BOOKS BY LEW PAPER
LEGACY OF LIES: An Historical Thriller
(Publication date: March 18, 2025)
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Legacy of Lies commences with a startling premise: What if a former FBI special agent-turned private investigator had been hired to trail Hoffa in the summer of 1975 and saw him get in a car with three other men, all of whom the investigator knew from his prior experience with the FBI? Would that investigator report what he knew to the FBI when he later learned Hoffa had been abducted – knowing full well the Mafia’s long history of eliminating witnesses to its crimes?
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And so begins Legacy of Lies. Sam Silver, the former FBI special agent, is that investigator. But he is reluctant to contact the FBI. His only child, a high school student, just lost his mother (and Silver’s wife) to cancer, and Sam cannot bear the thought of leaving his son without any parent.
Fast forward eleven years. Sam’s son, now a young lawyer in Washington, DC, embarks on an odyssey to determine whether his father’s untimely death on a sailboat ten years earlier was, as the coroner determined, an accident. Or was it something more sinister?
In a story filled with unexpected twists and turns, Legacy of Lies brings into focus the forces surrounding Hoffa’s disappearance – Bobby Kennedy’s vendetta against Hoffa when he was Attorney General, President Richard Nixon’s bid for re-election in 1972, and, last but not least, the Mafia.
Praise for Legacy of Lies
​“An intriguing read that revolves around Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance.”
– Joseph D. Pistone, former FBI Special Agent and author of The New York Times best-selling book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia
​"Lew Paper, a seasoned historian and acclaimed author, delves into the intricate tapestry of espionage and deceit with his latest masterpiece: Legacy of Lies. Drawing from his expertise in uncovering the hidden truths behind little-known history, Paper weaves together a gripping narrative that navigates the shadowy corridors of international espionage. Combining a knack for storytelling and meticulous research, he brings to life a world where loyalties are tested and secrets lurk behind every corner. Legacy of Lies promises the reader a thrilling journey through a web of deception, where the stakes are high and the so-called truth is a precious and rare commodity. Prepare to be captivated, as Paper masterfully blends a trifecta of suspense, intrigue, and historical insight."
– Amanda M. Fairbanks, author of the best-selling The Lost Boys of Montauk: The True Story of the Wind Blown, Four Men Who Vanished at Sea, and the Survivors They Left Behind
“Paper shows his knowledge of the germane historical material in an impressive manner; in order to creatively reimagine the details behind Hoffa’s mysterious disappearance, he thoroughly establishes his command of the known facts. [T]he novel offers an engaging look into the world of organized crime over the course of a genuinely unpredictable story. . .”
– Kirkus Reviews
“With craftsmanship and style, Lew Paper invites readers to join a fascinating historical journey, filled with suspense, including the mysteries that still swirl around Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance.”
– Ted Widmer, author of the critically-acclaimed Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington, and Editor, Listening In: The Secret White House Recordings of John F. Kennedy
"Lew Paper’s longtime interest in the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, coupled with his writing and reporting, has resulted in a fabulous historical thriller that takes us on a journey of “what-ifs’’ leading up to and beyond the time in July 1975 when Hoffa was picked up in a restaurant parking lot and never seen again. His disappearance has sparked numerous theories, conspiracies, investigations – none of which has ever provided a definitive answer. Lew’s Legacy of Lies explores what might have happened in a fun and entertaining read."
– Bob Harig, Sports Illustrated, author of Drive: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods, and Tiger and Phil: Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry
Jimmy Hoffa, 1965.
IN THE CAULDRON: Terror, Tension, and the American Ambassador's Struggle to Avoid Pearl Harbor
(Regnery History 2019)
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This is not just another book about Pearl Harbor. It is the story of Joseph Grew, America’s ambassador to Japan, and his frantic effort in the months before the Pearl Harbor attack to orchestrate an agreement between Japan and the United States to avoid the war he saw coming. When he realized that effort would fail, Grew tried to warn President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Japan was prepared to launch a "suicidal" war against the United States.
It is a story filled with hope and heartache, with complex and fascinating characters, and with a drama befitting the momentous decisions at stake. And more than that, it is a story that has never been told.
In the Cauldron reads like a novel, but it is based on fact. And it is sure to raise questions whether the Pearl Harbor attack could have been avoided.
Ambassador Joseph Grew with Japanese leaders before the Pearl Harbor attack.
Praise for In the Cauldron
​“The underbrush through which Mr. Paper cuts his way . . . would be challenging for any writer. But Mr. Paper, with an eye for character and an easy narrative style, manages to keep his subject interesting. . . . And even though we know how it’s all going to end, Mr. Paper manages to add a measure of suspense to his narrative — a tribute to his abilities as a writer.”
— Washington Times
​“In the Cauldron tells one of the great overlooked stories of World War II. Lew Paper delivers a riveting tale with deep research and compelling prose.”
– Jonathan Eig, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of King: A Life, and The New York Times best-seller Ali: A Life
“Lew Paper’s In the Cauldron is simply the best treatment of Ambassador Joseph Grew and the run-up to the Pacific War. Engaging writing and thorough research make the book a must read for both the historian and the general audience.”
– Sidney Pash, author of The Currents of War: A New History of American-Japanese Relations, 1899-1941
“Lew Paper's In the Cauldron is a compelling narrative of events leading up to Pearl Harbor. Even though we know the end, the book is hard to put down. Being a US ambassador is a tremendous privilege but can be very challenging. Read this book and you will see why.”
– Mark Gitenstein, Former Ambassador to Romania
“Lew Paper has produced the gripping story of Joseph Grew, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, as he fervently worked to prevent war between the United States and Japan. While Grew is the center of the story, Paper also brings to life the array of Japanese and American leaders with whom he interacted. The book is incisive and vividly portrays the different perspectives and pressures which confronted these decision-makers.”
– Ira Shapiro, former U.S. trade negotiator with Japan, and author of The Last Great Senate: Courage and Statesmanship in Times of Crisis and Broken: Can the Senate Save Itself and the Country?
“A lucid and engaging narrative of misguided US-Japanese diplomatic negotiations. The writing is smooth and easy to read. This is a book that should be read by a wide audience.”
– Noriko Kawamura, author of Emperor Hirohito and the Pacific War
“Just when we think we understand all there is to know about Pearl Harbor, along comes Lew Paper with a riveting and superbly researched tale of the American ambassador to Japan, Joseph Grew, struggling to get word to Washington that an attack could be near. Telegrams of deceit, deception and delay speed back-and-forth across the Pacific during the final months before December 7, 1941. Even though we know the outcome, the reader feels the suspense and tension and cheers on the determined Grew to get through before the bombs drop.”
– Richard Moe, author of Roosevelt’s Second Act: The Election of 1940 and the Politics of War
“Suffused with the atmosphere of Japan on the eve of World War II, In the Cauldron shines new light on a once murky episode. Through the eyes and words of Joseph Grew, Washington’s Ambassador to Japan, Lew Paper has produced an insightful account of the diplomatic standoff that preceded the attack on Pearl Harbor. . . . In the Cauldron is a first-rate addition to the history of the period.”
– Anthony Summers & Robbyn Swan, Pulitzer Prize finalists and the authors of A Matter of Honor: Pearl Harbor: Betrayal, Blame, and a Family's Quest for Justice
“While reading In the Cauldron you will feel as though you are reading a novel, but this book is based on fact. This is the story of America's ambassador to Japan, Joseph Grew, and how he spent months in a desperate effort to arrange an agreement between the United States and Japan to avoid a war. . . . This story has never been told, till now.”
– Veterans Today
“Lew Paper's stated objective in writing this book is to tell the story of U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Joseph Grew's attempts to prevent his country and Japan from slipping into a war which neither side ostensibly wanted. And the author does this very well, writing in a fluid, easy to read manner. . . . [A] must read for those interested in the question of who knew what, who did what, and when, on the eve of Pearl Harbor.”
– Edward Ward, Waterstones Piccadilly Bookshop
PERFECT: Don Larsen's Miraculous World Series Game and the Men Who Made it Happen
(New American Library 2009, NAL Paperback 2010)
Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers remains the only no-hit game in World Series history and was described by The New York Times as “the greatest moment” in World Series history.
