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Rating: 
Summary: History meets readability
Review: As a history buff and a person who just oogled over the entire impeachment process (and who lost several bets concerning its outcome) I was anxious to read the books on the subject as they came out. Over the next 50 years (If I live that long) I expect to read many from all viewpoints not to mention history textbooks, which I collect. I suspect that I won't enjoy any of them as much as I enjoyed this one. This book is more that just about a historical event. It is, much like Mr. Shippers SELLOUT a book about right vs wrong, about principle. Unlike Mr. Shippers effort (which I enjoyed) this book flows. We see Starr and his staff, going forward, dodging and weaving 'round the obsticles put in their path by the White House and their friends. The story winds and keeps even one who knows the story in anticipation. The climax of the book Starr's appearance before the judiciary invokes all of the Mr. Smith Goes to Washington images that a person like me who should be more jaded lives for. It is a powerful testament to doing what you believe is right. It works as history, it works as storytelling and it most important it works by displaying all that is right about this country in the midst of all that is wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: An Easy Read, but More Balance Needed
Review: As an avid reader of history, but only a now-and-then reader of journalistic commentary/history, I found many details of what happened and why, but few important new details. It was very easy to read, and considering the number of names of key people in the investigation, the authors did and excellent job of keeping us informed of who was who.My first complaint is that the Clinton/White House side was given only a small percentage of the coverage in the book with the remainder going to the Starr Investigation. Of course the book was about the Starr investigation first and foremost, but the White House motivations and actions were not well explained, only, I presume, because the authors did not have access to them. The details in the thinking and conclusions of the Starr side were good and complete--not so the other side. My second and final complaint is that the basic thesis of the book that Starr was naive and single-minded in his approach does not pass muster. Starr showed his adroit skills throughout the process, as well as some of his blunders. Making him out to be naive is to say that he was innocent to a fault--a virute taken to an extreme became his vice. Clinton's side was never given such a look--they were always portrayed as mean-spirited and near-unethical--in other words, bad from the get-go. Such overarching characterizations take away from the larger message of the book.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and Enlightening
Review: From the first time I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I wanted the inside story, something other than what the headlines told through the impeachment saga. This book fulfilled those expectations. As a stay at home mom, I had the time to give to watching the impeachment unfold. I took in as much information as I possibly could as it happened. Even so, there was information in this book that never reached the evening news or newspapers, so I found out some things I never knew before. Some have complained that this book gave more of the Independent Council's perspective rather than that of the White House. To those with such a complaint, I would say, note the title and cover of the book. It is about Ken Starr, not Bill Clinton. Naturally, his perspective is going to be more prominent than that of the White House. If that surprises you, I can't imagine why. Even though the book is about Ken Starr, it does not present him from a biased perspective, as near as I can gather. I am a conservative, so it is possible that I could have missed something, but it seemed to me well balanced. You got a clear picture of Starr (and other's in his office) for his strengths AND his weaknesses. You can't help but wonder if perhaps some of those flaws had not been a part of the story, maybe the outcome would have been different. It is a worthwhile read, for those who want to catch up with what happened in the Monica Lewinsky situation as well as those who soaked up every detail as it happened. There is new information there for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Kinda Disappointing
Review: I can't put my finger on it, but I was left with a dissatisfied feeling after reading this book. They do a fine job of telling what happened from Ken Starr's perspective, but too often I was overwhelmed by the minutae of what they were discussing. While far less polemical than the other takes on L'Affaire Lewinski, I just didn't get excited reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Power over truth
Review: So Bill Clinton had his men muscle poor Ken Starr who did a fabulous job exposing this infidel. Clinton was disbarred and impeached but still allowed to finish his term, hand out pardons to criminals, steal furniture from the white house and take the economy right down the toilet. I gues that saying about the golden rule: "the man with gold makes the rules" is very true. Another reason why I am glad that I am no longer a democrat. Or is that democ(rat).
Rating: 
Summary: Merely a disguised effort at advocacy
Review: This book is very well researched and tells a whole lot about the investigation of President Clinton. Ostensibly the point of view is very forgiving toward Starr & Co. and vilifies Clinton et al. However, amidst the entire righteous warrior vs power run amok blather, there are clear indications of the true nature of the investigation. After reading this book I am left with the sense that the lack of popularity of the OIC and Starr is completely justified. Here is a group of ego-driven individuals who have one thing in mind:"...get the guy." And now knowing that 200 FBI agents were assigned to this investigation at the very time al-Qaida terrorist cells were being formed, within the jurisdiction of the FBI, for the 9/11 attacks, I am very jaded about this investigation indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This smarmy little work of personal opinion, conjecture and gossip fits in neatly with its subject: independent counsel Kenneth Starr and the private lives of any human being that had any contact with President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary. Highly recommend wearing your gloves to keep the oil off your hands.
Rating:
Summary: Lewinsky scandal: the prosecutors' views
Review: Truth At Any Cost does not pretend to be evenhanded. Instead, co-authors Susan Schmidt and Michael Weisskopf examine the Lewinsky affair from the standpoint of those inside the Office of Independent Counsel. The result is a new perspective on an exhaustively covered scandal. This book dwells little on Whitewater and the other investigations that led to the appointment of Independent Counsel Ken Starr. The authors instead concentrate on the sexual scandal that led to Clinton's impeachment and how Starr and his subordinates responded. It would have been nice to know more about the men and women who investigated the president, but the focus is on personality rather than biography. The authors depict Starr in a much different light than the oft-demonized caricature that was spoon-fed the public. Again, it would have been nice to know more about Starr's background, but the concentration is on his character. Starr is presented here as a conscientious but politically naive lawyer better suited to the bench than to the OIC. Although relatively brief, the book drags a bit but picks up steam in the latter chapters as the independent counsel gathers and compiles evidence against the president. A few new revelations emerge along the way. Among them is Hillary Clinton's central role in the defense of her husband and in the counteroffensive against his opponents. This book is worth reading just to see why, as well as how, the prosecutors pursued this case so vigorously. Their motivations often run counter to the stereotypes floated at the time, and this makes for a new spin on an old story.
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