Rating: 
Summary: GREAT IDEA...DOWNHILL FROM THERE!!
Review: What a great idea. To have someone find a tape of the Kennedy assassination that proves beyond a doubt that there was a gunman on the "grassy knoll". I bought this book eagerly expecting an interesting thriller. Was I disappointed! Like another reader, I gave it two stars, not one, on the interesting premise. Too bad it goes no further than that. After the great plot idea, the story goes downhill. The dad is dead, then he isn't, the only tape is stolen, then there is another copy, the good guy is bad, then he is good etc, etc. I had alot of unanswered questions too, why would a woman marry someone who took her tape and then called her a liar? Why and by whom was she murdered? None of this was answered as were many other questions I don't want to ask, should you still feel a need to read this book. Seems to me Mr. Frey wants to be another John Grisham, and unless he improves his style and tightens up his plot lines, it's not gonna happen. Don't waste your time on this dog.
Rating: 
Summary: Toothpicks and Library Paste
Review: What a stinker. I agree with a previous reviewer's point that every time Frey steps out of the financial genre, he stumbles. The finance side of this book, small though it is, is well-done. The rest is plain awful with one deus ex machina after another rescuing Cole. This thing is formulaic, and it's flat. It was probably knocked off in a couple of weekends. I'm a fan no longer.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise and not much more....
Review: What a terrific first two chapters!! How did the rest of the book go downhill -- or was it nowhere?-- so quickly? I'm a fan of all Frey's other books but I was majorly disappointed with "The Legacy." For the first time, I didn't find too much sympathetic about the flawed hero; the female characters are still cardboard; and DAMN IT! The entire chase around the tape was built around vague, neverly fully defined or explained motives. If you read this book thinking you're really going to get an interesting "what if" tale about the JFK assassination, forget it. Go read all twenty-some volumes of the Warren Report, they'll be just as gripping. On the other hand, if you thought John Grisham's "Pelican Brief" was a terrific book you'll be sure to like "The Legacy." Please try again, Mr. Frey, I really enjoyed your other work.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise and not much more....
Review: What a terrific first two chapters!! How did the rest of the book go downhill -- or was it nowhere?-- so quickly? I'm a fan of all Frey's other books but I was majorly disappointed with "The Legacy." For the first time, I didn't find too much sympathetic about the flawed hero; the female characters are still cardboard; and DAMN IT! The entire chase around the tape was built around vague, neverly fully defined or explained motives. If you read this book thinking you're really going to get an interesting "what if" tale about the JFK assassination, forget it. Go read all twenty-some volumes of the Warren Report, they'll be just as gripping. On the other hand, if you thought John Grisham's "Pelican Brief" was a terrific book you'll be sure to like "The Legacy." Please try again, Mr. Frey, I really enjoyed your other work.
Rating:
Summary: Tortured Dialog, Ludicrous Plot
Review: Whenever you open a novel, you know what you are reading isfiction. You sign a silent pact with the author to suspend yourdisbelief, to enter the world of the story.That only works if the author respects the readers enough to present a plausible story. It didn't happen, of course, it's fiction. But it could have... The basic weakness of this novel is that there are too many "out of the blue" plot twists. The reader feels jerked around, manipulated, and the story comes off as completly unbelievable. She's his friend...no wait, she's a government agent...no, wait, she works for the mafia...no, wait, she has a heart of gold. It's too much, even for someone who has signed that silent pact to suspend disbelief. The basic plot here is intriguing. As a JFK assasination buff, I was drawn into the story. But once inside, I found it far less than satisfying. END
Rating:
Summary: Too many convenient plot twists!
Review: Whenever you open a novel, you know what you are reading isfiction. You sign a silent pact with the author to suspend yourdisbelief, to enter the world of the story. That only works if the author respects the readers enough to present a plausible story. It didn't happen, of course, it's fiction. But it could have... The basic weakness of this novel is that there are too many "out of the blue" plot twists. The reader feels jerked around, manipulated, and the story comes off as completly unbelievable. She's his friend...no wait, she's a government agent...no, wait, she works for the mafia...no, wait, she has a heart of gold. It's too much, even for someone who has signed that silent pact to suspend disbelief. The basic plot here is intriguing. As a JFK assasination buff, I was drawn into the story. But once inside, I found it far less than satisfying. END
Rating: 
Summary: Historical thrillers are not Stephen Frey's strengths.
Review: Wow, was I surprised when I read this book. I was hoping for vintage Frey (financial thriller) but got nouveau Frey (historical thriller). His portrayal of a securities trader was interesting and well described. However, Frey should have concentrated on developing Cole's story and how his life was at the Wall Street firm. I always found Frey's characters to be intriguing and well written when it revolved around the business and finance world (which is Frey's background & expertise). I've been pleasantly entertained by his previous books when it dealt with the world of high finance. I've learned a lot from his other books which made them more interesting reading. I don't think Frey's target readers (the 20's through 40's Somethings) really care much about the JFK assassination. In my opinion, if the JFK assassination was replaced with a wall street twist, the book would have been as good-if not better, than "The Vulture Fund". I was expecting a classic Stephen Frey plot and was unfortunately disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining as well as interesting reading but not what I had anticipated from Mr. Frey. Hopefully his next book will bring us back to the cut throat-world of wall street finance. I can only hope.
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