Man of Steel

Cold Cases #1

by Dave Conifer

When twenty-something journalist Joe Jonas was sent to cover a press conference in Texas he figured it was just another crackpot JFK assassination conspiracy theory. But as he's slogging through the legwork he stumbles across something that makes him wonder if this one's for real. He?s even more enthusiastic when Abby Reno, a pretty reporter from Austin, insists on working the story with him. As Jonas and Reno circle closer to the Castle plot they come to realize that the protectors of the secrets are still on the job after twenty years and they don't take prisoners. The bodies pile up and they spend more and more time looking over their shoulders wondering if the story of the century is worth their lives.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Amazon, Suspense, Adventure, Fiction

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2008

Reviews

[Martin Pingree · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy JFK conspiracy stories you'll love this book. Very entertaining and very fun to read. Plot and characters were fun and I thoroughly enjoyed his book.

[B.J.Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced. Good storylines.

Excellent reading material with a few misused words. Should have been caught in proofreading. Nice character development. Kept you guessing. Hours flew by while reading.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this book. I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA

[Kimberly Pelkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting and a 5 star read for me

[Rick Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definitely a worthwhile read! It’s like every new chapter has something that kept you going. Was definitely worth the read and can’t wait to dig into the second book of the series!

[Anthea Harms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads easy. I enjoyed it. The end was a bit of an anticlimax.

[Kenn Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different take on the Kennedy Assassination

Good writing and character development. A little hard to relate to two news reporters outsmarting professional bad guys. Fun read.

[Matt Schiariti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is an interesting take on the JFK assassination conspiracy. Two journalists, Joe Jonas and Abby Reno stumble onto a conspiracy theorist in Dallas who most people think is just another crackpot. As it turns out, some of what he has to say leads them to an even deeper mystery. As the journalistic duo delve deeper into the case they realize that there's more to the conspiracy than they thought. What starts out as a fluff piece on a perceived crazy JFK nutjob turns out into the story of their lives. If they survive long enough to escape those who would do anything to keep the true nature of the assassination a secret.

Man of Steel is a different take on the JFK assassination. It's nice to see something original written about a well known and theorized topic. Using actual events and facts from the Warren commission reports, Conifer tells a fun and fast paced thriller. He does a good job of throwing in a multitude of facts that you may or may not have known about JFK, both from his past and from his time as president (I admit I didn't know a lot of it) as he fought with both the oil and steel industries. What's more is that all the facts and theories don't bog the book down. They're interwoven into the story seamlessly, never taking away from character development, never slowing the novel down.

The protagonists are also fun to read. Joe Jonas is an everyman who gets in way over his head and Abby Reno, his feisty sidekick and natural born researcher is always pushing him to go the extra mile.

All said and done, this is a fun and fast read by a very good author. After reading several of his books it seems that Conifer is just one big break away from getting the notice I feel he deserves. As long as he keeps writing I'll keep reading!

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating story based around JFK's assassination but set in 1982, nearly 20 years after he died. Makes you think when the 50th anniversary is almost upon us. I've always been a Kennedy family buff-I find them very interesting indeed. A lot of this story WAS based around a LOT of fact which made it even better. I say it's a story but it could be true. There are enough conspiracy theorists around to keep us going into the next millennium but unfortunately I think I'll be long gone before all the secret files are made public.
I liked what the author did with his ideas and I especially liked Reno. Jonas I felt like shaking !! For a reporter he really wasn't a great sleuth though he did get his arse in gear as the story progressed so managed to redeem himself in my eyes.
I see a sequel has been released last month and it's on my wishlist for sure. Now, this would have merited 5 stars were it not for the errors in it. They let it down, sadly, although the author DID use pore properly which is to be lauded.
There were some missing apostrophes and also a lot of omitted words in sentences like and/an or this.
Exasperation was misspelled as exasparation and wide used instead of side, allowed instead of aloud, busses when it needed to be buses. Then dying not dyeing and site instead of sight and most annoyingly Amagiri morphed into Yamagachi as the book went on.
I liked the cover-I have a Kennedy half dollar coin a friend sent me the same.

[Starla B · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a little bit to get into this book. However, soon, I was just flying through it. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next! I was at the edge of my seat! And then...it ended, a little abruptly, I felt. I really did like the story, and the thoughts behind it were fascinating. I feel like the ending leaves you guessing. I know what I would like to happen...and maybe that was the point. I have no idea. All in all, it was a pretty fun, action-packed (at least at the end) book. It was not my first Dave Conifer book, nor will it be my last.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pair of young reporters (he is from NC, she is from TX) are investigating aspects of the Kennedy assassination together. The more they investigate, the more people are killed to stop them by a 'mysterious' group that was never named. I am not a big fan of conspiracy literature of this type, but found it to be somewhat interesting reading. The young reporters were somewhat unrealistic (every reporter I have ever come into contact with was way too competitive to work closely with someone from another paper) and had increasingly amazing good luck. Fictional and farfetched...yes.

