Information-Loaded. Scattershot Execution.

Dr. William F. Pepper certainly worked hard to gather evidence, file affidavits, and depose witnesses in his crusade to posthumously exhonerate James Earl Ray for the MLK assassination. Each element to his proposed conspiracy (and there are dozens involved) is backed up with painstakingly-accumulated corroboration. The resultant contention is mindblowingly complicated: FBI, the Mafia, Memphis Police, Special Forces assassin teams, White Supremacists, the CIA, Government Officials (Local, State, and Federal), Army Intelligence, Emergency Room Physicians, the Media, etc - each with a backstory that Pepper explores.
Unfortunately, that leads to an avalanche of information - and the author isn't very good at organizing it into a cohesive argument. This book too often feels like a "plethora dump".. a technique lawyers sometimes use to confuse opposition and juries: basically vomiting out every conceivable factoid and daring them to pick out what's "true" and what is just thrown in there to confuse. I am frankly unsurprised that a jury - buried in "and then there's this" evidence - concluded that there was "more likely than not" something untoward going on. Prepare to be overwhelmed by a poorly collated literal PILE of contentions.

On the good side, reader Noah Michael Levine almost (almost) saves the book with his pitch-perfect narration. His evident understanding of the author's intention is revealed in an interested matter-of-fact pedagogical tone.. and he's backed up with exemplary technical support from Audible Studios Inc.
The attached PDF is likewise of high quality: including photographs (some in color), a Timeline of Civil Unrest in America, scanned documents, courtroom filings, and a full copy of Pepper's photoessay 'The Children Of Vietnam'.. the provocative anti-war piece that led to his meeting Dr. King.

Altogether, the book is absolutely packed with assertions. Every conceivable point refuting James Earl Ray's quickly withdrawn confession is presented in the book.. challenging readers to think. Yes, Pepper's scenario is often laughably unlikely... saying, for example - without a hint of irony - that hundreds of US Army and National Guard units all over the country were prepared for violence "after they were alerted that King was going to be killed" 😃 - but at least the thought exercise is fun.
If you can get it as a 'Plus' option, this 5.5/10-star audiobook is a reasonable distraction for a couple of quiet afternoons.. but should they ask for a Credit, spend it on some Mark Lane or something.

[Note: There are some pretty aggressive Left-Wing/Progressive +/- "Marxist" themes and leanings in this book. I actually found them pretty easy to ignore or incorporate - but if you have strong political feelings, this book may be hard to take. Some of the American Listener Reviews are genuinely *hilarious*]

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