Updated promo copy for the book cover of The Kennedy Connection

Half a century after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, someone is killing people on the streets of New York City and leaving behind a bizarre calling card of that tragic day in Dallas.

In this bold and entertaining thriller from a true media insider, discredited newspaper reporter Gil Malloy breaks the story of the link between seemingly unconnected murders – a Kennedy half dollar coin found at each of the crime scenes. At the same time, a man emerges who claims to be the secret son of Lee Harvey Oswald and says he has new evidence that Oswald was innocent of the JFK killing.

Malloy, who has fallen from grace at the New York Daily News and sees this as opportunity to redeem himself as an ace reporter, is certain there is a connection between the Oswald revelations and the NYC murders. But first he has to get someone to believe him.

Convinced that the answers go all the way back to the JFK assassination more than 50 years ago, Malloy soon uncovers long-buried secrets that put his own life in danger from powerful forces who fear he’s getting too close to the truth.

Two tales of suspense fuse into an edge-of-your-seat thriller as Malloy races to stop the killer – before it’s too late.

Just noticed that my old college buddy Joe Eszterhas - who went on to become the most famous (or infamous, depending how you felt about his work) screenwriter in Hollywood - has a book coming out at the same time as mine and from the same publisher. It's called Deliverance from Evil, about the three women in Cleveland held captive by Ariel Castro. It will be published by Atria on August 12 - the exact same publication date as my book from Atria, The Kennedy Connection. What are the odds of that? Haven't talked to Joe in  years, but I'm sure we never figured on anything like that when we were hanging out together at Ohio University in Athens back in the 60s. He moved back home to Cleveland after turning Hollywood upside down with scripts like Basic Instinct and Show Girls.

My author page on Facebook is now live....

Just a little more than six months now until THE KENNEDY CONNECTION is out. Then they'll be an ebook novella from Atria approximately six months later and a third book sometime in 2015. All featuring the same character, hard-driving New York Daily News reporter Gil Malloy. Gil is a brilliant reporter, but a bit flawed in some other areas of life. And no - for those of you ask - he's not based on any one in particular. I've met a lot of Gil Malloys over the years. More details on THE KENNEDY CONNECTION to come soon.

During all the media attention around the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, I came up with the idea of taking a look at five of the biggest conspiracy theories for NBCNews.com, where I work. Here's the first part of the series - focusing on the idea that it was really a mob hit by organized crime. That's the one that always made the most sense to me. It's Gil Malloy's operative theory too as he chases after murderers from 50 years ago and present day in THE KENNEDY CONNECTION.

I ran into someone I know at a restaurant in Princeton last night who said he'd just ordered a copy of LOVERBOY - an old thriller I wrote back in the 90s. About a serial killer in New York City who suddenly stops and disappears - then the killings start all over again years later. One of my favorites of the books I wrote back then. It even got optioned by Hollywood although (as is usually the case) no movie ever got made. Hope you enjoy the book, Nathan.

If you missed it in November, here are some fascinating interviews we did at NBC News for the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination....