Ladies' Man

"Leamer cleverly shows how these two sides to Kennedy's life - sex and death, cruelty and courage - were completely interwoven, which is why he's so much more interesting than the hero so many wanted him to be, or the villain his detractors insisted he was" - The Sunday Times

Insightful and wildly entertaining, Ladies Man gives voice to the women left as a footnote in JFK's legacy, while portraying a larger-than-life existence that was as troubled as it was extraordinary.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a born leader-bold, charismatic, and able to charm his peers and disarm critics with nothing more than a witty phrase and a winning smile.

He was also obsessive, manipulative, and haunted by his complex desires. More than drugs, JFK was addicted to shiny, remarkable women, collecting them voraciously and carelessly on his rise to the White House and beyond.

Once one entered his orbit, she might become his secret lover, his trusted helpmate, or his close confidant...only to be summarily dismissed when she no longer suited his needs. But these women were perhaps the only witnesses to the real JFK-the private man outside the glare of the spotlight-and it's time their stories were finally told.

In Ladies' Man, bestselling biographer and Kennedy expert Laurence Leamer reveals the harrowing, definitive life of JFK, from his early years to his shocking assassination, through the lens of these diverse, fascinating women he surrounded himself with.

From his youthful indiscretions, to his early connections with women like Pamela Turnure and Diana De Vegh, to his affair with Scandinavian aristocrat Gunilla Von Post just before marrying the stately Jacqueline Bouvier, to his Oval Office interactions with Judith Exner and Mimi Beardsley, to his liaisons to Marilyn Monroe before her death, JFK's relationships were multifaceted and often tragic. His cautious public persona contrasted sharply with his reckless personal life, where he took bewildering chances that could have destroyed him. And as JFK's profile rose, so did his rashness.

"Leamer has written two previous books on the Kennedy family (The Kennedy Women, 1994, and The Kennedy Men, 2001) and at age 84 he may be, he writes, "the last author who could write this book largely through personal experience and interviews". His granular understanding of easily the most overexposed family in America means he has files of interviews with Kennedy associates, many of whom died decades ago, to draw on." - The Sunday Times