I have devoted countless hours to this subject, and I believe I can safely winnow down the books into these categories:


1. The Bible / Source Material - The Warren Commission. Whether you agree with its findings or not, it's the principal text which is either relied on by those in favour of the official story, or picked apart by those against it. No discussion around the Kennedy assassination can be had intelligently without a thorough understanding of the Warren Commission.


2. The Apologist Material - there are two books that stand head and shoulders above the rest: the first and best is Reclaiming History by Vincent Bugliosi. It is a mammoth, 1,500 page book which will take you the better part of a year to read in depth. But it pulls apart every strand of every conspiracy theory and looks at it in detail. If I had one criticism of the book, Bugliosi sometimes takes a sort of mocking, sardonic tone with some of the conspiracy theorists that is not necessary; it is a shame he didn't let the merit of his argument stand alone. If you don't have time to read all of Reclaiming History, a shorter version which covers much of the same material effectively is Case Closed by Gerald Posner.


3. The Sceptical books - the best one is Six Seconds in Dallas by Josiah Thompson. Even Victor Bugliosi compliments this book as "serious and scholarly". Thompson doesn't offer conspiracy theories, but tries to use physics to explain in his view why the official story is impossible. Having come out in 1966, this was on the scene long before everybody else jumped on the bandwagon. Best runner up is probably "The Plot To Kill the President" by Robert Blakey, the US attorney who was Chief Counsel on the US House Committee on Assassinations - it delves more into some of the more plausible theories (largely regarding LCN).


4. The Crackpot books - other than for entertainment, I wouldn't waste time with anything by Jim Marrs, Jesse Ventura, Dick Russell and so many other nuts. I've read them all so you don't have to, but if you must, go ahead. These crackpot books advance random theories without any source material whatsoever. They rely on coincidences and rumours. If you want to get inside the mind of a fame-seeking lunatic, the best crackpot book is "Me & Lee" by Judyth Vary Baker. Simply outrageous.


5. The background/context books - there are all sorts of interesting books that will go into the CIA, Lyndon Johnson, and help better explain the relationships between some of the key players - too many to touch on. One great one specifically about the events of the days leading up to, the day of and immediately after the assassination is "Five Days In November" by Clint Hill - the secret service agent who can famously be seen on the Zapruder film running behind the limo and jumping onto the trunk. Another good one is "The Day Kennedy Died" by Time Life.