Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive and exhaustive, but ???
Review: In "Crossfire," which is advertised as one of the sources for the Oliver Stone film "JFK," Jim Marrs presents what is undoubtedly the single most comprehensive description of all of the inconsistencies, coincidences, suspicious evidence, strange events, and hints of conspiracy that have surfaced in the 30+ years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In a reasonably literate and entertaining style, and with a nicely ordered organization, Marrs walks the reader through a wealth of detail. It would be difficult, I think, for any reader to come through a cover-to-cover reading of this book and not have doubts as to the validity of the single-gunman (Oswald, that is) conclusion of the Warren Commission. That same wealth of detail also undermines the conspiracy conclusion--along the way, Marrs implicates the CIA, the FBI, the Mafia, anti-Castro Cubans, the U.S. military, conservative political and economic interests, and others. A conspiracy involving all of these would be truly incomprehensible. One begins to wonder if Marrs couldn't find something to implicate Jacqueline Kennedy in the assassination if he only looked hard enough. One begins to wonder if he could find a conspiracy just about anywhere he cared to. In any case, if you're looking for the one book that will summarize just about every major aspect of JFK conspiracy theories, this is the one, just don't expect anything that would hold up in court.
Rating: 
Summary: Most comprehensive JFK ever!
Review: In college I had no life. So read every JFK assassination book there is and let me tell you this one is the best!Other good JFK books do first hand research and are good for hard facts, but 'Crossfire' puts the whole thing into perspective. It gives us the best comprehensive overview of what really happened. Marrs has lost much respect because after this book he went crazy and started talking about aliens and Egyptian cults. But don't let that scare you, this is before Marrs moved back to his home planet. It is a decisive look at ALL the assassination evidence. If you're new to the assassination theme then this is the book for you because it spells out everything in layman's terms. If you think Oswald killed JFK or are a Posnerphile then you'll love this book as well since it examines so many conspiracy theories you can try and debunk them all. If you've read other JFK books then this book may help you see the assassination in a whole new light. Marrs also has a great writing style.
Rating:
Summary: Epic
Review: In Crossfire Jim Marrs has produced a virtual encyclopaedia for the conspiracy minded. No theory is ignored however unusual or implausible, he investigates the involvement of the Mafia, the CIA, & the FBI, as well as putting individuals such as Lyndon Johnson under the microscope. His research is careful, if a little one sided, and his conclusions seem to have been arrived at through logical examination of the evidence, even if he has been selective with the evidence he chooses to examine. What he does best is ask questions, many of which we will have come across before, How did Oswald manage what no expert marksman has since? Why would Oswald have contracted Gonorrhoea in the line of duty? How is it that Oswald was able to speak fluent Russian, without the trace of an accent, if he taught himself from books? Why did more people originally feel that shots were fired from the grassy knoll than the depository? The list of such ponderables is too long to do justice to. Do not expect to follow a simple theory however, if you were to believe everything that is written about, and every avenue explored, you would arrive at the conclusion that almost everyone killed Kennedy, and that there were more assassins there that day than bystanders! Marrs leaves nothing out, and that is part of its charm. One criticism aired is that the Warren commission did not set out to find the actual assassin, rather to reassure everyone that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone , and that there was no conspiracy, they twisted evidence to suit their conclusion rather than objectively evaluating evidence. I am afraid this might just as well be a criticism of Crossfire. I am no expert in this area but I found it easy to find instances where Marrs had included evidence, which has been shown to be false. A case in point would be the letter allegedly written by Oswald to a Mr Hunt, Marrs captions this letter, reproduced within crossfire as a photograph, as having been proven to be in Oswald's handwriting. In truth experts agreed that whilst the handwriting seemed to be consistent with Oswalds he had seemingly spelt his own name wrong, and that the care taken to write this was suggestive of the fact that this was written to look like it was by Oswald! Marrs also paraphrases Ruby's request to be moved to Washington to make it appear as though he is afraid that he is in danger from other conspirators when in fact he actually asked to be moved to Washington to prove he was not part of any such conspiracy. Despite its obvious flaws, Marrs never questions the credibility of any pro conspiracy witness, but does more comprehensively question those who seemed to give evidence supporting the lone assassin theory. This remains an epic work which demands the reader form an opinion, and does much to put the case for the much maligned conspiracist. You may find that you begin to question whether you knew anything at all before you read this.
