The Red Mist by Richard K. Taylor is one of those rare books that grabs you and doesn’t let go until days after you finished the book. He has fictionalized the incidents surrounding the lives and murders of Marilyn Monroe and President John F. Kennedy.
David Dengler, training to be a U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer, is assigned a graduation training assignment – where you travel to a new place and set up a surveillance of Marilyn Monroe and bring back something no one knows. Easy peasy!
Well, that is until he witnesses the historic moment when Marilyn Monroe dies. The mystery surrounding her death and other incidents leading up to and including the assassination of President Kennedy will set your head to spinning. If you were not a conspiracy theorist before you read this book, you will be afterwards!
All I can say is, WOW!!! Actually, that was the first word out of my mouth when I finished the audiobook. Taylor has taken several historic moments and woven a fictional story around and through the incidents in a masterful and creative manner. His writing flows smoothly, the dialog is amazing and the character development is complete. Taylor draws the listener in making them care about the characters – one cannot help but become passionate about certain characters; you want to see them get what they deserve … including bullets in some cases!
I grew up during this time period that Taylor writes about so I remember most of the incidents; I remember the news blaring and the conversations that followed years after. He takes everything from this period, all the emotions, fears, doubts, and dishonesty and weaves them into his book skillfully and completely. It seems so real – all of it!
Taylor has romance, action, adventure, shoot-outs, conspiracies galore and so much more. The listener cannot help but be engaged in the book – Taylor does not give you the option of being disinterested or passive throughout any part of this book. You will be engaged!
Narrated by Paul Heitsch, he performs this book expertly. His performance adds to the illusion that this is real; he owns the book in other words. He speaks clearly and with passion. A perfect narrator for this writing!
I should add, that I had difficulty putting this book down and was disappointed it was over.
There were no issues with the audio quality or production of this book.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author.
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