"Dead Ringer is an intriguing scavenger hunt into one of our country’s darkest corners. Hauty’s hallmarks are all there—exceptional writing, rich characters, and masterful misdirection."
Dead Ringer
A Novel
Description
Nationally bestselling author Chris Hauty, one of the high-octane writers “to take the thriller world by storm” (The Real Book Spy), returns with a riveting stand-alone novel that explores what might have really happened at the JFK assassination.
Set in present-day, a disgraced former Secret Service office and a Jesuit professor join forces to delve into the mysteries surrounding the events of November 22, 1963. Fixated on deciphering the conspiracies behind the history-changing assassination, they are oblivious to the fact that the cabal is still active—and may face an end as bloody as the carnage in Dealey Plaza. Will they be able to uncover the truth in time? Or will they become two more footnotes in history?
Pages400
Released2025
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAtria/Emily Bestler Books
ISBN9781668084113
SellerSimon & Schuster
About the author(s)
Chris Hauty’s debut, Deep State, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and Barry Award nominee. Other novels include the CALIBA Award–nominated Savage Road, and Storm Rising, as well as the acclaimed novella Insurrection Day. He currently lives in Glendale, California.
Reviews
"Borrowing from puzzle master Dan Brown, Hauty concocts an entertaining plot with a great payoff."
"It’s a blast."
"VERDICT The sequential clues and the story's rocket pace will remind readers of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code."
“A big, bold, fresh conspiracy thriller from Chris Hauty, DEAD RINGER twists and turns everything we think we know about the JFK assassination into a Rubik’s Cube of a read. Fast-paced and layered, crisply written with moments of surprising poignancy, it represents a big new step in the career of this must-read novelist.”
Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan X series
“Chris Hauty has done it again! DEAD RINGER is riveting from page one!”
Dave Temple, host of The ThrillerZone.com
"With DEAD RINGER Chris Hauty has crafted another gripping thriller filled with high-stakes twists and compelling characters. I found myself completely drawn into this unexpected JFK assassination mystery, following Mingus and Verdugo from clue to clue with growing fascination. This is a true page-turner—and that ending? I didn’t see it coming. Loved it.”
Simon Gervais, former RCMP counterterrorism officer and bestselling author of The Elias Network
“DEAD RINGER is an addictive, adrenaline-soaked, layer cake of a conspiracy thriller. Hauty has delivered an intricate mystery about redemption, revenge, truth, and how we grapple with the sins of our past. Oh, and the twist at the end? You'll never see it coming.”
David McCloskey, former CIA analyst and internationally bestselling author of The Seventh Floor
“Chris Hauty does it again! Weaving a labyrinth of deception where nothing is as it seems, Joe Mingus and a sharp-witted Jesuit dive headfirst into a truth some would kill to keep buried. With an assassin on their heels and a conspiracy echoing the shadows of Dealey Plaza, DEAD RINGER will make you question everything you think you know—and leave you staring in stunned silence.”
Jack Stewart, bestselling author of Unknown Rider
"Delivering a pulse pounding, race to the finish, Hauty reignites reader imagination with a brand-new twist to a controversial American tragedy. DEAD RINGER features the unlikeliest of duos, who come together in a novel that is as funny and heartfelt as gripping and raw—a story as timeless and timely as the conspiracy itself."
Taylor Moore, author of Cold Trail
