The Last Words of Jack Ruby

Jack Ruby in his jail cell at the Dallas County Jail in 1964, taken by his brother Earl Ruby. Lawyer Phil Burleson is visible in the background. Courtesy of the Robert L. White Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

Who was Jack Ruby? Why did he kill Lee Harvey Oswald? And why, on his deathbed, does he insist on recounting the story of his lifelong friendship with the boxer, war hero, gun runner, and drug addict Barney Ross?

A historical novel inspired by the real-life friendship between my cousin Barney and the man some have called “the accidental assassin,” The Last Words of Jack Ruby follows Jack and Barney from Prohibition Chicago’s Jewish ghetto to the blood-soaked jungles of Gudalcanal to the Carousel Club. Along the way, one man’s violence made him a hero while the other’s made him infamous. A delirious noir investigation of the paranoid heart of the American Dream.

Coming on November 24, 2026—the 63rd anniversary of the day Ruby shot Oswald—from Chicago’s own Tortoise Books. Pre-order at Bookshop.org, or ask your local bookstore to order your copy today.

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