Thunderbird Conspiracy - Virtual Book Tour - Book Review

Thunderbird Conspiracy

Virtual Book Tour

Author Review

It is a great pleasure to occupy early slots of this Virtual Book Tour begun by Teddy Rose of "So Many Precious Books, So Little Time," on Friday. Today, you get to see my review. Tomorrow, I get to share my interview with R.K. Price with you. Don't miss it! I really enjoyed his answers to my 'off-the-wall' questions, asked long before I read the book. Thanks for stopping by! ;-)

Book Description:

Publisher: Quiet Owl Books (June 29, 2012)
Category/Genre: Historical Fiction
ISBN: 978-0615658353
Tour Date: October 21/November, 2013

Available in: Print & ebook, 338 Pages

Just in time for the 50th anniversary of JFK’s death!

The Thunderbird Conspiracy is the remarkable tale of Robert Kaye, a Hungarian freedom fighter who claimed he knew and collaborated with JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. R. K. Price’s second novel is also a tale of a Nebraska farm boy who was a great admirer of President Kennedy and a true patriot who desperately wanted to believe his government’s hurried conclusion that Oswald had no accomplice. Yet his own harrowing experience at the hands of his government created profound doubt in his mind, and it haunted him to his death.

These two men, one willfully acting, the other a true victim, became entangled in the most notorious crime of the 20th century. This saga of intrigue and murder was revealed to the author on a wintry Colorado day about three weeks before the farm boy’s ravaged heart gave out.

That man was R. K. Price’s uncle. His name was Bud Carlson. Price stashed away Bud’s account of Robert Kaye, letting it lay dormant for nearly forty years until he could corroborate his uncle’s story with the release of previously secret FBI files from the National Archives.

Now nearing the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination Price has brought Robert Kaye and Bud Carlson back to life. Their incredible story will leave you questioning just how and why JFK was taken from America far too early.

Let's learn a little more about R.K. Price:

R.K. Price is a Colorado native. He lived in Pueblo for a number of years, earning his way through college as a radio/television and newspaper reporter. He moved north to Denver in the mid 70s, joining a major advertising/public relations firm as a writer, producer and press agent. Later, he formed his own media relations and political consulting firm. He spent the early 1980s in Washington D.C. actively involved in national politics, and returned to Denver in the mid 80s to become an investment and mortgage banker — a profession he remains in today. He now lives in the Washington D.C. area with his wife Janet and daughter Sara in Alexandria, Va.

R.K. Price Website: http://rkprice.com/
R.K. Price Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rkpriceauthor
R.K. Price Twitter: https://twitter.com/RK_Price

My review:

"I was surprised, and perhaps a bit shocked, by the extended detail of the background of Robert Kaye in this book. However, it is probably that detail that makes the story so compelling and makes you want to keep reading to see what can possibly come next."

These were the first words that I wrote for this review, perhaps 20% through my read of this truly outstanding book. I was put off by the extreme amount of "dreams scenes" to set up Robert Kaye's mental state. Thankfully, I kept reading beyond about the 30% mark where I really wanted to put it away, and give it up - but, I had a review to write. Thank goodness!

When Robert finally arrived to work for Bud in Denver, and they started to talk politics, I felt a reprieve and from that point on, I could hardly put it down, in spite of some family obligations that had to be met.

This was a very plausible story, and I think you would enjoy reading it. I'm a student of presidential politics, having read dozens of presidential biographies and related material. In my youth, I was a personal staffer to a small state governor touted as a presidential candidate - thankfully, he never chose to run. But, my fixation on everything Presidential was born. I did not vote for Kennedy, but served him faithful as an Air Force Lt. during the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and his assasination. I'll admit to a continuing fascination with "the Oswald story."

I did not read the epilogue until the end. I'm glad I didn't. I really needed to read the full story to appreciate the information the author provided there. He did a really fine job of filling in the gaps in the documents he had discovered, creating complimenting characters, and creating a plausible story. As he said, none of us will never know "the truth," as is so often the case in historical events. Thank you, R.K., for sharing this story!

I hardily recommend this book to your reading pleasure.

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I was provided a pdf of the manuscript for an honest review. However, it did not read well on my several readers, so I bought the Kindle edition, and am glad I did. What fun!  ;-)


Happy Reading,

Dr. Bill  ;-)