Drawing upon oral histories, contemporaneous articles, and dozens of interviews with commentators and players (including all of the surviving players for the Dodgers and Yankees), Lew Paper brings that extraordinary event to life with a pitch-by-pitch narrative that incorporates profiles of the 19 players who were on the field that day, including Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, and Roy Campanella. You will understand their backgrounds, their hopes, and their heartaches – and, most important, share the incredible tension they experienced on that unforgettable day in Yankee Stadium.
More than just a story about a single game, Perfect is a window into baseball’s glorious past.​
Praise for Perfect
“A home run.”
– Associated Press
“If you want to live inside the most famous statistical afternoon in baseball history, Perfect is . . . well, let's just say 'ideal.'”
– Chuck Klosterman, Esquire
“The author has succeeded in getting under the skin of the players, juxtaposing their stories with key moments.”
– Wall Street Journal
“One of the best books of 2009.”
– Washington Post
“This gem of a story brilliantly recreates one of the greatest moments in baseball history by interweaving the intense drama of the game with superb portraits of the key players who shared in the historic moment. Perfect captures our hearts as it carries us back to the golden age of baseball and the more innocent world of the 1950s. Though it was a sad day for me as a Dodger fan, I am now mature enough to read and savor this wonderful account.”
– Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt — the Home Front in World War II, and Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir
“If you think you know all there is to know about Don Larsen’s perfect game, think again. In Perfect, the true story of that historic game and the men who played it is revealed in all its imperfect glory. The Dodgers couldn’t come through against Larsen, but with this charming, meticulously researched book, Lew Paper has connected for a resounding hit.”
– Jonathan Eig, The New York Times best-selling author of The Luckiest Man: The Life and Times of Lou Gehrig, and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season
“Lew Paper does something more than give you fresh details about Don Larsen’s perfect game. He uses the game as a backdrop to tell you about the players who were there, and by the end of the book you will know each of them as a friend. Special game . . . . Special players. . . . Special book . . . . I couldn’t put it down, and neither will you.”
– Joe Garagiola, former Major League baseball player, Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster, and author of Baseball is a Funny Game
“It’s an extraordinary book with a startling approach. A fascinating pitch-by-pitch detail of the most famous game in World Series history with individual bios of the nineteen players in the game that give a penetrating picture of what major-league baseball and major-league baseball players were like in the game’s great Golden Age, the glorious middle of the Twentieth Century.”
– Robert W. Creamer, author of Babe: The Legend Comes to Life and Stengel: His Life and Times
“So you think you know everything about Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series . . . . not until you have read Lew Paper's classic.”
– Tim McCarver, former Major League Catcher and Fox Sports Broadcaster
“Lew Paper masterfully captures the thoughts of ‘Gooney Bird,’ the supporting cast of players, and Don Larsen ‘s World Series masterpiece. Perfect jumps out from that Fall afternoon in Yankee Stadium to you in your comfy old rocking chair. It's real life. Whatta writer!”
– Tony Kubek, former New York Yankee shortstop (1957-65), NBC Broadcaster, and co-author of Sixty-One
“A terrific book. Don Larsen’s perfect game was one of those once-in-a-lifetime events for those of us lucky enough to witness it. Lew Paper takes us behind the scenes and allows us to get to know all the participants.”
– Peter Golenbock, author of Dynasty: The New York Yankees 1949-1964 and Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers
“A memorable book about baseball's most memorable game and the men who played it.”
– Michael Shapiro, author of Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball from Itself and The Last Good Season: Brooklyn, the Dodgers, and Their Final Penant Race Together
Lew with Yogi Berra and Don Larsen on Tim McCarver’s syndicated television show in September 2009.
EMPIRE: William S. Paley and the Making of CBS
(St. Martin's Press hardback 1987, St. Martin's Press paperback 1988)
This is the first biography to provide a detailed exploration of how Bill Paley took a fledgling radio network in 1927and built it into one of the major media empires of the twentieth century. Lew Paper relies upon a variety of primary source materials, including interviews with existing and former CBS employees (including legendary CBS President Frank Stanton and ousted CEO Tom Wyman), reporters and other obervers (like David Halberstam), former CBS entertainers (like Jackie Gleason and George Burns), Paley's former wife, and Paley himself. Paper explains how Paley used his considerable family wealth, talent often developed on the rival NBC network, and business ingenuity in a single-minded effort to maneuver CBS into a powerhouse position – often without regard to the consequences to his employees and his own family. It is the insightful story of a paradoxical man whose ultimate goal was to enjoy life to the fullest.