Rating:
Summary: Conspiracies Galore
Review: In this book, Jim Marrs tries to present the many theories about the assassination of President Kennedy, no matter how realistic or laughable. The book tries to cover its topic exhaustively, and gives you an idea of the full gamut of theories about the J.F.K. assassination. Probably the best statement to make about the book is what the author wrote at the beginning of his Preface: "Do not trust this book. In fact, when it comes to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, don't trust any one source or even the basic evidence and testimony..." Mr. Marrs begins the book by giving a wide variety of witness statements. Some of it is contradictory, some of it is very thoughtful, and some of it is plain ludicrous. While I found this section interesting, I found the fact that he gave equal weight to statements made shortly after the event as he did statements that weren't made until years - sometimes decades - after the assassination. The second part of the book outlines the possible suspects for the crime - giving their means, motives and opportunities. This was my favorite part of the book. Not only did he list the possible subjects (Oswald, USSR, Cuba, Mob, CIA, FBI, LBJ, Nixon, etc.) but he gave a brief history of the person or organization. I found it extremely fascinating to learn about the history of the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover, the formation of the Secret Service, how their powers evolved, etc. If I were reviewing the book on this section alone, it probably would have received 5 stars. The third section of the book discusses consequences and occurences after the assassination. These include the Warren Commission, Ruby killing Oswald, the irregularities around the autopsy records, the Garrison investigation, etc. This section was interesting and did create a lot of questions. The final section outlines the author, Jim Marrs, hypothesis about what really happened in Dealey Plaza that fateful day. As I'm sure Mr. Marrs realized, this section is sure to cause a lot of arguments. All in all, Mr. Marrs has created a very interesting and fairly well written book about the Kennedy assassination. He definitely is in the camp of the conspiracy theorists, but then most people who would read this book are probably also in that camp. I do have 2 significant problems with the book: 1) I don't feel that his conclusions presented at the end of the book are supported by the evidence that he provides within the book. 2) I don't agree with his reasoning for not footnoting within the text. Mr. Marrs states (in the introduction to the sources and notes section at the back of the book) that he did not want to footnote within the text, because he thought it would impede upon the flow of ideas. I did not find this statement until I was almost done with the book. I was very frustrated because there were a number of things that he mentioned in the book that I would like to have looked up the original source - unfortunately, it is very difficult to go back and find the items that I wanted to look up. If you are interested in the J.F.K. assassination, you will probably enjoy this book. However, keep in mind the author's own warning about trusting this book alone!
Rating: 
Summary: Not even written well.
Review: It has been proven that to write a Kennedy assassination book one does not need to have their facts straight (as this book does not). But it should be well written. While I could get my money back when I returned the book, I could not get back the time I wasted reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Marrs is nothing if not well named
Review: It is hard to believe a single word in this book, but it is never the less a great read. Marrs seems to search to the depths of the planet to find the one doctor or witness out of 100 that will agree with his "findings". If he hits a dead end, hey just make it up, why not? I have to give it a positive review because it is a great place to start for the junior conspiracy theorist in all of us. It is more or less a rehash of every other conspiracy book rolled into one. Read this, High Treason, and Posner's Case Closed and then decide for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: a good place to start
Review: Jim Marr's book is a virtual encyclopedia on the Kennedy assassination, and is a must read for anybody really interested in the assassination. He mentions most of the ideas that a concerned citizen might have in exploring the maze left by the debacle known as the Warren Commission. This book should be read by all concerned Americans looking for the truth behind the assassination.
Rating:
Summary: full of information, worth reading
Review: Jim Marrs clearly knows his subject, there can be no doubt about that. If I had to criticize his book it would be for the reasons below : a. the first couple of chapters try and convey too much eyewitness information all at once. b. Marrs presents various theories as to what really happened but he does not tell us what he believes happened The two above points aside, this is a compelling book that could almost definitely sway the most ardent Warren Commission fan. If I were you I would buy it!
Rating:
Summary: A comprehensive summary of the Kennedy assassination.
Review: Jim Marrs has explored every angle of the JFK assassination, and put it into this hefty volume. Not surprisingly, he concludes that the assassination of Kennedy was the result of a conspiracy, although he concedes that the plotters covered their tracks very well. The assumption is that the Federal government was in on it in some way, shape, or form, because of the obvious coverup taking place. A worthy read, and a valuable introduction to the JFK assassination
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!
Review: Jim Marrs presents one of the best books available on the assasination of JFK. This book is the perfect companion for Jim Garrison's great book "On The Trail Of The Assasins". Marrs and Garrison's books were the basis for the Oliver Stone movie "JFK". This book contains a ton of facts and evidence which points to Oswald being the "patsy" and that there was a definate conspiracy. From start to finish, Marrs keeps you on the edge of your seat and provides information that will have you thinking non stop throughout the book. I suggest you read this book, and then also check out Jim Garrison's "On The Trail Of The Assasins" for the COMPLETE story of what really happened that fateful day in Dallas. Also for more on Marrs and Garrison, check out the video "The JFK Assasination: The Jim Garrison Tapes" where Garrison and Marrs, along with Mark Lane and others present facts and information that leave no doubt about a conspiracy. This book is a MUST READ!
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