[Brian Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two reporters, sent to listen to the latest revelation about the JFK assassination find themselves following a trail that leads to a shady group who want the truth kept quiet.

Quite a well put together story, with the heroes running from clue to clue and trying to stay ahead of the group who decide they are getting too close to what really happened. It moves at a good pace, with plenty going on, and gets quite tense towards the end.

It sounds as though this may be the start of a trilogy (or more), and will be interested to see what happens with the characters in the next volume.

[deeann linford · Rating 4 out of 5]

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Joe and Abby are two newspaper reporters thrown together when assigned a crackpot story of the century. It changes to a possibility the farther they investigate. Then people who are involved start dropping dead or leaving the country. Bullets fly, cars explode and that is just the start. For a slam, bam, on the edge of your seat mystery this is it. The reason I gave it a four star is some of the story is a little over the top but still very entertaining. I will read more by this author.

[Donna Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay but is the kind of book that one might read to fill in a reading space when you do not for sure what kind of book you want to read next. Joe & Abby are nice characters. Unfortunately some of the situations they find themselves in are a bit hard to believe. Mr. Conifer clearly enjoys the role of storyteller. Some of the sequences were a bit hard to follow. I would recommend the book for something to be read quickly in a world where you simply need something g to read and are somewhat ambivalent about your next read.

[Karen B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel about two reporters looking into a conspiracy theory regarding JFK's assassination. I enjoyed reading this because I like to read fiction that is based on some fact. The protagonists seem to be constantly running and it is a little difficult to believe that an industry could have so many men chasing them 20 years after the fact. What I did like about the book is that in the "afterward" the author explains what parts of the book were factual. I am curious about some of the things with the Warren Commission. I liked the author's research into the report.

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. It's another take off on a JFK conspiracy theory. What is interesting is that the location of the story plot centers on the Western Pennsylvania - West Virginia area; specifically, Pittsburgh and Morgantown with references to places in Texas, North Carolina and Washington, DC. A fast read and an easy one at that. BUT --- character development leaves much to be desired in this reviewers opinion.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent what if book. Twenty years after the assassination of John Kennedy, things are still be looked at for conspiracy issues. two different reporters for two different areas of the country start working together and, then the chase/bodies begin.

As an aside, I was a senior in high school in Dallas when the assassination took place. I have always wondered more. Even now, 50+ years later it is still a hot topic

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting theory about the JFK assassination. I like the decision to place it in 1983. It made a better story without the use of the internet and cell phones.

I too was disappointed with the ending. There just wasn't enough there. Perhaps we are meant to complete it on our own and make it to our liking.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved 'Man of Steel'. This book is full of action and thrills. The storyline is written well and with such an intriguing premise that I could not put it down. I loved the characters. Jonas and Reno definitely had a lot of good luck and some really bad luck. I liked how this story played out. A great add to your tbr list. Definitely recommended.

[Bill Donhiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story combining history and fiction a slow start. once i got into it hard to put down. I expected more from the ending but i would consider other books by this author in future. I read this as a free Amazon Prime selection

[Daniel Ace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes something good to make a thriller series stand out. This first story went by so quick but it provides an angle into the Kennedy assasination that really impressed me. This series does have potential.

[James Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The new DYNAMIC DUO

The new DYNAMIC DUO

I really like Dave's two young reporters! Can't wait to see how much trouble they have in the next caper. You will thoroughly enjoy this book.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alternative conspiracy theory for JFK's death. ext in the series. Would have to be free.More specifically about Ruby. First of a series. I received it for free. Don't know if I will be reading the n

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I read this book, I kept thinking I would ultimately be disappointed in it. I was wrong - it seemed to get better and better. I'm looking forward to reading other books in this series. I rated this one 4.7 stars.

[Paul Fussner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mystery Novel

You will mesmerized by this author,he will have researching the history of the Kennedy assassination to verify what we were told by the government verses what's going on in the books storyline. This is a real page turner I couldn't put the book down.

[Mleehall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced Action From Likable Characters

Although the Kennedy conspiracy is well ploughed ground, Dave Conifer found new nuggets using unique protagonists. Looking forward to new stories

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. Intriguing JFK assassination theory.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the storyline and plot. did not enjoy the writing style. conversations and events seemed disjointed. felt like I was reading a story for a grade school student.

[5ngela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story and lovely characters even though a little bland. At first I am very surprised with the ending until I realized that there's sequel. Cannot wait to read the sequel

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave Conifer's story on the JFK assassination was quite intriguing and interesting. With just enough fact mixed in with the fiction this made a fast paced mystery. A very edge of your seat story.