Ladies' Man: The Careless Heart of John F. Kennedy by Leamer, Laurence

From the New York Times bestselling author of Capote's Women, a penetrating examination of President John F. Kennedy's complicated, tumultuous life as told through the lens of the fascinating women he loved

John F. Kennedy was a born leader--bold, charismatic, and able to charm with nothing more than a witty phrase and a winning smile. He was also obsessive, manipulative, and haunted by complex desires for shiny, remarkable women, collecting them voraciously and carelessly, then dismissing them summarily, on his rise to the White House.

But these women were perhaps the only witnesses to the real JFK--and it's time their stories were finally told. Bestselling biographer Laurence Leamer knew three of Kennedy's mistresses, and Ladies' Man reveals JFK's harrowing, intimate life with unprecedented access.

From youthful indiscretions at boarding school, early connections with such beautiful aristocratic European women as Inga Arvad and Gunilla von Post, marriage to the stately Jacqueline Bouvier, romances with Pamela Turnure and Diana de Vegh, liaisons with mafia moll Judith Exner and East German spy Ellen Rometsch, to his relationship with Marilyn Monroe shortly before her death, JFK's affairs 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 his presidency.

No one who reads Ladies' Man will ever think about John F. Kennedy the same way again.

Author: Laurence Leamer
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Published: 10/20/2026
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.20w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9798217048403

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2026
Booklist 09/01/2026

About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Laurence Leamer is a leading biographer of the celebrated and powerful, and his books include Capote's Women, Hitchcock's Blondes, Warhol's Muses, Madness Under the Royal Palms, and The Kennedy Women, among many other books. He lives in Washington, DC, and Palm Beach, Florida.