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A Sense of Perspective
Bathing With JFK follows a bored Houston lawyer whose youthful fascination with John F. Kennedy has left him longing for the kind of extraordinary, consequential life he imagines JFK led. What inspired the idea for this book, and where did Austin Grant first come from?
While much of the chaos captured in the book was manufactured, the bored lawyer/JFK-adoration parts were real. It is sort of where I was back then. When one is young, personal limitations that seem so self-evident in later years don’t even make a blip on the screen. Like Austin, in my 30s I was hoping for an escape of some sort, and starting Bathing With JFK seemed a potential exit route. Though, as is usually the case in life, it didn’t come to fruition until decades later, when I no longer needed an escape. Life.
The campaign in the novel is chaotic, excessive, and often ridiculous, but it also exposes how political campaigns actually operate. What aspects of political culture were you most interested in satirizing?
Primarily the difference between what a politician says in front of a camera and what they say behind it. I have known a few of them, and my advice is that if there is one you particularly look up to, avoid getting to know them.
Martin is one of the novel’s most loyal and compelling characters. What does Martin provide Austin that Austin cannot provide himself?
Martin provides Austin with a sense of perspective and a view of the future that is longer than the life of the present cocktail. I have had a friend much like Martin for over 50 years who, at appropriate junctures, has guided me and chided me. Austin’s clumsy expressions of love for his friend wrote themselves, as I’ve had many such feelings in my own life. (Although one of the inside, practical jokes of the book is that my real-life Martin was the one always meeting the girls while I stood around and for the most part watched.)
What does “living a big life” mean to you now, and has writing this novel changed your own understanding of what makes a life consequential?
Ironically, now in my 60s, living a big life means living a small one: fewer people, fewer events, fewer ambitions. As far as a consequential life, I’d go with surrounding yourself with the right people and seeing things, especially difficult things, through.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Austin Grant has spent his life chasing the next thrill—booze, women, and just enough lunacy to keep boredom at bay. A trial lawyer with charm to spare and a lack of discipline to match, he’s never had much use for purpose—until a grudge against a powerful state senator pushes him into a race he has no business running.
What begins as revenge quickly spirals into a chaotic, no-holds-barred campaign filled with missteps, imbecility, and moments of surprising brilliance. As Austin stumbles toward something resembling conviction, he’s forced to confront the wreckage of his choices—and the people he’s hurt along the way.
Set against the sharp-edged backdrop of Texas politics, this is a story of mindless ego, casual recklessness, and perhaps second chances—where winning the race may mean losing everything that matters.
Clear Narratives
In Death to Justice, you provide readers with an in-depth look at the evidence, investigations, and implications surrounding the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. What first drew you to write a book centered on this case?
It was when I was working on another project that I saw a lot of gaping inconsistencies and irregularities among the statements of witnesses to Lee Harvey Oswald’s shooting.
From there, very clear narratives that have largely been overlooked emerged, compelling me to write this book.
How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?
It took me 18 months – to compile all witness statements and evidence & write the book.
Did you find anything in your research that surprised you?
Yes, the media personnel that were present to witness the shooting had been completely overlooked – the 50/50 ratio of media personnel to police at the scene is startling.
What do you hope readers take away from Death to Justice?
To provide new insight into an aspect of the subject of President Kennedy’s assassination and make Oswald’s shooting a topic worthy of its own productive research.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
And despite the many works on that historic weekend ever since, very little research has been dedicated to the shocking murder of Lee Oswald. Instead, it has stood presumed as one of the more open-and-shut aspects of the horror of that weekend in 1963.
But as this book will prove – it is anything but.
DEATH TO JUSTICE is the first book to focus entirely on the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald. In doing so, it provides a never-before-seen deep dive into all aspects of the crime that includes:
Exposing the lengths of incompetence and culpability of the Dallas Police Department for Oswald’s slaying, providing the most definitive record of witnesses at the scene, highlighting a list of suspects, alongside Jack Ruby, that were involved in the shooting and its cover-up, and consolidating the evidence to establish a clear and complete scenario of how Oswald’s shooting most likely took place.
Through reasoned and critical analysis of all facets of the event, DEATH TO JUSTICE corrects the narrative and solidifies the case that Lee Harvey Oswald’s murder is worthy of its own field of research. From this point, what more can still be uncovered about the weekend that changed the course of the world?
Death to Justice: The Shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald
Paul Abbott’s Death to Justice dives deep into one of history’s most curious and often overlooked crimes: the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy. Abbott doesn’t merely recount events; he methodically examines the evidence, investigations, and implications of Oswald’s shooting, exposing cracks in the official narrative and shedding light on the wider web of conspiracies surrounding that fateful weekend in November 1963. The book oscillates between being a historical account and a sharp critique of the system that hastily closed the book on Oswald’s death without satisfying scrutiny.
Abbott’s attention to detail is astounding, especially when unpacking inconsistencies in witness testimonies and discrepancies in photographic evidence. The book delves into the peculiarities of Oswald’s movements, suggesting gaps in the official timeline that make it almost impossible for him to have acted alone or at all in the Kennedy assassination. This isn’t a book that just scratches the surface; it digs deep into police reports, forensic details, and the behavior of key players. The vivid descriptions and well-documented accounts create a scene that feels immediate and unnervingly real.
What I found most compelling were Abbott’s reflections on justice and accountability. He argues persuasively that Oswald’s murder, while captured live on television, was treated more like an inconvenient afterthought than a crime worthy of serious inquiry. The parallels he draws between public outrage over contemporary events like George Floyd’s death and the apathy following Oswald’s assassination are striking. These comparisons make the book feel not just relevant but urgent, pressing the reader to consider how historical blind spots shape public consciousness.
Death to Justice is a thought-provoking and painstakingly researched exploration of a case that has long lingered in the shadow of a greater tragedy. Abbott’s writing is clear, engaging, and at times outright damning. This book is perfect for history buffs, conspiracy theory enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys digging into unsolved mysteries. While it can feel dense, the payoff is undeniable for those willing to dive in. I would recommend it to anyone curious about the untold stories that history tends to bury.
Pages: 426 | ISBN : 978-1763725805
