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Countdown to Dallas: The Incredible Coincidences, Routines, and Blind "Luck" that Brought John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald Together on November 22, 1963
John F. Kennedy’s fascination with death—particularly his own—and Lee Harvey Oswald’s love of violence and desire for fame made November 22, 1963 practically inevitable.
With new details from the very latest documents declassified by the CIA and FBI!
The so-called “crime of the century”—the assassination of President John F. Kennedy—was almost preordained to happen. Like all presidents from decades before him, JFK played it loose with security—open cars, Secret Service agents at a distance, and a desire to be seen. Yet conspiracy buffs are certain the security setup on November 22, 1963 was unusual and suspicious. It wasn’t.
And what of Lee Harvey Oswald, the drifter, the vicious wife-beating, fame-seeking narcissist? Everything in his background—dating back to his violent, disturbing grade school years, including his stated desire to murder President Dwight Eisenhower—defines the real Lee Oswald. The Oswald that conspiracists rarely talk about—the Oswald who was perched in the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository as JFK drove by—was headed for this moment of infamy years before he pulled the trigger.
In Countdown to Dallas , author Paul Brandus tracks the backgrounds of both Kennedy and Oswald, the very different era in which they lived, and the incredible string of circumstances that brought them together for a few fateful moments in Dallas. He
With new details from the very latest documents declassified by the CIA and FBI!
The so-called “crime of the century”—the assassination of President John F. Kennedy—was almost preordained to happen. Like all presidents from decades before him, JFK played it loose with security—open cars, Secret Service agents at a distance, and a desire to be seen. Yet conspiracy buffs are certain the security setup on November 22, 1963 was unusual and suspicious. It wasn’t.
And what of Lee Harvey Oswald, the drifter, the vicious wife-beating, fame-seeking narcissist? Everything in his background—dating back to his violent, disturbing grade school years, including his stated desire to murder President Dwight Eisenhower—defines the real Lee Oswald. The Oswald that conspiracists rarely talk about—the Oswald who was perched in the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository as JFK drove by—was headed for this moment of infamy years before he pulled the trigger.
In Countdown to Dallas , author Paul Brandus tracks the backgrounds of both Kennedy and Oswald, the very different era in which they lived, and the incredible string of circumstances that brought them together for a few fateful moments in Dallas. He
352 pages, Hardcover
Published April 11, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 13, 2023
I enjoyed this book from cover to cover! Paul Brandus has written another thoughtful and articulate book that covers the treasure trove of documents released in recent years are feeding the JFK assassination. While some more ardent followers of the investigation may not have found much new in this, I believe Paul has presented a very clear summary of the evidence available to date that confirms Oswald was a lone gunman. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, this is an enlightening and informative read for anyone with an interest in the JFK assassination!
May 4, 2023
The author's comparison of the Dallas assassination to the Titanic tragedy was both insightful and entertaining. This was a stimulating read. It made me rethink the way we process information, not just about the assassination, but also in general. Despite some segments being a bit tedious with facts, this book does make compelling points from multiple perspectives. All in all, I would definitely recommend it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2023
Brandus' demolishing of conspiracy theories at the start of the book is worth a read alone. It is shocking that a lone assassin could casually shoot the president. This might make it hard to accept, but it is the truth nonetheless. This fast-paced account reads like a conversational podcast, with Brandus summing up conclusions from time to time. I enjoyed the audiobook version, read so well by David Colacci, and had the print version to hand for photos.
March 28, 2023
This was an interesting read that shines some light on the events that lead up to the Dallas shooting. At times this read was a little dry but very factual and at other times shows the author's sarcasm at events of the time. It does bring up some good points and looks at things from multiple points. Overall this was a good read.
May 2, 2023
Brandus earns the trophy for the most superficial and uninteresting coverage of this infamous event -- even the photos were boring!
May 30, 2023
Nice summary that again puts to rest all the whacky conspiracy theories. Oswald shot Kennedy. There’s no doubt.
May 7, 2025
Author Paul Brandus guides readers in the paths of two men whose lives intersect on one fateful afternoon in Dallas. Although President Kennedy was the last president to ride in an open car motorcade, the practice was common among previous presidents "in a more innocent age."
Like many historical events, several factors came into play resulting in the fatal income. Lee Harvey Oswald gets a job at the Texas School Book Depository building and was assigned to work in the Dealey Plaza location, but he could have been sent to the second location on Houston Street, several blocks north of Dealey Plaza. Had Oswald stayed in the Marines, or kept his later jobs at a printing company, a bakery, a gypsum plant, he would not have been in position to shoot JFK.
The author makes a good case of Oswald as the sole shooter.
"He is a twenty-four-year-old man who has known nothing but disappointment, failure, and in the end - just hours before - one final penultimate rejection from his wife, the mother of his two girls. Lee Harvey Oswald - unwanted, unloved, unneeded - has nothing and no one left."
I highly recommend this book.
Like many historical events, several factors came into play resulting in the fatal income. Lee Harvey Oswald gets a job at the Texas School Book Depository building and was assigned to work in the Dealey Plaza location, but he could have been sent to the second location on Houston Street, several blocks north of Dealey Plaza. Had Oswald stayed in the Marines, or kept his later jobs at a printing company, a bakery, a gypsum plant, he would not have been in position to shoot JFK.
