren’s theory of who shot JFK is startling, but actually does make sense. Throughout the book, he does rather belabour some of his points, making for repetitive reading. In my opinion, a better editor would have made greater use of his or her red pen, making for tighter writing that would have been an easier read.
At the time of watching the documentary, I wondered whether the book went ...more
At the time of watching the documentary, I wondered whether the book went ...more

The research undertaken by ex-detective Colin McLaren is admirable. If only someone as astute as he were allowed to secure the crime scene and body of President Kennedy, then fifty years of speculation and conspiracy theory may have been avoided. Although I am not convinced by his explosive revelation of who exactly fired the deadly 'head shot', I was convinced that Oswald did not! The book is easy to read and becomes a page turner in parts. I got a tad tired of the exclamation marks though. Wha
...more

This book is really convincing. McLaren details so much evidence of secret service incompetence that it all seems to fit so neatly. The first half if the book is great, outlining the stories of various individuals involved. But by the second half he has basically made his point but he keeps on going for another hundred pages. It just feels disorganised and it ends up finishing with a whimper.

I took my time reading this book mainly because I saw the TV program that was made about the book so nothing was new. The detail Mclaren goes into in this book, his years of research and his reasoning all lead me to believe his conclusion is correct. Read the book and reach your own conclusion - I'm sold!
...more

loved it. one of those books you can't put down -and as McLaren noted in the book, even the best script writers could not have done such a masterful job. and this one was directed by no-one. the best "who done it" you could ask for. and it's tied to one of the most notable events in recent history. read it!
...more

I am completely convinced this is the story of what actually happened that day in Dallas. It explains why the entire story was shrouded in mystery all those years, and further, why most people believe a conspiracy was behind it. After reading it, and comprehending the ballistics portions of the analysis, you will know in your heart this is what happened.

-SPOILIERS ALERT-
Well, I'm convinced anyway. The author puts forward a highly likely scenario where the final and fatal headshot sustained by Kennedy was as a result of the tragic accident of an inexperienced Secret Service agent. ...more
Well, I'm convinced anyway. The author puts forward a highly likely scenario where the final and fatal headshot sustained by Kennedy was as a result of the tragic accident of an inexperienced Secret Service agent. ...more
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Colin McLaren was one of Australia's best detectives; he travelled the world on high-end investigations during the 1980s and 1990s. He faced down the underbelly of Australian crime and his work has been the subject of many police genre documentaries and television series. A film of his own life, based on his hugely successful first book Infiltration, the true story of his efforts as an undercover
...more
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