Praise for Empire: William S. Paley and The Making of CBS
“Paper's book is an anecdotal delight and a starter kit for understanding the American phenomenon that is television”
– Chicago Tribune
“. . . the most penetrating biographical look thus far at a complex man whose CBS boots are still firmly on.”
– Washington Post
“. . . Paper’s mix of broadcast history and anecdotal style serves to flesh out a story of power, ambition, and influence."
– Duluth News-Tribune & Herald
“. . . straightforward and compelling . . . ”
– Los Angeles Times
“. . . a rather fascinating account of the CBS Chairman’s life and times.”
– Booklist
“ . . . you’ve gotta read the book . . . ”
– Toledo Blade
“. . . an extraordinary and first-rate study of the exercise of power.”
– Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star
“Paper . . . writes with balance and good taste, as well as with a sharp ear for anecdote.”
– Palm Beach Life
“Balanced, well-researched, and highly readable . . . . This deserves a high place among the essential books on TV.”
– Publishers' Weekly
Recipient of the Frank Luther Mott-Kappa Tau Alpha Award from the School of Journalism of the University of Missouri
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BRANDEIS: An Intimate Biography of One of America's Truly Great Supreme Court Justices
(Prentice-Hall hardback 1983, Citadel paperback 1986)
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This is the first biography of former Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis to provide insight into the man behind the legend. Lew Paper draws upon sources that had previously remained unavailable to Brandeis biographers: the newly-released letters and other papers of his daughter Susan, interviews with all of his surviving law clerks, and interviews with family members, including his daughter Elizabeth and his grandchildren. The portrait that emerges is surprising and uplifing — a man with many idiosyncracies (Brandeis hated cars), he had an abiding faith in man's ability to control his destiny and a sensitivity (reflected in his response to his wife's nervous breakdown) that belied the image of the hard-nosed "People's Lawyer" which he had nurtured over many years through his law practice in Boston.
Praise for Brandeis
“A comprehensive triumph of interpretive scholarship . . . . a landmark contribution to the oral history of this century.”
– Los Angeles Times
“Urbane in style and solid in content, it offers not only superb history but classic biography.”
– St. Louis Post Dispatch
“A tour de force of what judicial biography should really be.”
– American Bar Association Journal
“ . . . Paper delivers a story so intimate that the reader begins to feel like a Peeping Tom.”
– Cleveland Plain Dealer
“ . . . comprehensive and readable. It should be the definitive work on Brandeis for many years to come.”
– Sunday (Newark) Star Ledger
“. . . readable . . . Paper successfully walks a difficult path in providing enough details about legal issues to satisfy legally trained readers while writing in language that is understandable to non-lawyers.”
– Portland Oregonian
“. . . this well-told life of jurist Brandeis takes pains to show the whole man, both public and private . . .”
– Publishers Weekly
“Paper’s work deserves full tribute for an admirable combination of objectivity and scholarship, leavened with an appropriate sense of irony.”
– Sunday Peninsula Herald
“Paper’s central accomplishment is the respectful, non-debunking humanization of a great American.”
– Los Angeles Daily Journal
“. . . an authoritative and readable biography . . .”
– Sunday Knoxville News-Sentinel
“ . . . it will be a very long time before someone writes a more concise and consistently interesting biography of ‘the people’s attorney’ . . . ”
– Constitutional Commentary
JOHN F. KENNEDY: The Promise and the Performance
Foreword by James MacGregor Burns
Introduction by U.S. Senator Bill Bradley (paperback edition only)
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(Crown hardback 1975, Da Capo paperback 1980)
Relying on criteria developed from an analysis of twentieth century presidents, Lew Paper evaluates John Kennedy's presidency – and, more specifically, whether his performance in the White House matched the promise he brought to the office in 1961. To support his evaluation, Paper draws upon oral histories and documents made available by the John F. Kennedy Library, material from other libraries around the country, and interviews with reporters, observers, and former administration officials, including Ben Bradlee from The Washington Post, James Reston from The New York Times, and White House advisors like Mike Feldman, Lee White, and Arthur Shlesinger. The analysis provides a new perspective on the major events of the Kennedy era – including the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Steel crisis, the Test Ban Treaty with Russia, the civil rights struggles, and of course the war in Vietnam. The hardback book includes a Foreword from the renonwed historian James MacGregor Burns, and the paperback edition includes a Special Foreword from Senator Bill Bradley.
