There are events that affect our collective national psyche and we can clearly recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when such events took place. The assassination of John F. Kennedy was one such event. In his remarkable book The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence, author Gerald Blaine recounts his story and the story of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect the Kennedy family. He has compiled notes from interviews and journals from fellow agents into a vivid, detailed account of the weeks before and after the assassination. The story of these men is one of devotion to their duty and heroism. The intimate and caring relationships they develop with the Kennedy family are touching and heartbreaking, and the devastating toll the assassination took on their personal lives is staggering. The story of Clint Hill, Jackie Kennedy’s agent, is especially moving, and the description of the agent holding Caroline’s hand through the limousine window as the funeral cortege moves through Washington is gripping in its emotional intensity.

This is an amazing look at the men who tried to protect JFK and at how his assassination forever changed our country –a fascinating glimpse into the past.