Excellent look at the seamier aspects of the Kennedy administration. Hersh paints the portrait of a family compulsively getting itself into and out of trouble, all to try and gain more influence and push Kennedy into the presidency.

My only small quibble is Hersh's book uniformly casts everything as interpersonal grievances sans ideology. It makes for a compelling dishy story, but when you get to the Bay of Pigs it ends up blinding the book from asking if it was even a good idea. That's also the area where the book's sourcing becomes most apparent: mostly military guys, who in that case upset that Kennedy didn't dare to escalate the invasion. That said, I think Hersh's reportage comes off as pretty studiously fair — much as it did in The Samson Option — and it's hard to have any factual disagreements with the evidence he presents.