Praise for John F. Kennedy: The Promise and the Performance
“An excellent piece of scholarship and one of the most useful works on JFK.”
– Tom Wicker, New York Times
“This interesting book sets John Kennedy in the framework of our great expectations of past Presidents, their fulfillment of those hopes and their tragic failures.”
– Anthony Lewis, New York Times
“Paper has chartered some much-needed fresh thinking on President Kennedy . . ."
– CBS Radio
One of the “more thoughtful of the current reappraisals . . .”
– Newsweek
“Paper has succeeded, his reward for years of painstaking research and thought and, not incidentally, his good writing . . . . a fine addition to the history of our times.”
– Hartford Courant
“ . . . a new and different kind of ‘Kennedy book’ that is well worth reading. . .”
– Sunday (Newark) Star-Ledger
“Paper delivers. This is a balanced study of a pragmatist who seldom allowed his political progress to be burdened by the excess baggage of ideology.”
– National Review
“. . . an intriguing analysis of the intricacies of presidential leadership.”
– Chattanooga News-Free Press
“The great merit of Lew Paper’s work is to put the Kennedy presidency into both an historical and political framework.”
– James MacGregor Burns
“For thoughtful Americans, who ponder why Kennedy’s presidency is so much greater than the facts seem to warrant, and why the impact he has made confounds objectivity, this book is essential reading.”
– Senator Bill Bradley
“Congratulations [to the publisher] in identifying so valuable a work; given the recent distress of our presidencies, the Kennedy experience – examined, warts and all, has much to offer. It is fortunate that you were willing to bring out a book that makes this contribution.”
– Fred I. Greenstein, Henry Luce Professor of Politics, Law and Society, Princeton University
An alternate selection for the Library of Political and International Affairs
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DEADLY RISKS
(Seven Locks hardback 2008, CreateSpace paperback 2016)
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Drawing upon his considerable research for The Promise and the Performance, Lew Paper turns to fiction to provide a spell-binding story which posits a theory of how and why John F. Kennedy was assassinated – all of which is consistent with the known facts of that unforgettable tragedy. Kelly Roberts, a young woman enjoying an idyllic life in a Washington, DC suburb, is confronted with a frightening dilemma after her father dies and then her brother is killed on an African safari. The dilema arises from a note from her father, a former CIA official in the Kennedy administration, who explains that he was involved in JFK's assassination and that he wants to make amends by leaving a method for future investigators to find the truth. However, he is concerned that some of his surviving co-conspirators will not want the truth to come out and suggests that the note be given to the JFK library after his children's deaths. But Kelly cannot leave well enough alone and strives to uncover what really happened – and what role her father played in it. In a gripping plot reminiscent of John Grisham's The Pelican Brief, the book unfolds with a tale of intrigue and passion that resonates with the ring of authenticity.
Praise for DEADLY RISKS
“Murder by jungle lion gets this CIA-laced story off to a rousing start . . . . As conspiracy theories go, Paper, a Washington, DC attorney, offers an intriguing one that links top-level U.S. officials to the assassination. Dialogue and pacing are superb. . . . Catnip for conspiracy theorists and fans of fast-paced thrillers.”
– Kirkus Reviews
"The JFK assassination has attracted some big-name thriller authors over the years . . . . Now veteran nonfiction writer Paper throws his hat into the ring with a new interpretation of one of the most written-about incidents in American history . . . . Paper tells an engaging, well-structured, and briskly paced tale, and he makes us believe, at least in the context of the novel, that his particular conspiracy theory is plausible."
– Booklist
