Corruption of Blood [Paperback]

Robert K. Tanenbaum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

When Congress reopens the investigation into the JFK assassination, Manhattan Assistant D.A. Butch Karp is assigned to the case, but as Karp and his team uncover dramatic new evidence, they become enmeshed in a web of conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of government. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Another "Who killed JFK" book? Tanenbaum--former chief of the New York City District Attorney's Homicide Bureau and deputy chief counsel to the late-'70s House Select Committee on Assassinations--is more qualified to speculate, or fictionalize, than most. In this novel, it's Butch Karp who goes to work for the Select Committee, bringing along investigator Clay Fulton and attorney V. T. Newbury. Karp's wife, Marlene Ciampi, and toddler daughter, Lucy, stay in New York, but when the slimy district attorney throws a major pass, Marlene heads south. Oppressed by inactivity as a Washington "wife of," she volunteers to organize the evidence a Select Committee member has gathered to clear his late father of the spying allegations that forced him out of government after World War II. Inevitably, the two investigations intersect, and all the usual suspects--Mafia capos and soldiers, past and present CIA agents and assets, past and present Russian spies, and Lee Harvey Oswald--dance once more across the stage. Tanenbaum's edgy tone is a good fit for the unsettling questions the American people may never resolve about that sunny afternoon in Dallas. Expect requests. Mary Carroll --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“With Corruption of Blood, Tanenbaum is now the one to beat.” —Publishers Weekly

 

“Legal suspense like no one else—smart, fast-paced, Tanenbaum’s best yet.” —F. Lee Bailey

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Signet; First PB Edition edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451181964
• ISBN-13: 978-0451181961
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 3.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert K. Tanenbaum is one of the country's most successful trial lawyers -- he has never lost a felony case. He has been homicide bureau chief for the New York District Attorney's Office and deputy chief counsel to the congressional committee investigations into the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Most recently, he has taught Advanced Criminal Procedure atthe University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. His previous works include the novels Escape, Malice, Fury, Hoax, Resolved, Enemy Within, and Absolute Rage and two true-crime books, The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer and Badge of the Assassin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Kennedy, anyone?, November 12, 2001

By 

D. Rizzo (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Corruption of Blood (Paperback)

As someone typically fascinated with the Kennedy mystique, this book's subject matter (the Kennedy assassination) intrigued me, especially since in one hand, its author worked on the actual Kennedy investigation... and in the other, he's fluent and creative enough to have invented the mythical Butch Karp, prosecuter extraordinaire. Putting those hands together, we get this particular novel, which examines the assassination from a fictional historical perspective.

I gave the story only three stars because, after a while into it, the Kennedy thing gets kind of muddy. It's really hard to keep all the characters and their interrelations straight (considering that some are good guys, some are known bad guys, some are mysterious and seldom-seen bad guys, some are good guys masquerading as bad guys, most have several aliases, and none of them use first names), and the political double-speak gets hard for me to digest. However, the "answer" in this book as to who killed JFK is sufficiently intriguing and satisfying for conspiracy theorists... and sufficiently absurd in its genesis to satisfy those with less tolerance for flights of fancy.

Much more interesting to me in this book is the sub-plot concerning Butch's wife Marlene, who delves into an investigation of her own, which (as seems to happen regularly in Butch Karp novels) winds up dovetailing neatly with her husband's. This book also introduces readers to the Karp family dog, Sweetie, the rescued Neapolitan mastiff that grows into the treasured family pet who spends half of his time drooling on Karp family belongings -- and the other half as Marlene's partner in vigilantism.

I would recommend first checking out this book in a library for a good preview... and while it does begin tantalizingly, remember what I said about its foggy middle and end. However, if you've been a hard-core Butch Karp fan, this is a necessary, although not especially noteworthy, addition to your Karp collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical ,unsolved, murder of JFK, the President of USA, May 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Corruption of Blood (Hardcover)

I've read all of Richard K.Tannenbam's novels and always find it hard to wait for the next one to come on the market, (never soon enough for me). I've just started reading "Reckless Endangerment." Butch and Marlene are a great couple and Tannenbaum keeps their different personalities, ethnic bakground (cultures) alive. She's a crack-up and she's Italian. What more can I say! I hope they move out of the "loft" someday.

Corruption of Blood- JFK Assissination, was truly almost close to the truth, yet no conclusion. I guess we will never really know the connection between Oswald & Ruby and the real reason for killing JFK. And, did they (Dallas Doctors) remove and disect JFK's brain? If so? what could they expect to find. The whole investigation was and still is mind boggeling and very frustrating. The look-alike Oswald, was it him or his look-alike that killed JFK - why? Ruby, kills Oswald - why? After all these years, still not enough answers - a true mystery that probably will never ever be solved. This book kept me reading into the late hours at night to the wee hours of the morning. For anyone born just before or after 1963, and loves history, this book is packed with valuable information. And, what makes it even more interesting is that Tannenbaum himself was on the (Investigating) Select Committee on Assissinations. I will keep this book (read it again) along with the original "Life" magazine and other original articles published at the time of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's death, November 1963.

No-one can match Richard K.Tannebaum as a writer. He is defintely the very best.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Who Shot John?, April 16, 2002

By 

Roland E. Bressler (Coral Springs, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Corruption of Blood (Paperback)

This book takes a unique approach to the Kennedy conspiracy theories. Inserting Butch Karp and his wife into the investigation provides fans of this couple a new venue for their antics away from their usual crime-infested streets of New York City.

Knowing the author was involved in the investigation of the assassination of JFK, I was distracted by constantly attempting to determine which parts of the book were fact and which were fiction. The description of Congressional interference had to be factual. His conclusion on the assassination plot is probably as open to debate as any other theory.

Be prepared for a long list of characters with aliases and code names. Having some knowledge of the actual people involved helps keep these characters straight as you continue to read.

I liked the book, except I felt it should be about 100 pages longer. By the time I was half way through the book, I realized something was going to bring this story to a rapid close. I was a bit disappointed with the way the author wrapped up the story. Too many things explained themselves too easily and numerous situations were left unresolved. But, then again, I guess that can also be said about the Warren Report.