Vendetta

May 4, 2015
Robert Kennedy knew nothing of Jimmy Hoffa until 1956, when his investigations into organized crime as chief counsel for the U.S. Senate’s investigations subcommittee revealed that one of the mob’s many tendrils reached to the Teamsters union. Once Kennedy learned the extent of Hoffa’s influence (not to mention his power), he became obsessed with snaring his quarry. Neff (The Wrong Man) covers the ensuing cat-and-mouse game with aplomb and panache, detailing meetings with informants, exposing double agents, and sniffing out subterfuge. He sprinkles the book with colorful language that artfully evokes Hoffa, the swaggering tough guy, and Kennedy, the laser-focused lawman eager to make his mark, without turning them into caricatures. Hoffa comes across as a smart thug with a gift for intimidation, both in person and by proxy, while Kennedy, particularly after his brother’s assassination, is portrayed as a driven but exhausted runner determined to make it across the finish line. In lesser hands this could have devolved into a cheap pulp thriller, but Neff’s terrific incorporation of a multitude of personalities from both sides of the courtroom results in a page-turner that adds greater nuance and depth to both men’s legends.