Sides is the author of Hellhound on His Trail, a narrative history of the King assassination, out in paperback this March from Anchor.

In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, Hellhound on His Trail,  Hampton Sides tells the story of the final moments of Martin Luther  King Jr.’s life—including his last conversation, his obliviousness to danger  and why he didn’t want bodyguards, his dinner invitation for Jesse  Jackson, and the careful attention of his assassin.