I’d like to take a moment and explain my absence from contributing to “The Wild Geese.” I caught the bug. In my upcoming novel, “The Final-Word,” covering Kennedy’s assassination, I’m bringing SH over from England to resolve the century’s most intently studied, but as yet, unsolved murder. The world’s most famous detective would likely describe his task as assembling an extensive jigsaw puzzle. A puzzle missing many of the pieces — some by intent, others by sloppy police work. In addition, there are damaged pieces, mingled in by conspirators, some to cover their crime, others to protect the reputation of their agency. Finally, pieces which don’t belong were included for much the same reasons. Authors and investigators by the thousands have attempted to sort the pieces. At times, erroneously force-fitting many, so they’d agree with a preconceived bias. I’m working my butt off to present the most likely scenario or scenarios. Wish me well!

James Francis Smith, Author of The Irish-American Story