Assassination at the State House: The Unsolved Mystery of Kentucky's Governor Goebel

by Ron Elliott

254 pages Mcclanahan Pub House (December 1994)

254 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Paul Lunger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The state of Kentucky has one very unique and unfortunate distinction in American history being the lone state to have a sitting governor assassinated in office. Ron Elliott's "Assassination at the State House: The Unsolved Mystery of Kentucky's Governor Goebel" tells the story of this event in a way that makes this book one of the most unique I've ever read. The book is written as if one were reading a book of fiction or otherwise with real people having conversations that would've been similar to those that did occur at the time of this event taking into account events that did happen. It's that storytelling ability with all the drama it entailed which makes this book even more realistic. I also as a reader appreciate that Elliot continues through the trials of the individuals suspected of killing Goebel as well as the eventual end games for all involved. This is a fascinating read that anyone familiar with this even or even history in general will thoroughly enjoy.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected it to be. That is not a bad thing, however. I expected a book more in line with the historical books I had to study to write papers in college. This book was more akin to a story based on an actual historical event. This was honestly quite enjoyable and I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Kentucky history, history in general, or even just interested in some courtroom drama or someone wanting a small romance subplot.

[Sarah Alawami · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good take on the events. I'm not familiar with the history of the event, but I loved how the author weaved history into conversations and did their research. I wish I could have read more of the court transcripts as I love those, but it still was very good.