I did not approach this book seeking another variation on the usual conspiracy theories, but rather as someone who felt dissatisfied with what appeared to be the amount of flimsy speculation out there concerning the assassination. I was hoping that Epstein's book might offer a perspective different to some of the other material which I had been exposed to.
It has to be remembered that Legend was first published in the late 1970s. Much more material, and multifarious theories, have emerged since then, but whether the investigation has "moved on" is a moot point. If anything, it could be argued the waters have simply become more muddied.
This book does not immerse itself in endless forensic analysis, but instead puts forward a plausible and persuasively argued view, which emerges almost organically, based on the outcome of research and interviews, and information already previously in the public domain. The examination of the extent of Oswald's connections with the KGB is particularly intriguing, as is the material concerning "the Cuban connection". Much of the contents deal with Oswald's formative years, and periods in the US Marines and in the Soviet Union, rather than directly with the events in Dallas in November 1963. All of this helps to create the big picture.
Legend reaches some tentative conclusions, but acknowledges that some questions remained unsolved at the time when it was written, with pieces of the jigsaw missing. Many of those questions may still not have been satisfactorily resolved, even in 2013.
This whole topic undergoes a "rebirth" every few years, it seems, with a new "consensus" emerging, often based on spurious reasoning or wishful thinking. Often this comes across as a case of over-complication for its own sake. This book, however, puts forth a believable and coherent set of arguments. The whole truth may never be known....
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