Customer Reviews

Oblivion: The Mystery of West Point Cadet Richard Cox

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book held my attention as I read it practically cover to cover. It is very interesting, albeit annoying at times as the author goes in great detail about numerous leads, only to have them ruled out a few pages later. I can see why the author did that -- to show the exhaustive work done by CID and FBI investigators, and also to give the reader a small, small taste of the incredible frustration these investigators must have felt at the time. The problem with the book is that it is highly anti-climatic. The researcher, Jacobs, did not "give up" (as some have implied), he basically solved the mystery it's farthest moral extent. I do recommend reading this book, as it shall hold your attention through and through, but be prepared to be disappointed with the anti-climatic end.

As a West Point graduate (1984) I often receive gifts from friends and family that reflect this association. This is how I came to have a copy of Oblivion in the first place. I had heard about this book being written, but as a cadet had never heard ANY stories like this at all. I got the impression after reading Oblivion that this is probably the way the Academy would prefer things to be.

The authors painstakingly detail the events leading up to Cadet Cox's disappearance. Their description of cadet life and the environment behind the grey granite walls at the academy is excellent. As one of the authors is himself a graduate, he had walked a mile or two in 'our' moccasins.

As a previous reviewer has mentioned, the ending could have been more detailed. I felt a little let down by the "well, and that's the end" way the book concluded.

Still a very interesting read. So interesting that I began at 1 am and closed it up tight by 6 am.

I've been interested in the Richard Cox mystery since I was very little and read about it in LIFE magazine in 1950 and then a few years later in CORONET. From time to time over the years I would research the topic hoping for new information. I'd almost given up until I came across this book , containing lots of details never before disclosed. Unfortunately, as mentioned in some of the above reviews, the proposed "solution" at the end is thoroughly unconvincing.

...and I wanted it to be good so badly! But, it just was not to be. This is a book about someone who did a lot of research and decided to publish every word of it, rather than just the pertinent information. It becomes irritating to continue to learn information about the subject, only to be told that it is all totally worthless. And, the end is anti-climactic. In the end, a diligent researcher accepts the word of a single source as fact. Doesn't seem like the same man. Perhaps he was just ready to retire. I suggest this would make a pretty good movie, but not a book.

This book first came to my attention after reading a book review in the Washington Post last fall. West Point cadet Richard Cox left the campus on the evening of January 14, 1950 to go to dinner with an unidentified visitor. He was never heard from again. Neither the military nor the FBI could solve the mystery of Cox's disappearance. Cox was declared dead seven years later. Harry J. Maihafer, a retired historian, took on the task of finding out what happened to Richard Cox after receiving a telephone call from a man identifying himself as a retired history teacher. This book is the result of Maihafer's investigation. Mr. Maihafer has written a story that rivals the best mystery fiction. I read this book in a weekend, unable to put it down. It is thoroughly researched and documented, convincing, and written in a manner that makes you anxious to find out how the stroy ends. I was a little disappointed that the ending was not more detailed, but circumstances did not permit it. If Mr. Maihafer pens another masterfully crafted tale of mystery, I will be the first in line to read it

I enjoyed the story; it is a very interesting subject. But too many leads and dead ends are thrown in, and the book becomes confusing and disjointed. Also, it ends with Robinson's story being accepted as the final word as to what "really" happened. How do we know we can take this man's word as gospel, any more than what anyone else said? How do we know it's not just another hoax or more speculation? Or, as the book suggests, was it merely an effort to get Jacobs off the case, for whatever the reason may be? I applaud Jacobs and his excellent, painstaking research. But I still don't think we have a definitive, reliable answer to this mystery. To be sure, the offered conclusion is plausible, but there remain too many questions left unanswered. A good yarn, but I remain unconvinced.

A friend of mine who is in his 70's told me about this case, recalling the Life magazine article about it in 1952. A bit of googling and voila: this book "Oblivion."
Other reviewers here well describe the book's good points - thorough researching of a fascinating mystery, and sometimes tiresome points - endless descriptions of leads and clues that go nowhere, but surely that is typical of most police work and obviously the author wished that the book be a complete record of the case. What is especially intriguing is how utterly exhaustive the search for Cox was.
I agree that the author's conclusion, based on the testimony of one man is unsatisfying and has implausible elements, but I certainly haven't a better explanation. Anything is possible. A main sticking point (this may be a spoiler) is the idea that someone from a close-knit family and with friends would choose to permanently sever all contact.
The original 1952 Life magazine article on Cox is online and contains the surprising information that even back in the early 50's, which most of us think of as such a "normal" time as compared to today, a million Americans disappeared every year (most were found).

As a graduate of West Point I had never heard of this case, of course the Academy covering things up is not unheard of. I also recommend another novel about West Point titled THE LINE by another graduate.

Read the last ten pages to learn the author's beliefs regarding this case. The rest of the book is mere filler with constant rehashing of "leads" and "clues." An interesting case, a terrible book.