Reckless

Jeff Harding’s narration is the secret weapon of this audiobook. His voice has the kind of grizzled charisma you’d expect from a retired cop sharing war stories over whiskey, and he leans into the material’s dark humor without ever undermining its gravity. The way he handles Rothmiller’s sharp, no-nonsense prose makes complex details—like the Secret Service’s internal cover-ups or Hoover’s blackmail files—feel like a gripping thriller rather than a dry historical exposé. That said, the pacing occasionally stumbles in the middle third, where Rothmiller veers into dense bureaucratic minutiae. It’s not enough to derail the book, but a tighter edit might’ve spared listeners the occasional snooze-fest. The standout moments, though, are brutal: Harding’s delivery of a 1963 Secret Service memo detailing Kennedy’s reckless insistence on open-top limo rides in Dallas sends a chill down your spine, even if you’ve heard the conspiracy theories a thousand times. The production quality is top-notch, with zero distracting artifacts, leaving only the weight of the story to linger. If you’re looking for a Kennedy tell-all that doesn’t tiptoe around the ugly truths, this is it—but be prepared for a bumpy ride through the muck.