Winter Kills
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The President, Timothy Kegan, is shot in Philadelphia at Hunt Plaza. The ensuing presidential commission condemns a lone gunman as the killer. Years later, Kegan's half-brother, Nick, witnesses the death-bed confession of a man claiming to have been part of the 'hit squad'. As the protagonist attempts to find the plotter(s), he encounters numerous groups and persons that could have led or been part of the conspiracy. One person is Lola Camonte, a hostess, lobbyist and fixer. She recounts the story of President Kegan asking her about appointing a member of organized crime to the Court of St. James. The character, Joe Diamond, is the fictional representation of Jack Ruby.
Condon's intriguing book attempts to show the numerous intertwined threads of the conspiracy, from the Mafia, Cuba, even possible domestic police connections. Only in the final act, in which Nick meets with the vicious and perverse fictional Joseph P. Kennedy 'father-figure', is the truth revealed with a twisted ending.
Movie treatment - Winter Kills (1979). Directed by William Richert.
Cast - Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins