Shadow Play: The Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, the Trial of Sirhan Sirhan, and the Failure of American Justice [Hardcover]

William Klaber (Author), Philip H. Melanson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

Two authors revisit the death of Robert F. Kennedy, raising questions about ignored witness accounts, coerced testimony, bullet hole evidence and other issues and ultimately suggesting that the man convicted of the assassination may not have acted alone. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Investigative journalist Klaber and Melanson, curator of the Kennedy Assassination Archives at the University of Massachusetts, spent six years researching the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. They conclude that Sirhan "may" not have acted alone, that his gun "may" not have killed Kennedy, and that the police investigation and Sirhan's courtroom defense were flawed. Since almost 30 years have passed, the authors can only speculate about certain aspects of the case, but they successfully document problems with the police investigation and the handling of Sirhan's defense. The case generates many intriguing questions about the crime's bizarre aspects, such as Sirhan's insistence that he acted alone but failure to remember the shooting. Similar studies (Robert. Kaiser's R.F.K. Must Die!, LJ 12/1/70; William Turner's The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, LJ 7/78; and anticonspiracy theorist Dan Moldea's The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy, LJ 6/1/95) also argue that the police and the court were lax. Recommended for academic and public libraries.?Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Investigative journalist Klaber and political scientist Melanson, curator of the Kennedy Assassination Archives at the University of Massachusetts, reopen the RFK assassination in an exhaustive and intriguing study. Klaber and Melanson tell the story of the police investigation (Sirhan Sirhan, eventually convicted of the murder, was taken into custody immediately), the trial, and the 20-year battle with the LAPD over crucial files that seem to have disappeared, as have the only photographs of the shooting by a supposedly lone gunman, which took place at L.A.'s Ambassador Hotel on June 4, 1968, at a celebration of Kennedy's victory that day in the California primary. The authors show that the police investigation and the trial glossed over key pieces of evidence, such as the reported hurried departure of a mysterious couple from the hotel moments after the shooting (reported by a respected police investigator), the testimony of several witnesses that Sirhan was accompanied by an attractive woman in a polka-dot dress, and substantial ballistic evidence that some of the shots fired did not come from Sirhan's gun. The authors point out that both the prosecution and the defense in the trial raised significant questions about whether the ballistic exhibits were properly preserved. Ending with a narrative of a 1993 interview with Sirhan in prison--in which he reiterates his admission of guilt, his denial that he worked with anyone, his motive, and his courtroom contention that he had only hazy memories of the events leading to the assassination and no actual memory of the shooting itself. The authors draw no conclusions from their account, other than that neither the investigation nor the trial have adequately explained the assassination. An eye-opening review of the evidentiary discrepancies that are possible in a celebrated criminal case, even one with over 70 witnesses and an admission of guilt by the accused. (8 pages illustrations, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 355 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312153988
• ISBN-13: 978-0312153984
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,306,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars READ THIS BOOK. YOU'LL LOVE IT!, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadow Play: The Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, the Trial of Sirhan Sirhan, and the Failure of American Justice (Hardcover)

I thought this book was a great read. Not only was the book educational, it was also a very entertaining read. I dont think I have ever read such an entertaining non-fiction book in my life. The book realy tells it how it is. It lets you know the facts about how crooked our justice system is, and how powerful our government is. I would like to say "Thank you" to Mr. Klaber for writing such an enlightening book. I would now, after reading this book, rate Klaber up there with the other great writers of our time. This book is a must read, five star acomplishment, and possibly one of the best books I have ever read.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, May 4, 2000

By 

Laura (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Play: The Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, the Trial of Sirhan Sirhan, and the Failure of American Justice (Hardcover)

I literally tore through this book. I couldn't put it down. Fascinating and frustrating with regards to the failure of the justice system.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, but not what I'd expected, July 25, 2007

By 

Donald Gow (Glen Burnie, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Play: The Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, the Trial of Sirhan Sirhan, and the Failure of American Justice (Hardcover)

Mr. Klaber's book is well-written, engrossing, and thought-provoking. At its core, however, it is less about what the common reader thinks of as the "case" of the RFK murder than it is centered strongly on the legal proceedings themselves. He brings out tantalizing bits of evidence, but does not follow any of them to their end points. In the end, while being more fully aware of the possibility of Sirhan's innocence, the reader has little to go on in terms of discovering the real perpetrator(s) or the second gunman.