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CAMELOT'S COUSIN: The Spy Who Betrayed Kennedy Kindle Edition

by David R. Stokes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 497 ratings
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When a Dad tries to dig a hole in his Northern Virginia yard to bury the remains of the family pet, he chances upon something buried years before—a mysterious briefcase. Its contents include a journal with cryptic writing. The father turns to his friend—and boss—Templeton Davis, a former Rhodes scholar and popular national radio talk show host, for help figuring out what he’s found.

They soon realize that they are in possession of materials that were hidden more than 60 years earlier by a notorious deep cover agent for the Soviet Union—Kim Philby. And buried with the materials were clues to a great secret—the identity of someone else, the most effective spy in the history of Cold War espionage.

Long a mere footnote in history, the story of this man’s treachery reaches the pinnacles of power and geopolitics. It's a story that begins just before the Second World War breaks out and reaches the depths of the Cold War that followed.

The trail leads to a picturesque town in Vermont, the streets of New York City, the corridors of power in Washington, DC—but most importantly, Oxford, England, where Davis realizes that the beautiful city of spires on the Thames was once also a city of spies.

The Oxford spies may never have reached the level of public notoriety of the Cambridge spies--but clearly the story had never been completely known—or told. And investigating British spies was a very dangerous mine of detail in which to dig, a fact borne out by a couple of suspicious deaths left in the wake of Templeton Davis’s travels.

Davis discovers that at the moment when the world came closest to unparalleled disaster, secrets were being betrayed at the highest levels. He would also come to understand that what he had learned connected to a time of great sorrow for mankind. This is ultimate Kennedy assassination conspiracy story.

At a crucial moment, Templeton Davis quickly develops a bond borne of necessity with a beautiful young woman from Russia—someone with her own secrets. And when what she knows is combined with what the famous broadcaster has learned, the two unlikely heroes find themselves in grave danger, yet poised to rock the world.

Camelot's Cousin is a skillfully crafted example of both espionage fiction and historical fiction. And it will leave the reader wondering if it could have really happened.
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  1. Print length
    323 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    January 10, 2014
  5. File size
    3426 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great story...tight and well grounded." -- Thomas Powers, author of "The Man Who Kept the Secrets: Richard Helms and the CIA"

"In this impeccably researched spy novel, a radio personality hunts forthe answer to one of the 20th century's biggest unsolved mysteries." - Kirkus Book Reviews

"Stokes has a good story and he tells it well. The narrative comesacross as conversational, which is a pleasant change from the businesslike detachment of most omniscient story tellers." -- Examiner.com

"This book has been the read of the year. Thanks for a truly fascinating and believable story." -- Amazon Customer Review

"A real page turner! Highly recommended for anyone into spy novels espionage and the history of the Cold War." -- Amazon Customer Review

"Couldn't wait to see what was happening on the next page. Would recommend to any lover of spy novels and adventure." -- From One of Nearly 300 Amazon Customer Reviews

From the Author

Check out my latest book featuring TEMPLETON DAVIS--it's called NOVEMBER SURPRISE. Available exclusively at Amazon. 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009F1GPFY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Critical Mass Books; 2nd edition (January 10, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 10, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3426 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 323 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 497 ratings

About the author

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David R. Stokes

David R. Stokes

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David R. Stokes is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, ghostwriter, broadcaster, and retired pastor.

His latest book, JFK'S GHOST: Kennedy, Sorensen, and the Making of Profiles in Courage, was released by Lyons Press (Rowman & Littlefield) June 1, 2021.

His earlier book, THE SHOOTING SALVATIONIST, appeared twice on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list in 2011. This story has been recently revised and republished with 30,000 words of new material.

David has also written screenplays based on two of his novels, CAMELOT'S COUSIN and JACK & DICK, and they are currently being represented for production in Hollywood.

Retired FBI Agent and Bestselling author, Bob Hamer, says, "David Stokes combines his meticulous research with a writing style which makes you feel as though you are that fly-on-the-wall witnessing history as it unfolds."

David grew up in the Detroit, Michigan area and has been an ordained minister for more than 45 years. Now retired from pastoral ministry, he writes full-time. David has been married to his wife, Karen, since 1976, and they have been blessed with three daughters--all now grown and with wonderful children of their own.

There are, in fact, seven grandchildren, a fact verified by hundreds--maybe thousands--of pictures, as well as an ever-growing collection of toys and gadgets joyously cluttering their home.

Visit David's website: http://www.davidrstokes.com

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
497 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

S. E. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Tell Me More!
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2014
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This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I would define it as "light espionage." The characters were well developed. The story was engaging. A measure of a good book, in my opinion, is one that you do not want to end. There are many tiny sub-plots that you want to see resolved, so you are enticed - purposely or not - by the author to dig further. That is exactly how I was left - wanting to know more. Mr. Stokes's inclusive bibliography added a lot to my personal to-be-read list. The factual historical references were eye opening and begging for follow through. I also appreciated that the book avoided lurid scenes and language.
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Donna
4.0 out of 5 stars Fact or Fiction?
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2014
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I downloaded this book to my Kindle some time ago. When I decided to read it now I couldn't remember anything about it. So I opened it and began reading. I couldn't decide if this was fiction or not, though I don't usually read non-fiction. It reads like a chronology of deciphering clues from a found suitcase of apparent spy stuff. I didn't recognize the name of the radio personality but I don't listen to talk radio so I thought perhaps he was a real person.

It's a well-written book, the story holds up well, for the most part, and the characters appear very real. It wasn't until I finished the entire book that I found the author's note at the end, proclaiming this book to be pure fiction! So now I know. But it still reads like a type of expose of Cold War spy tactics between the Soviet Union and the US. Interesting premise, interesting book. I recommend this to readers who enjoy a good spy thriller now and then.
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Bookworm Sandy
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Take on the JFK Assassination
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2019
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This is a tale of a Washington, D.C. radio talk-show host who stumbles onto new evidence in the JFK assassination. A satchel found buried in one of his sfaffer’s backyard leads to a whole new direction in this unresolved event. The clues lead hero Templeton Davis to cold-war era CIA agents and members of the British upper class who were recruited as Soviet moles in the 1930s, until their unmasking in the 1950s and ‘60s. By bringing this this lesser-known part of history into the present day, the author creates a modern fictional, but very plausible, explanation of Kennedy’s death through the machinations of the Soviets and their British moles. The current tense political climate between Russia and the U.S.and the desire of both sides to keep secrets from the past buried, makes for a very compelling read.
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PLG
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read for Fans of Spy-Fi and History Buffs alike!
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2014
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I got this book as a free download for my Kindle. Sometimes, as the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for", and the books lack something to be desired. However, this book turned out to be quite the page turner! It certainly has some on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments, but what impressed me the most was the amount of research that went into writing this book which was very apparent. While a work of fiction, you're almost tempted think the author has figured it out and solved the historical mystery surrounding President Kennedy as he crafts such a plausible hypothesis in his story. Filled with with a lot of historical facts, like a work by author Herman Wouk (but thankfully no where near as long), Cold War buffs will no doubt enjoy reading this book as much as I did!
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Roger P. Royer
4.0 out of 5 stars An espionage thriller indeed
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2013
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The book was very enjoyable and fun to read even if I did get a little bothered by the changing of the era's and main characters point of view as I think it happened a bit to often and could probably have been done in as more of a flash back instead of the route of visiting four different times and so many places. The action was good and the theory in the book is interesting if fictional and I would love to know who BUNNY really was.

I think that the book is well written and the characters are very interesting and come to life very well. I will say I would have liked to see more develop between the researcher and the young lady but who knows what will be in the next one right?
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Douglas Terry
5.0 out of 5 stars Almost Historical Fiction
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2014
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I did enjoy reading this book. And while it is about current investigation of espionage in the 1930's and later, there is a lot of history in the book. Most of the characters in the espionage part of the book were real historical figures. In much of the book, the chapters alternate between the past a d present and I thought it was handled well. And I thought he developed his characters well and presented a believable story. I'm something of a history buff and I learned things from this book by looking up characters and events presented in this book. It's a fairly long book and a great read. There was enough suspense that I looked for to finding out what happened but sort hated to see the book end.
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MichelleB
3.0 out of 5 stars Engaging story, could have done with a better edit
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2013
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Camelot's Cousin was a good tale, but with some flaws. It needed another going over by a tough editor for polish and a couple of issues.
First, there are characters who get CHAPTERS of description who have pretty much zilch bearing on the story i.e, the guy who finds the McGuffin and the pilot/bodyguard. A paragraph or two would have done. I'm sure the author worked really hard on those bits, but they slowed the story and I kept expecting the characters to reappear with a more exciting role. They did not.
Second, and more frustrating, the end pretty well fizzles. The action rises and rises and rises some more, then no real strong climactic event, just more of a wrap up. Maybe readers have been ruined by stories where nearly everyone dies and our hero crawls bleeding and triumphant from the rubble of mass destruction, but this just kind of went from building tension to happily ever after without anything significantly transformative happening to the hero himself.
I did like the plot and enjoyed the historical exposition, I wouldn't include that in the "too much description" category, it definitely gave me much needed context. All in all I'd call Camelot's Cousin a pretty good first novel and I look forward to the author writing even stronger efforts in the future.
2 people found this helpful
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Rookie Retiree
5.0 out of 5 stars you won’t be able to put this down
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2023
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A friend recommended this to me
and whilst the author insists it’s fiction, I wonder? Awesome read for all who enjoy political history and a well written mystery.
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Top reviews from other countries

Chripru
4.0 out of 5 stars easy to read
Reviewed in Germany on October 25, 2013
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I liked the book. It was easy to read. The protagonists are likeable and the story was thrilling though the Kennedy plot disappointed me at first a little bit.
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valwaring
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2013
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If you have a liking for Colin Forbes et al , or you enjoy books about espionage and conspiracy theories - you will simply love this one. I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction not fact - as the plot is interspersed with facts appertaining to the Cambridge Spies Philby , Maclean , Burgess and to a lesser extent Blunt. It has whetted my appetite to read more factual accounts of just what allegedly went on all those years ago and to try and determine just how much of what I have just read is factual and how much is fiction ! Fantastic well worth the read
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Judi
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in France on August 30, 2013
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Being a "child of the 60's" it gives a new twist on the usual government line on the Kennedy Assassination. I loved the book the author did a great job pulling facts together to make it believable. I love books that make you think.
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Sable
4.0 out of 5 stars The fifth man
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2013
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Interesting view on the subject. Perhaps rather unfair to malign someone who is dead when there is not sufficient real evidence.
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bosbex
5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh take on old theme
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2013
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I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The way the author took a well known factual situation from the past and gave it a contemporary update and fictional resolution was interesting. I found myself reaching for this book to fill all my downtime until I'd finished it.
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