The author makes a good case of Oswald as the sole shooter.
"He is a twenty-four-year-old man who has known nothing but disappointment, failure, and in the end - just hours before - one final penultimate rejection from his wife, the mother of his two girls. Lee Harvey Oswald - unwanted, unloved, unneeded - has nothing and no one left."
I highly recommend this book.
April 6, 2023
This book about the Kennedy Assassination doesn't uncover some new groundbreaking information, but it is still informative. It covers the time period since the 50th anniversary of the assassination and the present day. There are two main aspects to this book. One is the "coincidences, routines, and blind "luck"" that brought Kennedy and Oswald together for their moment in history. The other part is the release of documents from the government about the assassination and analyzing if these documents show us if there was a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy or not.
Even though I had read about most of this information, I did read some details I hadn't known before. I did like how author Paul Brandus weaved together all of this vast information into a story even though he was doing a chronology of the events for part of the book. For the document release analysis, it was clear that Brandus believes that Oswald acted alone and that the documents didn't show any compelling information to the contrary and actually reinforced the "lone gunman" conclusion of the Warren Commission. The only part I didn't really like was that the author was kind of snarky when dismissing conspiracy claims. But he definitely got his views across.
Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Even though I had read about most of this information, I did read some details I hadn't known before. I did like how author Paul Brandus weaved together all of this vast information into a story even though he was doing a chronology of the events for part of the book. For the document release analysis, it was clear that Brandus believes that Oswald acted alone and that the documents didn't show any compelling information to the contrary and actually reinforced the "lone gunman" conclusion of the Warren Commission. The only part I didn't really like was that the author was kind of snarky when dismissing conspiracy claims. But he definitely got his views across.
Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
February 25, 2025
The author's comparison of the Dallas assassination to the Titanic tragedy was both insightful and entertaining. This was a stimulating read. It made me rethink the way we process information, not just about the assassination, but also in general. Despite some segments being a bit tedious with facts, this book does make compelling points from multiple perspectives. All in all, I would definitely recommend it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2023
Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was so informative and there was so much new information from items that have recently been declassified. Listening to this I really don't know how Oswald wasn't constantly on government watch lists. This was fascinating, I would highly recommend it.
May 7, 2023
Fascinating take on the JFK assassination - highly recommend!
August 27, 2023
Thou doth protest too much. The author tries too hard to dispel "conspiracies", without even addressing many circumstances, or any other theories. Incomplete at best.
November 26, 2023
For those who own the twenty-six volumes of the Warren Commission Report, there are likely few surprises in this book. It has the only summary and overview I have seen of the sporadic releases of tranches of the dwindling supply of un-declassified documents. Of course, the archives are a veritable Augan stables; for all I know relevant documents were carelessly tossed into the Ark of the Covenant that Indiana Jones worked so hard to retrieve. And then there is the inadvertent (but routine) destruction of Oswald’s 201 file.
The meat of the book is a chronological recounting of Oswald’s short life: a chapter each on his early life, his time as a Marine, his stay in Russia, his return to America, the 365 days before the assassination and then the twenty-four hours leading up to the assassination. The book ends abruptly with the presidential limousine entering Dealey Plaza.
There is no conclusion or epilogue; given the constant and repetitive editorializing throughout, neither were necessary. The author is not from the school of “let the facts speak for themselves.” As someone who was old enough to follow the events as they were reported I don’t share the author’s visceral anger with Oswald the man who was in the public eye only from the time of his arrest on Friday afternoon until his death on Sunday morning. To me he will always remain an enigma who escaped the jaws of justice if not fate.
The meat of the book is a chronological recounting of Oswald’s short life: a chapter each on his early life, his time as a Marine, his stay in Russia, his return to America, the 365 days before the assassination and then the twenty-four hours leading up to the assassination. The book ends abruptly with the presidential limousine entering Dealey Plaza.
There is no conclusion or epilogue; given the constant and repetitive editorializing throughout, neither were necessary. The author is not from the school of “let the facts speak for themselves.” As someone who was old enough to follow the events as they were reported I don’t share the author’s visceral anger with Oswald the man who was in the public eye only from the time of his arrest on Friday afternoon until his death on Sunday morning. To me he will always remain an enigma who escaped the jaws of justice if not fate.
April 11, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audiobook ARC.
As a JFK buff (though not the conspiracy kind), I was looking forward to listening to this book. And it was worth the wait! Though it may not contain anything earth-shattering, the book does a good job of explaining and summarizing the new documents that have been released. It also contains a very concise and interesting day-by-day look at the year leading up to the assassination. I also enjoyed all of the information regarding the tendency of presidents before and including JFK to want to be up close and intimate with the public, and how that changed drastically in the aftermath of Dallas. Well-written and worth the read.
As a JFK buff (though not the conspiracy kind), I was looking forward to listening to this book. And it was worth the wait! Though it may not contain anything earth-shattering, the book does a good job of explaining and summarizing the new documents that have been released. It also contains a very concise and interesting day-by-day look at the year leading up to the assassination. I also enjoyed all of the information regarding the tendency of presidents before and including JFK to want to be up close and intimate with the public, and how that changed drastically in the aftermath of Dallas. Well-written and worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews