Before we get into the usual list of credits at the end of this volume, a few notes about what you have just read.
First of all, Who Killed Kennedy is a work of fiction. It is written in the style of a non-fiction conspiracy investigation book, but it is fiction, based upon the real facts of JFK's assassination and the fictional world of the long-running television series Doctor Who.
Secondly, I have tried to respect continuity while reconciling it with the events of real history that occurred during the time stream I have plotted. If you disagree with what I've done, then we disagree. I hope to have given readers a different perspective on the televised Doctor Who stories with which we are all, perhaps, too familiar. If you watch The Mind of Evil carefully, you might even spot James Stevens!
Thirdly, the matter of UNIT dating. It is impossible to join all the dots and come up with an equivalent to the Warren Commission's 'magic bullet' theory which satisfies all the inconsistencies of dates mentioned in broadcast episodes of Doctor Who. Forget it, it can't be done - God knows enough people have tried. So I've taken the best counsel I can and set the stories around the time they were broadcast.
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To claim this book as all my own work would be not so much a lie, as a falsehood of Elvis-like proportions, complete with sequin jumpsuit, big sideburns and a hankering for thrills, pills and hamburgers. So, eyes down for the obligatory long list of name dropping and debt settling...
Everyone at Virgin Publishing, for a start. It seems ironic that they tolerated my endless awful ideas cheerfully and finally commissioned me to write a novel filled from cover to cover with old monsters, old villains, and enough continuity to bloat a hot air balloon. Special mentions go to Rebecca for belief beyond patience and vice versa; Rebecca and Peter for the title and about half the plot; the erotic stylings of Kerri, the memory of Andy and the reality of Simon; and the woman on reception with the freckles [Tracey (Ed)] who sees me visit so often she probably thinks I'm on the staff at Virgin Publishing.
Everyone at the NZDWFC, for enthusiasm and encouragement - especially Paul for support, Jon for continuity, and Felicity for critiques.
Everyone at the Tavern, especially Alan and Percy for video tapes.
Editors and contributors to Doctor Who Magazine past and present, especially John Freeman: splendid fellows, all of them.
Endless other Doctor Who authors deserve a mention for their contributions, especially Andrew for the pre-credit sequence; Lance for the chronology, even if we do disagree wildly on UNIT dating; Kate for toleration at 04:00 Sydney time; Paul, Gareth and Andy for helpful hints; David for life after the invasion; Craig for Ashley Chapel; and the elusive Gary for the young man with the lisp and his blond friend with the tan.
Research is addictive and John F. Kennedy is the inspiration for thousands of volumes, so I now have a very full bookshelf. Special debt must be acknowledged to The Killing of a President by Robert J. Groden; JFK for Beginners by Errol Selkirk; The Day Kennedy was Shot by Jim Bishop (no relation); President Kennedy: Profile of Power by Richard Reeves; and Kennedy by Theodore C. Sorensen. (Special thanks to Aldo Fioravanti for hunting around the bookstores of Washington DC to find the Sorenson book.) Also The Last Brother: The Rise and Fall of Teddy Kennedy by Joe McGinniss for information about Chappaquiddick.
Inspirations for and influences upon this book are almost innumerable, but a few crucial catalysts must be named: Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross for their seminal comics mini-series Marvels; authors of conspiracy theory books and investigative journalism tomes everywhere, but particularly David Yallop for To the Ends of the Earth: The Hunt for the Jackal; and all the writers, directors, cast and crew of the dozens of Doctor Who television serials referenced, rewritten and remixed within. Without their work, this would not, could not exist.
Respect is due especially to Barry Letts for scaring the hell out of a small boy in New Zealand in the 1970s and Terrance Dicks, who almost single-handedly got a generation of television children to read books. The authors of the New and Missing Adventures of today are, almost without exception, the readers of Target Books in years gone by.
DEDICATION
To Robert McKee, whose story structure course lifted the scales from my eyes.
And to Alison, just because.
EBOOK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A massive thank you to Paul Scoones and Alden Bates for making this online eBook of Who Killed Kennedy happen. The copy editing proved a much bigger job than anyone expected and this whole endeavour has been a labour of love for all involved. Particular thanks are due to Paul for his patience in gently nudging me every Tuesday to hurry up and deliver the next chunk of comments.