Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides

This is a great book. It tells the story of James Earl Ray and the events leading up to and after the killing of Martin Luther King Jr. The story focuses on both individuals and the events leading up to the death. Ray is a compelling figure, compelling in that there was nothing remarkable about him in anyway. He was a petty criminal, a drifter who killed one of the great leaders of the twentieth century.

Sides is a great storyteller. First hearing about this book from Don Imus on his morning radio show Imus raved " that even knowing the truth about how it ends one wondered if Ray was going to get away." He almost did.

Portrayals of figures in the event from Coretta Scott King, Ralph Abernathy, Jesse Jackson( who comes off very badly indeed), J Edgar Hoover, to Ramsey Clark and LBJ add light to the history of this event.

This book enlightens in many ways not the least of which is the maddening thought that one person, one person of no great drive or ambition can change the course of history.